Gerno di Lesmo (Italy), 24th June 2014
After yet another thrilling race in Catalunya a fortnight ago the team Movistar Yamaha MotoGP arrive in Assen. The last round saw Valentino Rossi fight a hard battle for a well-deserved second place and Jorge Lorenzo displayed his trademark ‘Por Fuera’ pass for the delighted Spanish crowd. Both riders are keen on another chance to show their fighting spirit at the TT Assen this Saturday.
Rossi looks forward to continuing his battles during the eighth round of the championship staged at one of his most successful circuits. The Italian, who currently holds second place in the championship standings, has won at the TT Circuit Assen a total of eight times, six of these victories being in the MotoGP class.
Teammate Lorenzo also has a good track record at the TT circuit, which is considered to be “the cathedral” of motorcycling. The Spaniard has won at this circuit four times in total across all MotoGP Championship classes (125cc, 250cc and MotoGP). Lorenzo will try to push this total up to five with some help of the small set up changes made during the post-Catalunya IRTA Test and subsequent private Aragon test to improve the acceleration and the stability of his bike.
The TT-Assen is a special event as it is the only venue to have held a round of the Motorcycle World Championship every year since its creation in 1949. The original circuit was over 6km and a favourite among riders, but track modifications over the winter of 2005/6 caused the length of the track to be cut down. The current Assen track is 4,542 meters long, but the circuit managed to keep its character thanks to its narrow tarmac, rapid change in directions, and its mixture of high-speed and low-speed corners. The TT-circuit is surrounded by grass banks and grandstands filled with thousands of supporters who are drawn to this prestigious event.
Valentino Rossi
“Assen is a great track and a good track for Yamaha. The weather will be very important here. You never know if it will be hot or cold or dry or wet. Last year’s race was unforgettable but honestly this year I feel I am strong almost everywhere so we have to try hard to beat the competition.”
Jorge Lorenzo
“After a bit of a disappointing weekend in Barcelona where I gave my best even when some circumstances didn’t help us, we travel to Holland with plenty of optimism. In Barcelona we struggled a bit with the acceleration, especially in the last part of the track where we used to be so strong in the past. This year that issue didn’t allow me to fight in front for the victory. Afterwards during two test days we found some solutions to solve that problem and we tested new things to try to cut off the distance with our main rivals. I look forward to racing in Assen, it’s maybe my favorite circuit. It’s a nice layout defined by some quick corners and a short straight that looks good for us, and especially for the Yamaha. In recent years I couldn’t get so many good results but instead I always could find a good set up and ride in my best way. Last season I finished fifth after a surgery on my collarbone and I suffered a lot but finally I could conclude a very special race. Anyway, looking into the future it is the best opportunity to do my best and try to get my first win. We will see!”
Massimo Meregalli
“As always it is a real pleasure for the team to come to such an iconic circuit and race as the Assen TT. We’ve had two very promising rounds at both Mugello and Catalunya where we’ve really started to show what we can do. The IRTA and Aragon tests went well so we are keen to put what we have learnt into practice this weekend. Both Vale and Jorge are capable of being very fast here at Assen so we’re looking forward to Thursday morning where we plan to start our weekend in the best way possible.”