Having barely had time to
catch their collective breath after Jorge Lorenzo's
brilliant MotoGP win at Silverstone in the UK on Sunday,
the Fiat Yamaha Team arrived at Assen in the Netherlands
yesterday to set-up for the Dutch TT, which celebrates
its 80th Anniversary this weekend. As tradition dictates
the race is always held on the last Saturday in June,
after which the paddock heads directly to Barcelona for
the third race in this punishing triple-header.
Once again the team will be missing Valentino Rossi,
with the Italian now entering his third week of
recuperation at home in Italy following his accident at
Mugello. Lorenzo however is doing a superb job of
steering the ship single-handedly and he now holds a
37-point lead in the championship over Andrea Dovizioso.
Three wins and two second places from just five races is
impressive even when compared to Rossi's soaring
standards and the imperious way in which the young
Mallorcan won on Sunday is proof that he is running at
the top of his game as the season heats up. The
23-year-old finished a strong second to his team-mate at
Assen last year and has two 250cc and one 125cc wins
there to his name as well, claiming it as one of his
favourite tracks.
Assen has long been thought of as a somewhat magical
track in the minds of Grand Prix racers and it remains a
popular destination today, despite undergoing some
drastic alterations a few years ago. It is still one of
the most physically demanding circuits on the calendar
and, with its constant twists and turns, is also one of
the most technical. It was originally based around the
public roads and the camber changes in some places still
reflect that. These, added to the high-speed chicanes,
traditionally favour the nimble Yamaha M1.
The 80th Anniversary of
TT racing at the track is the sixty second time it has
formed a part of the MotoGP World Championship and it
remains the only track on the calendar that has held a
race every year since the Championship's inception.
Jorge
Lorenzo; "My favorite Track"
"We have started this run of three races in a row as
perfectly as we could have wished and Silverstone was a
great race and very important for the championship. But
now we move on and we just have to try to continue in
the same way. Next we arrive at Assen, my favourite
track, and once again we're aiming for the podium. The
team is working very well together and now we will just
concentrate on trying to improve the M1 even more; it's
important to keep growing. I've won at Assen in 125 and
250 so I'd really like to try to win in MotoGP!"
Wilco
Zeelenberg - Team Manager Jorge Lorenzo; "We cannot
relax"
Jorge likes Assen a lot and he and our whole team are
going there feeling very strong. We have no worries with
the bike and a comfortable cushion in the championship.
That said we cannot relax and Jorge must stay focused at
this busy time of the championship, which I am sure he
will. Of course the weather is always a question in
Assen but we were lucky in Silverstone so hopefully we
will find the same in Holland."
