Supersport Assen: Phillip Oettl and Ducati hit the jackpot in Race 2

Phillip Oettl’s baptism: the German rider celebrated his first victory in race 2 at Assen, shortened due to Roberto Garcia’s crash.

The Spaniard fell on the exit of turn 5, oddly bouncing back into the track. The Yamaha was left in the middle of the circuit, so Race Direction made the appropriate decision to stop everything. The red flag came out before the fierce leading pack had even sparked the final sprint. Phillip Oettl, a second-generation racer, was in the right place at the right time. The World Championship–leading Ducati is no longer smiling only with Jaume Masia—this time just sixth—but also with the young German managed by Feel Racing, the same outfit that fields the factory Ducatis in Superbike.

With the first World Championship win of his career, Phillip Oettl climbs to third in the standings, 27 points behind leader Masia. The stoppage played a nasty trick on the Spaniard, a late-race specialist—remember that Portimao sprint? The finish order, “frozen” by the incident, rewarded Alberto Arenas, who with second place brings the Yamaha R9 to within a single point of the world lead. A former Moto2 rider, rock-solid and fast, Arenas is always there: he’s going to be a real handful for the Ducati camp.

Alessandro Zaccone can also regret the outcome. In the opening laps the reigning MotoE champion was fast and aggressive; it seemed the right afternoon to aim for something big. Fifth place is usually a fine result, especially in such a hard-fought Supersport, but this one stings. The same considerations, more or less, apply to Mattia Casadei, who was also very active in the leading group. The red flag prevented him from aiming for more than ninth place. But the World Championship has just begun; Davide Giugliano—a former Ducati rider now a team owner—has finally found a thoroughbred in Casadei.

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