2nd RACE - ASSEN, Nederlands
June, 15th 2008

Second round for the EUROPEAN WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP,
the Female European Championship organized by UEM (European Motorcycling Union)

Race goes to NINA PRINZ (Superstock 1000)
and MARKETA JANACOVA (Superstock 600)

GALLERY: RACE

GALLERY: PADDOCK

STANDING CHAMPIONSHIP

The second European Women's Championship race took place in Assen (Netherlands) during a fairly sunny weekend. The race was dominated by Nina Prinz (Germany) and Marketa Janacova (Czech Republic), who got both the pole position and the best times in their classes.
Nina, as usual, was competing practically against herself, setting a record time for the women category (1.44.2 on Saturday, during practice) and with no real competition in this Championship.
The 600 class result was much less predictable, with a riveting battle between Janacova and Iris Ten Katen (Netherlands, who was the 600cc champion in 2007). The Dutch rider tailed closely her opponent, showing her resolve not to concede the race on her home ground. Despite this, the Czech rider never lowered her guard and managed to finish the race with a 4 seconds lead. Third place went to the young Tina Katrasnik, from Slovenia.
In the 1000 class, a gearbox failure forced Susie Grayson (UK) to quit after the third lap, despite reaching the second best time thanks to an excellent start. This gave Lara Cordioli (Italy, on an MV Agusta F4) the chance to gain the second place on the podium, right after Nina Prinz and before Bernice Sangers (Netherlands, riding a Ducati 848).
Very good results both for Nikolett Kovacs (Hungary) and Sharon Mermet (Italy), respectively fourth and fifth in the 600 class, and registering their best racing times at 1,50 - right after Katrasnik's time.
Monika Jaworska quit during the ninth lap, leaving the sixth place to Deb Cartwright (UK).
This race proved a good start for the rookies to the European championship: Liesbet Tolman and Priscylla Beentjes from Netherlands, Peggy Appelmans (Belgian, but with Dutch license), Nikoline Gregersen and Helle Lunden (Denmark), and the Russian riders Nadezda Yakhnich and Natasha Lyubimova.
Janacova and Ten Katen (both with 45 points) lead the 600 class, while Katrasnik defends her third place with a 9 point margin on Kovacs (23) who will have defend her own placement from Mermet, currently at 22.
In the 1000 class the title while mathematically not yet "certain" will probably go to Nina Prinz, who, with her 50 points, has little to fear from Lara Cordioli (33), while Marchetti (who did not compete in Assen) with her 20 points, Grayson and Sangers at 16, can still fight over the third placement.
See you all for the last, and deciding, race on October 12th in Albacete, which will take place during the same weekend of the European Championship in Spain, organized by UEM, Dorna and FGSport.

STARTING GRID

PRACTICE - SATURDAY
Pole Position
Superstock 600 Marketa Janakova
Superstock 1000 Nina Prinz

rider time   1000cc SUPERSTOCK   1 PRINZ NINA 1.44.2 99 CORDIOLI LARA 1.52.1 52 GRAYSON SUSIE 1.53.5 74 SANGERS BERNICE 1.55.3 123 APPELMANS PEGGY 2.02.8 50 BEENTJES PRISCYLLA 2.03.3         600cc SUPERSTOCK   77 JANAKOVA MARKETA 1.46.4 101 TEN KATEN IRIS 1.47.2 89 KATRASNIK TINA 1.49.8 5 KOVACS NIKOLETT 1.52.0 2 MERMET SHARON 1.52.5 4 CARTWRIGHT DEB 1.53.3 100 JAWORSKA MONIKA 1.53.5 36 ZANT MARGREET 1.57.5 46 TOLMAN LIESBET 1.58.6 42 GREGERSEN NIKOLINE 2.00.1 53 LUNDEN HELLE 2.01.1 57 LYUBIMOVA NATASHA 2.02.5 75 YAKNICH NADEZDA 2.06.2 96 OTT KARIN 2.06.4

MARKETA JANAKOVA

20 riders will compete in the second round of the European Women's Championship that will take place in Assen on the 15th of June.
The two title holders for 2007, the Dutch Iris Ten Katen for the 600 Superstock class and the German Nina Prinz for the 1000 Superstock class, who are currently at the first place, will be challenged by strong contenders as the Czech Marketa Janacova, the Slovenian Tina Katrasnik, the Hungarian Nikolett Kovacs, the Italian Sharon Mermet and Lara Cordioli, the English Susie Grayson and Deb Cartwright, the Russian Nadezhda Yakhnich and Nathaliya Lyubimova, plus the other Dutch riders ready to give their best in the home race: Susanne Bolhaar, Manuela Fokkema, Karin Ott, Bernice Sangers, Margreet Zant. There will be even some new names for the Championship like the Belgian Peggy Applelmans, the Danish with German licence Helle Asbjornsdattere Lunden and the Dutch Liesbet Tolman and Priscylla Beentjes.

Warm-up session at 11.30 and race at 13.30 of Sunday, 15th of June at the prestigious circuit of Assen, Nederlands.
Following the Assen race, the third and last round will be hosted in Albacete, Spain, on the 12th of October, as part of the European Championship new formula promoted by UEM, together with Dorna and FGSport, that will benefit of a considerable media coverage.
EUROPEAN ROAD RACING CHAMPIONSHIP 2008