British Supersport Championship racing returned to the iconic TT Circuit Assen for the first time since 2019 as the series reached round nine. The famous Dutch venue proved popular with riders once again, though mixed weather and tricky track conditions made for a challenging weekend. For MMB Racing, there were flashes of real promise, especially from Eugene McManus’ superb qualifying effort and early race pace, but whilst both riders secured points from both races, ultimately the team may have left Assen feeling there was more to be taken from the weekend.
Free Practice
The weekend started well enough for the MMB Racing riders. McManus and teammate Harry Truelove finished Friday’s free practice sessions 11th and 14th respectively, both targeting improvements as the weekend progressed.
Qualifying
McManus and Truelove had done enough to avoid Q1 on Saturday morning. For Q2 they joined 25 other riders in the battle for the grid positions for the afternoon’s Sprint Race. McManus looked transformed, finding ral confidence with the bike and storming to third fastest overall, earning a place on the front row of the grid for the Sprit Race. Truelove also to a setp forward, o,proving his pace to secure 11th on the grid for the first race of the weekend.
Sprint Race 10 Laps
Heavy rain forced the Sprint Race to be delayed until Sunday morning, but the wait seemed to suit the MMB Racing pair who had shown top-five pace in warm-up. McManus made a lightning start, grabbing the lead on lap one before settling into a strong second.
His charge was interrupted mid-race when another rider forced his machine up the inside of the number 15 at trun one, forcing both of them off track, and dropping McManus to seventh. He recovered well to salvage sixth at the flag. Truelove rode a smart, consistent race, making up early ground and holding station in eighth place to the finish.
Feature Race 16 Laps
The final race of the weekend brought further drama as light rain fell just as the riders roared from the start/finish line to commence the race. Both McManus and Truelove opted for slick tyres, but the opening laps were cautious as conditions caused several riders problems, inlcuding for one who collided with McManus, again making him lose several positions. As the track dried, both MMB Racing men grew stronger. Truelove’s pace built steadily, his fastest laps coming on the very last two of the race as he claimed 11th. McManus also fought through in the second half of the race, climbing to eighth at the chequered flag.
The penultimate round of this year’s British Supersport Championship is at Oulton Park over the weekend of 3rd to 5th October
