WSBK Netherlands Round 2 Ends Early Due to Incident: Zhang Xue Says Racing Circle is Clean
On April 19th, the second race of the 2026 World Superbike Championship (WSBK) Netherlands round was prematurely ended due to a red flag incident. Zhang Xue Motorcycle's rider #53, Valentin Debise, finished seventh driving the 820RR-RS.
Regarding the early termination of the race, Zhang Xue Motorcycle officially responded: According to the race rules, if the number of completed laps reaches two-thirds or more of the total laps, and a red flag appears on the track, the race will be terminated immediately, and the current ranking will be used as the final result.
The official report was also released: Rider #53 Debise finished 7th in the second race.
After the race, Zhang Xue himself released a video, answering questions from fans one by one.
He stated: "Today's race was interrupted on the penultimate lap when a rider crashed behind us, and the vehicle stopped directly across the track. There wasn't enough time for on-site rescue. If other racers continued to pass, it could easily cause a secondary safety accident, so the race organizers decisively terminated the race."
Zhang Xue also explained the race termination rules in detail: If the number of completed laps reaches two-thirds of the total laps, the race ends immediately, and the ranking at that time is the final result; if it does not reach two-thirds, the riders and vehicles return to the pit lane, and after the track is cleared, they restart according to the order before the termination.
Regarding the attacks and movements between riders during the race, Zhang Xue also made a statement: "It is very normal for riders to compete and fight closely on the track. Including riders extending their legs in corners, which can stabilize the vehicle's posture and increase braking force on the one hand, and increase the frontal area to enhance the deceleration effect on the other hand."
He also mentioned that the strength of the riders on the international stage is very close, and under the same level of racing cars, the lap time difference between the top ten riders is even less than 0.1 seconds. Track preference and on-site condition will directly affect the results of a single race.
Responding to comments from some netizens in the comment section, Zhang Xue sincerely replied: "The racing circle is still very clean, and everyone is fighting for their beliefs."
It is reported that WSBK points mainly come from the two race rounds and qualifying. Rider points are accumulated according to the ranking, and the annual rider champion is finally determined.
The manufacturer points are the points obtained by the best-performing rider of the manufacturer in each race, which are included in the manufacturer's annual total points, and this score directly represents the overall performance of the racing car.
Currently, Zhang Xue Motorcycle ranks third in the manufacturer points standings, second only to internationally renowned manufacturers Ducati and Yamaha.