NO BREAK FOR MOTOGP.
FIRST TIME IN ASSEN IN MOTOGP FOR TONI ELIAS.
After the last weekend of racing in Donington, MotoGP is
back on track after only four days for the Dutch Grand Prix
on the prestigious circuit in Assen. Maximum concentration
for the Alice Team riders, Toni Elias and Sylvain Guintoli,
who after respectively concluding in eleventh and thirteenth
position in Great Britain, they want to grow to reach a better
position in the MotoGP riders classification. It will be a
particular weekend for Elias who even if he already had a
four years experience in MotoGP, since 2005, he never made
it to race here since he has joined the top class. For his
teammate, Sylvain Guintoli, this will be the second time in
Assen in the highest category after the fourteenth position
obtained last year.
From 1949, when the motorcycle World Championship begun,
the TT Circuit in Assen has been the only one where there
have a race held each year. During the years the outline of
the track has been modified, passing from the 28km in 1925
to the 7.705 meters in 1955 and to the 4.555 meters after
the last modification done in 2006. The longest straight is
560 meters long and is one of the shortest of the World Championship.
Alice Team principal, Luis d’Antin, isn’t satisfied
of the result conquered until now, but in Donington has seen
the Team work well and believes to obtain good results in
Assen: “In Donington, despite the difficulties encountered,
we had a good reaction and we made it to improve our lap times.
The positions obtained aren’t great, but I have seen
the Team determined and I confide in their work to do our
best in Holland. The track is very nice but maybe I preferred
it before the last modifications. Last year we went really
well finishing in seventh and eight position. We believe we
can do the same with our riders also this year.”
After the good comeback in Sunday’s race, Alice Team
rider Toni Elias is ready for his official debut in Assen
in the MotoGP Category: “It’s true, this will
be my first weekend of race in Assen since I have joined the
top class in the World Championship. Injuries have blocked
me and I couldn’t race here and sincerely I am happy
to come back here. In the quarter liter class I obtained really
good results: in 2004 I concluded in third position while
in 2002, my first year in the category, I conquered the second
position. Physically I feel well and my performance in England
gave me good hopes for the rest of the season. We also have
to use some interesting solutions we tried in Barcelona. They
could allow us to make a good step forward.”
His teammate Sylvain Guintoli raced in Assen last season,
but unluckily he couldn’t do better than the fourteenth
position: “Last year it was a completely different solution.
This year, with the technical package at our disposal, we
can do much better. I would like to do well here also for
my Team members: even if results haven’t come yet, they
have been working marvelously giving always their best. I
really like the circuit and I think is one of the most fun
and technical in the championship. Usually, at each new circuit
where we race, in the first sessions we find really hard times:
I hope that in this weekend we will be able to be much more
competitive since the first few laps.”
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