This past Sunday was certainly one of those days that Glenn van Straalen will not forget for a long time, if he ever forgets at all, as Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing managed to win a WSSP race at home, ending a ten-year drought of national riders winning at Assen.
Here is the winner’s first reaction, right after the race: ‘I followed the guys into the pits to make a stop because I thought the last sector would be dry but then it was very wet and I thought the rain tire grip would be very good. I had a good rhythm in the rain and it was amazing to do good lap times, reduce the big gap, but it wasn’t easy to be in first place! I started to wonder if I would win or not! I focused on the race and, turn by turn, I managed to reach the finish line. It’s fantastic to do it here with these colors and all the fans, it’s brilliant’.
At one point, #28 was far behind the competition, with a gap of 10.135s, but eventually made a comeback: ‘The feeling is very good and it gave me a lot of adrenaline because I was on slicks at the beginning! Then, the crowd enjoyed it, because I was catching up and they were wondering if I would make up the time or not, but in the end, it happened!’.
And he did not forget about his compatriot and friend Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): ‘Michael has been very important and I see him a few times a week, we train together and he is definitely important for this result. It is definitely a dream to win here’.
