Luke Stapleford and The Triumph Street Triple 765 Victorious at Assen

Luke Stapleford and his Macadam Racing Triumph Street Triple 765 secured victory in a challenging Feature Race this afternoon, backing up a battling podium performance in the morning’s re-scheduled Sprint Race.

The 34-year-old started Round 9 of the Quattro Group British Supersport Championship on the front foot, playing on his previous experience of the Dutch venue, topping both of Friday’s free practice sessions as the series made its long-awaited return to the TT Circuit Assen.

With a busy Saturday ahead, Stapleford ventured out on track for Qualifying and instantly lit up the timescreens, posting a new lap record on his way to securing pole position at the 2.8-mile circuit with teammate Max Wadsworth concluding Q2 in 16th.

As focus was on a showstopping Sprint Race, a deluge of rain during the opening British Superbike race of the weekend brought delays and ultimately resulted in the Supersport Sprint Race being delayed until this morning, marking a ‘Super Sunday’ for the Triumph Street Triple 765 riders.

Kicking the action off with morning warm up, Stapleford fired another warning shot across the bows of his competitors, topping the session ahead of the opening race of the weekend.

Another downpour of morning rain left the track damp for the ten-lap race, and with the #8 starting from pole, Stapleford made a strong getaway but ran wide on the exit of Haarbocht (turn one), dropping back to seventh.

Keeping a cool head, he began working his way through the pack, using the strengths of his Street Triple 765 machine to charge his way to third by the midway stage of the ten-lap race. With sights on the leading duo, the Leicestershire rider launched his way to the inside of Fenton Seabright at turn one, but as the pair ran wide, title-rival Jack Kennedy bolted through as the Triumph rider settled back into third.

With a four-way fight at the front, he meticulously planned his attack, first passing Oliver Barr on the eighth lap at Stekkenwal, then taking the lead at the Geert Timmer Chicane as the pack began their final lap.

Holding firm at the front of the field, a late attack from Kennedy at the final chicane forced Stapleford to relinquish the lead and, with no time to respond, crossed the line in second place. However, a desperate dash to the line saw Stapleford run onto the green and was forced to drop a position, taking third in the final classification.

Meanwhile, Wadsworth made a strong getaway from 16th, picking up three places in the opening stages. From there, he held position, battling till the very end in a three-rider fight, ultimately finishing 12th before being demoted to 13th for exceeding track limits at the GT chicane.

Posting the fastest lap in Race 1, Stapleford began the Feature Race from pole position and made another strong getaway. Running slick tyres on an ever-drying circuit, it wouldn’t be long before the riders defaced their first challenge.

Slipping to second on the opening lap, a downpour of rain left treacherous conditions for the dry-tyre runners, and with the race being declared as a Wet Race, it wouldn’t be stopped.

Braving the short shower, Stapleford emerged from the mist in fifth place behind Barr and Eunan McGlinchey aboard his Triumph 675 machine. Settling into the ever-changing conditions, it wasn’t long before the Macadam-rider pushed through, fighting back to second place by the 12th lap.

With 2.4 seconds to race leader Joe Talbot ahead, he continued his charge, posting fastest lap after fastest lap to reel his rival down. Starting the last lap in the wheel tracks of the leader, he looked for a way through, but a slide on entry to the first turn made his quest slightly harder. A big final lap push presented Stapleford the opportunity into the Geert Timmer Chicane, passing Talbot into the final chicane to take victory in a nail-biting Dutch finale.

Stapleford’s Macadam Racing teammate Wadsworth delivered a superb fight back through the field to finish 12th after dropping to 24th in the opening stages as the rain fell. Lee Johnston secured two top ten finishes on the SENCAT By Swan Racing Triumph, with Jamie Coward, a wildcard entry for the weekend, made progress despite retiring from the Feature Race.

Stapleford heads to Oulton Park third in the overall standings, tied on points with Jack Kennedy, 43 points adrift from the top of the series.

Luke Stapleford - Race 1: 3rd | Race 2: 1st

“Overall, it’s been a really positive weekend. We were towards the front throughout the weekend, which is exactly as we hoped the weekend would go. We topped both practices, qualifying and warm up, so I was a bit disappointed to end up third in the first race. The second race made up for it, albeit a very tricky one with the incoming rain, and we had to be cautious in the early laps. A few guys were able to break away. I worked my way through and got my head down in the final few laps and managed to make the pass to take the win.”

Max Wadsworth - Race 1: 13th | Race 2: 12th

“I knew it was going to be a tough weekend with it being almost a new circuit to me, but overall I’m fairly happy with the progress and the results we secured. The Sprint Race ended in 13th after being demoted one position for touching the green, but the Feature Race was a good fight. I initially dropped to 24th as I struggled with the rain falling and being on slicks, but I dug in and pushed to salvage some points for 12th at the chequered flag.”

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RESULTS - BRITISH SUPERSPORT ROUND 9, ASSEN RACE 1:

1. Jack Kennedy (Honda Racing UK)

2. Oliver Barr (Binch Pro Ducati)

3. Luke Stapleford (Macadam Triumph Factory Racing)

9. Lee Johnston (SENCAT By Swan Racing)

13. Max Wadsworth (Macadam Triumph Factory Racing)

26. Jamie Coward (KTS Racing)

RACE 2:

1. Luke Stapleford (Macadam Triumph Factory Racing)

2. Joe Talbot (Binch Pro Ducati)

3. Oliver Barr (Binch Pro Ducati)

10. Lee Johnston (SENCAT By Swan Racing)

12. Max Wadsworth (Macadam Triumph Factory Racing)

DNF. Jamie Coward (KTS Racing)

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:

1. Rhys Irwin (328 points)

2. Ben Currie (317 points)

3. Luke Stapleford (285 points)

3. Jack Kennedy (285 points)

4. Joe Talbot (258 points)

8. Lee Johnston (131 points)