Assen WorldSBK: Bulega, Lecuona battle as rain shakes up Race 1

Bulega leads onto the final lap and an 0.8s lead should be enough for him.

Lecuona has around 1s over Lowes, so that’s probably done as well.

Further back, the battle for seventh is fairly hot between Mackenzie and Oliveira.

Bulega made his move back to the front at turns three and four, and he’s putting his pace in again.

0.6s between him and Lecuona with 2 to go.

Lecuona leads into the final three laps. Lowes still right there. It’s honestly anyone’s race at this point.

Bulega’s confidence is coming back and he makes the move at the penultimate corner on lap 17.

Lecuona responds at the chicane, and now Lowes is right there.

Lecuona leading by a few tenths, Bulega riding fairly right. Sam Lowes and Bautista both faster than the two leaders, Lowes is almost with them and Bautista only a few seconds further back.

Bulega had extended his lead to 2s, but the rain is arriving now. It started in the final two sectors, but it’s more or less everywhere quite strongly now. 

Lecuona now to the front with 6 to go.

Bulega now increasing his lead. His pace is staying in the 1m33s, but Lecuona has dropped to the 34s now. 1.1s between them now with eight laps to go.

Baldassarri had passed Oliveira for ninth, but Oliveira came back through at the end of the back straight. the Italian ran off and dropped to 11th behind Montella.

Into the second half of the race now and Bulega continues to lead, but it’s still by only a few tenths from Lecuona.

Further back, Mackenzie has passed Vierge for seventh. Locatelli’s sixth place under threat from the MGM Ducati rider as well. Baldassarri in that battle as well.

Still just 0.6s between the two leaders. Sam Lowes now nearly 2s behind them, but 4s clear of Bautista.

Better lap from Lecuona that time and the gap is back under 0.6s. Lowes now 1.4s behind the second of the factory Ducatis.

3s then back to Bautista and Alex Lowes in 4th and 5th.

Then it’s the two factory Yamahas battling for P6, Locatelli ahead of Vierge with Oliveira close behind as well.

Lecuona had been staying within 0.5s of Bulega, but that’s out to almost 0.6s now. Lowes now completely out of the picture for Lecuona, either, just over a second back.

Petrucci tries to take his first long lap penalty but he runs off into the gravel and gets to the barrier. He’s down as having completed it, which seems generous from the stewards. Still one to serve, though.

1m33.465s from Bulega on lap three is a new race lap record, better than his own best from Race 1 last year by just over 0.1s.

Bulega pushing the pace at the front now and Sam Lowes is dropping off the front two. He’s still over a second clear of Bautista in fourth, though.

Alex Lowes still fifth, then Petrucci before serving his long laps.

Bulega to the front now, he made the move on Lecuona between turns 10 and 11. Lowes sticking with them on the Marc VDS bike.

Petrucci has a double long lap for jumping the start. He’s seventh at the moment.

Lowes lost his right front wing in that battle with Bautista.

Lecuona leads lap one, then it’s Bulega and Lowes.

Alex Lowes up to fourth at the final chicane but Bautista passed him back at turn one. They’re over a second behind the podium battle now.

Riders are off on their warm-up lap for Race 1. Conditions far from stable but dry for now.

It’s clear that Nicolo Bulega is the favourite for victory this afternoon, but who will be on the podium beside him is far less obvious.

Lecuona and Lowes should be in the mix from the front row, of course, but then there are three strong riders on row two, as well, with Petrucci, Vierge, and Lowes leading the charge behind the top three Ducatis.

Alvaro Bautista is also there in seventh, and at a high tyre wear circuit like this his traditional late race charge could be especially potent this afternoon.

Miguel Oliveira was on the podium in all three races in Portugal three weeks ago, but qualified down in 13th this morning so it will be a tough ask for him to keep that rostrum streak going today.