Assen Next Up For Kawasaki’s WSB Duo After a top ten finish for Broc Parkes on his Ninja ZX-10R at Valencia during the previous round the entire Kawasaki World Superbike Team is in confident mood as the Assen race approaches. The 2009 season features a new format for Superpole qualification, and so far Parkes has made the initial cut into Superpole each time, and progressed into the second knockout session as well. His best grid start so far is 13th, achieved on two occasions, so his immediate goal in qualifying at Assen is to move up to an even better starting slot. Alongside Parkes his team-mate Makoto Tamada is also looking forward to a step-up in performance after his recent injury at Qatar, and the detrimental effect this had on his ability to race at his normal level in the Valencia race. Makoto still managed to score his first points of the 2009 season in Spain, points which he wants many more of this weekend in the Netherlands. Assen was the venue for the most recent of Kawasaki’s 35 race wins in the WSB class, a factor that also boosts the confidence of everyone involved in the Kawasaki family this weekend, now that the season is well underway. The 4.555km Assen circuit, steeped in history and often cloaked in drama, is much modified from its previous versions, not least in its overall length. It retains some aspects of its ‘real roads’ origins, however, including the occasional cambered corner and an ever-enthusiastic and knowledgeable fan base. Broc Parkes: “The bike is developing well and we’ve made some pretty good steps forward over the past few races. We have some new parts arriving ready for Assen and this will hopefully have a good effect to take us to Monza and then the fly away rounds. The championship is so tight though, anything can happen so it’s possible to be in the top ten once more if things go right. I can’t say I’ve had any major results before at Assen but I do enjoy the circuit and the atmosphere is always good.” Makoto Tamada: “There were some setbacks due to my injury during the Valencia races, but I am recovering fast and happy with my progress. I don’t feel that I have been able to show anywhere near my full potential this season yet, but I am confident that I will do in the near future. I have a great new team behind me and I have full confidence in them and the goals we have set out to achieve together. I am hoping for a top ten finish at Assen.” More, from another press release issued by Kawasaki: Lascorz And Fujiwara Go For Gold Joan Lascorz and Katsuaki Fujiwara have each had the chance to ride at the front of the 600cc pack this season, and each is keen to do so again this coming weekend in the Netherlands. The new 2009 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R has proved a potent race machine in the hands of the Spaniard and the Japanese, although absolute race results have yet to mirror the true pace of the machine in this intensely competitive season. Fujiwara’s fifth place at Valencia last time out is the best single race result so far, while each rider has started from the front row of the grid already. Lascorz has been second on the grid on two occasions out of three, and having finished just 0.150 seconds from the race victory at Assen last year, he is full of expectation for this round. Since the last WSS race weekend, the Provec Motocard.com Kawasaki team has been busy in its workshops in Spain, making further performance improvements to a machine that even although it is already competitive, is still in its early stages of full race development. Katsuaki Fujiwara: “We had a very good experience in Valencia, with a much better race pace. We can still improve some areas of the new bike but it is already very good. Our base setting is already higher than it was when we started the season and I hope we can have a strong practice and qualifying at Assen, and get away with the first group.” Joan Lascorz: “Our bike was good in Valencia, and we took a lot from the test we did there before the race weekend. It was disappointing not to score points in the race but there was nothing we could do about it. We just have to make the most of the limited practice time at Assen to get a good race set-up. I like the track and I did well there last year so I hope to do well again.”