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Lap record is consolation for Cann |
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Written by Bath Chronicle
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Dominic Cann, from Keynsham's Louigi Moto racing team, smashed the lap record, but had to be content with second place in the Dutch round of the British Ducati Desmo Due series.
In what many regard as the event of the season in Assen in Holland, the Ducati Club Nederland host the annual Clubraces to which Ducatisti travel from all over the world to compete at the famous TT circuit.
Cann, last year's race winner and lap record holder at the Dutch Grand Prix track, was feeling confident, but still riding a borrowed machine while the Louigi Moto team continued to build a new bike.
Qualifying saw championship leader Kyle Hinton snatch pole position from Cann by just four-tenths of a second.
The pair were a full five seconds faster than last season's pole time and three seconds faster than the rest of the field.
On race day the weather was a scorching 34 degrees, so while the riders waited in the pit lane prior to their race they got off their machines in order to stand in the shade.
Cann's race was almost over before it had even started after a fellow competitor accidentally knocked his bike over and damaged the controls.
The race itself was a cracker as Hinton led from the start and Cann settled in behind him.
The former teammates were in a different class as they pulled away from the chasing pack by some six seconds per lap.
The two were so close, in fact, that their lap times were never more than seven-hundredths of a second apart as they enthralled the 10,000-strong crowd with some of the closest racing in the history of the series.
Cann smashed the lap record by almost five seconds, but failed to overtake Hinton when he had planned.
The pair passed the chequered flag with less than half a second separating them.
"That was brilliant fun," said Cann.
"I'm obviously gutted not to win, especially as I felt I was faster today.
"I had a plan to make a pass at the final chicane on the last lap and was confident I could pull it off.
"A lap record is good though considering the damage to the bike."
The series now heads to Oulton Park in Cheshire on Saturday, the scene of a double win for the Louigi Moto team 12 months ago.
Cann will be looking to close the gap to the championship leader and get his title chase back on track on what will be the fourth different bike this season.
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