The Dutchman was first after FP2, 0.3s ahead of teammate Okaya and 0.8s off Ieraci in third.
Home rider Victor Steeman (MTM Kawasaki) led the first day of the Motul Dutch Round and was the only rider to lap in the 1’48s. Steeman explained: “it’s nice to be in Assen as it’s a good track for me. In FP1, I did only one late time because we had an issue with the bike, which has been fixed. In FP2, I tried to find the limit, and in the first laps I was a bit over the limit, and I knew what my limit was and I could find my pace.” In 2021, Steeman secured pole position at Assen when riding for KTM and he will aim to get a solid result on Saturday: “I think we can do a great job. Tomorrow morning, I’ll try to beat my own lap record, because I still own it here. In Aragon Race 2, I was in front almost all the time before I crashed when I was hit by another rider. So I think tomorrow the podium is realistic.”
Steeman’s teammate, Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki) was second in the combined standings, three tenths behind the Dutchman. The Japanese rider was able to improve in FP2 as he improved by about half-a-second compared to his FP1 time. He will be looking at claiming his first podium of 2022 for his team home round.
Despite having led the FP1 session, Bruno Ieraci (Prodina Racing WorldSSP300) finished third at the end of Friday. His fastest time was set in the morning session while he was 18th in FP2. Having finished just outside the podium in Aragon Race 2, he will aim for his first podium finish since 2019.
Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing), Ruben Bijman (MTM Kawasaki) and Hugo De Cancellis (Prodina Racing WorldSSP300) completed the top six.
First and second in the Championship standings, Marc Garcia (Yamaha MS Racing) and Alvaro Diaz (Arco Motor University Team) concluded Friday in seventh and ninth place, as they are both hoping to become Yamaha’s first winner at the Dutch venue in WorldSSP300.
WorldSSP300 Combined Results after FP2
1. Victor Steeman (MTM Kawasaki) 1’48.937s
2. Yuta Okaya (MTM Kawasaki) +0.333s
3. Bruno Ieraci (Prodina Racing WorldSSP300) +0.362s
4. Lennox Lehmann (Freudenberg KTM – Paligo Racing) +0.538s
5. Ruben Bijman (MTM Kawasaki) +0.644s
6. Hugo De Cancellis (Prodina Racing WorldSSP300) +0.682s
For more info checkout our dedicated World Supersport 300 News page superbike-news.co.uk/world-supersport-300/
Or visit the official World Superbike website worldsbk.com