From a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team:

NAKANO AND HOFMANN READY FOR ASSEN CLASSIC

The Dutch TT and the Assen road course present a special MotoGP challenge, and one that is eagerly anticipated by Fuchs Kawasaki riders, Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann.

Coming off a successful weekend of racing and testing in Barcelona last week, both riders are in a confident mood going into this Saturday’s sixth round of the MotoGP World Championship.

Nakano’s seventh place in the Catalunya GP was the best result by a Kawasaki rider since the Japanese factory returned to MotoGP at the end of 2002, while Hofmann’s determined ride into eleventh was a reward for the consistency and pace the German rookie, about to start just his 14th MotoGP race, is capable of displaying.

Both Nakano and Hofmann stayed on at Barcelona after the race for a test day as part of Kawasaki’s on-going engine development programme, with fuel injection settings and power delivery for the increasingly competitive Ninja ZX-RR the main focus for the two riders.

But it is the special challenge of the fast flowing Assen circuit – with racing’s fastest lap average speed of 181kph – that faces the Fuchs Kawasaki squad for the Dutch TT’s traditional Saturday race date on June 26th.

The 6.027km track is a personal favourite of Hofmann’s and was the scene of a superb tenth place finish in last year’s rain-lashed race as a Kawasaki wild card entry.

While Nakano appreciates the difficulty of Assen, he is also a fan of the track’s unique character, with its sequence of banked corners born of the TT circuit’s public road origins.

Following further treatment and training Nakano expects to be close to 100% fit for the Dutch TT. The gritty Japanese ace raced in Catalunya still suffering from a bruised back as a result of his horrifying 300 kph crash in the Italian GP at Mugello earlier this month.

The TT circuit continues to undergo improvements that are transforming the classic Assen road course into one of the safest and most modern circuits on the calendar. This year bike spectators will be treated to the addition of 12,000 hard standing parking areas, while on the track MotoGP racers will welcome improved safety measures.

Run-off areas have been increased at the exit of the Ossebroeken and Meeuwenmeer corners, while an extra 550 metres of air-fence has been installed; 350 metres at Madijk and 200 metres at Strubben.

Despite recent changes Assen remains an awesome challenge for riders and a compelling attraction for spectators, with organisers again preparing to cater for a race day attendance well in excess of 100,000 at the world renowned Cathedral of Speed.

Shinya Nakano: No. 56
“Assen is very fast; there a lot of blind corners and it is difficult to see the next turn with the speed and change of direction. But I like the track because the banked corners with high grip levels remind me of many tracks that I once raced in Japan. One thing you have to do each year at Assen is adjust to the speed, the bike feels very, very fast on the first few laps. Corner entry, change of direction and front tyre feel are important and these are the strong points of the new Ninja ZX-RR. My body is much stronger now than for the Barcelona race, which was a pleasant surprise for me, finishing seventh and keeping pace with a lot of the Honda guys.”

Alex Hofmann: No. 66
“Assen is a highlight for me. The track is the fastest roller-coaster in bike racing and there are always a lot of German fans there, so it’s like a second home race; always a lot of fun. Tenth last year in the wet was a great experience for me and since then the 2004 model ZX-RR chassis has made a big step forward in steering and handling, which is critical for all the fast changes of direction at Assen. The Barcelona race was a trouble-free weekend for me, so hopefully, that’s good sign, a change of luck, after some disappointing weekends. So, I’m going to Assen in a positive frame of mind and to try and repeat the job I did there last year.”