Luke Power Learns Fast At Assen On WorldSSP Debut
Luke Power’s debut weekend on the world stage may have ended in a double DNF for reasons outside of his control but the positives to be taken from the Dutch round of the 2023 FIM Supersport World Championship far outweigh the negatives.
Friday saw Luke use the two Free Practice sessions to learn the iconic Assen circuit and despite a small front-end crash towards the end of FP2 the Aussie teenager ended the day nineteenth overall.
A lap time improvement in his first Superpole session on Saturday ensured the #68 Motozoo ME AIR rider was comfortably on the grid for the two eighteen lap encounters.
A reasonable start in Race 1 saw Luke in the pack, before a spill after several impressive overtakes saw him slide out of contention. Race 2, after a consistent Warm Up session on Sunday, was going well until he was forced to retire. Both DNFs were attributed to issues with the front tyre and whilst both Luke and the team are naturally frustrated, they accept and understand that it’s racing, and these things can happen.
Luke will spend the time before his next outing in Spain in a fortnight training off track, with a planned return to Pete Boast’s Flat Track School in the UK.
Luke Power:
“This weekend was a positive experience. We showed on Friday that we have a lot of potential and I am excited to show more in Barcelona. It’s a shame that we had some small issues out of our control that affected the two races, but I am grateful for the team’s work, and I look forward to getting back together, putting our heads down and showing what we are capable of at the next round. It was a surreal experience to be in the World Superbike paddock after aspiring to be there since I was a small kid. It felt like a big family everyone was so friendly and I am happy being a part of the show. On Friday I attended the Paddock Show with all my rivals in the WorldSSP Challenge and was also there with the fans with all the riders on the grid on Saturday. It was a lot of fun riding at Assen. The track is enjoyable to ride, and I cannot wait to race there again next year – fingers crossed!”