TT Assen

MotoGP 2018 Round 8

Repsol Honda Team head to Assen, the “Cathedral” of bike racing

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez arrives in Assen for the eighth round of the MotoGP Championship leading the standings by 27 points and resolved to best manage whatever situations the weekend may throw at him, with an eye on the title fight.

Teammate Dani Pedrosa worked on a slightly different setup for his bike during the post-race test in Catalunya, and he is looking forward to taking a step in a positive direction.

Both Repsol Honda riders have good memories from Assen, with Dani having taken his first Grand Prix win (2002 – 125cc) and Marc having celebrated victories in three classes.

At the Assen TT:

Marc Marquez has 4 wins, 1×125 (2010), 2xMoto2 (2011 and 2012), and 1xMotoGP (2014), plus an additional 4 podiums and 2 pole positions.

Dani Pedrosa has 1 win, 1×125 (2002), plus an additional 7 podiums and 2 pole positions.

Marc and Dani stood together on the Assen podium in 2014 (Marc 1st and Dani 3rd).

Marc Marquez 93

“We’re coming off a good day of testing in Catalunya but Assen is a much different track compared to Montmeló, so it will be very interesting to see how we go there. So far we’ve been at a good level more or less everywhere and we’ve managed to get some good results at different circuits, so we’re also feeling positive going to Assen. I like the track, the ‘Cathedral’ of bike racing, and the fans are always very passionate there. It’s good to arrive with a little advantage in the Championship, but we’re very early in the season. There are several riders for whom the title is still possible, so we must just keep working and try to get the best result the situation allows.”

Dani Pedrosa 26

“Assen has been a difficult race for me in the past, though I’ve also had some good results there. The track is very fast, and the bike tends to wheelie and move a lot. You need to work on the setup well to get a bike that’s stable without losing in other areas. Of course the weather, which is typically quite unstable, can makes things even more challenging. That said, we worked well during the recent test in Catalunya, and we found some little setup modifications aimed at giving us better grip; now we’ll see how it goes in Assen. We’ll try and do things correctly beginning on Friday morning and be prepared for whatever kind of situation we find.”