REPSOL HONDA RIDERS IN POSITIVE MOOD FOR ASSEN
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT PREVIEW
DUTCH TT, ASSEN
June 26/27/28 2008, round 9 of 18
The Repsol Honda Team goes into its fourth race in five weekends
at Assen, round nine of the 18-event 2008 MotoGP series and
thus the World Championship’s halfway point. The team
travels to the Netherlands in very positive mood, Dani Pedrosa
out to battle for victory once again, Nicky Hayden looking
forward to his second race using the pneumatic-valve RCV engine.
Pedrosa battled for second place and finished third at last
Sunday’s British GP, despite qualifying on the third
row. Currently second overall on points, the Spaniard is confident
he can improve on that at Assen where he will be aiming to
score his third win of 2008, following his victories at Jerez
and Catalunya. Hayden finished seventh at Donington Park,
in the process gathering vital data on the pneumatic-valve
engine which he hopes to put to good use this weekend.
Assen is a unique MotoGP event, the only venue that remains
on the calendar from the motorcycling World Championships’
first season in 1949. It is also the only World Championship
event that is not a Grand Prix. TT stands for Tourist Trophy,
the name applied to many races during the early days of motorsport
when touring machines, rather than pure-bred racers, were
used. Assen is a fast track with high-speed, interlinking
corners that prioritise handling and stability. The circuit
is also banked in the middle like a public road which requires
riders to deal with complex changes of camber as they enter
and exit corners.
Dani Pedrosa
“We got some useful points at Donington last week but
at Assen we want a better result. First of all, I hope the
weather stays dry because that way everyone can prepare better
for the race. It will be a tough event because the level in
MotoGP at the moment is just incredibly high. Assen used to
be a beautiful circuit but the big changes they made two years
ago have spoiled some of its character. The track surface
is quite smooth, which is good, but it’s not as grippy
as some other tracks. My favourite section is the final chicane,
which is a legendary corner, the site of many great battles.
Getting the set-up right at Assen is difficult, even though
the new track layout doesn’t require such special settings
as the old circuit. You need to prepare the bike so that it
is agile and provides good grip. Assen requires medium-hard
tyres. As far as riding style goes you need to be a bit aggressive
because you have to use a lot of strength when changing direction
at high-speed. The atmosphere at Assen is very much a motorcycling
atmosphere, with a lot of life in the town, in the restaurants,
everywhere. The atmosphere is the most classic left in the
World Championship.”.”
Nicky Hayden
“I’m feeling pretty positive going into Assen.
We learned a lot about the new engine last weekend –
fuel consumption, tyre life and so on – that we hope
we will be able to put to good use at Assen. I love the track.
Sure it’s changed a bit over the years but it’s
still pretty good. I really like the last section, the fast
bit coming back towards the pits, the fifth-gear change of
direction at Hogeheide. That’s one of my best corners,
you’ve definitely got to be physical with the bike through
there. Changing direction fast at any speed is hard but in
fifth gear it’s even harder. Assen has caught some flack
for changing the first part of the track but the place is
still plenty safe with good runoff. I’ve had some good
results there in the past. It’s certainly been one of
my better tracks and it’s always been a good Michelin
track. You need a little bit of everything from the bike there,
but the one thing that stands out is all the banked corners.”
THE TRACK
Opened: 1955
Modified : 2006
Pole position: Left
Circuit Lenght: 4555m
Straight: 560m
Track width: 14m
Lefthanders: 6
Righthanders: 11
2007 Motog race: 1. V.ROSSI (Fiat Yamaha) 2 C. STONER (Ducati
Marlboro) 3 N. HAYDEN (Repsol Honda)
Pole Position: Chris VERMEULEN 1'48.555 151.057 Km/h
Fastest Lap: Valentino ROSSI 1'37.433 168.300 Km/h Lap 13
Circuit Record Lap: Nicky HAYDEN 1'37.106 168.867 Km/h 2006
Circuit Best Lap: John HOPKINS 1'36.411 170.084 Km/h 2006
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