GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM HEAD FOR HISTORIC DATE AT ASSEN Coinciding with the year of Yamaha’s 50th anniversary, two legendary players in the history of motorcycle racing come together this weekend as the Gauloises Yamaha Team heads to the historic circuit of Assen for the 75th edition of the Dutch TT. With a 58-point advantage at the top of the rider standings, Valentino Rossi will look to continue his sensational start to his fourth consecutive title defence with another victory in the seventh round of the MotoGP World Championship, the Gauloises Dutch TT in Assen. With five victories and one second-place so far this season, the Italian heads to Assen, the only Grand Prix to have remained on the World Championship calendar since it began back in 1949, in better shape than ever. His points lead is the biggest after six rounds of a premier-class World Championship since former Yamaha superstar Giacamo Agostini in the late 1960s, and an early morning test less than 24 hours after his most recent victory at Catalunya last week underlined his determination to keep on winning. The Italian has tasted victory at the Dutch TT four times in the different Grand Prix classes, whilst his Gauloises Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards also knows all about winning at Assen. The American took three victories there in the World Superbike series, including a double win on the way to reclaiming the title from Troy Bayliss in a gripping climax to the 2002 season. He is confident of rejoining the battle for podium positions in Assen, after two difficult races at Mugello and Catalunya have seen him lose ground on the championship leaders, despite consolidating sixth place in the current rider standings. Assen has been the scene of hard work over the last few months for the completion of a ‘floating’ grandstand, which meets new MotoGP safety regulations by allowing the gravel trap in the Geert Timmer corner to actually run underneath the stand. Two changes have also been made to the layout of the racetrack, which is now 30 metres shorter. As is tradition, the Dutch TT will be held on the final Saturday in June, although this year it will feature a slightly different time schedule to the other rounds of the MotoGP World Championship. Whilst both practice days on Thursday and Friday will follow the regular timetable, Saturday’s schedule will start with the warm-up sessions from 8:20am to 10:05am in order to accommodate a host of support races. Despite this, the MotoGP race will still start at 2pm as usual. VALENTINO ROSSI: A SPECIAL RACETRACK The reigning World Champion became the first Yamaha rider ever to score five victories from the first six premier class races of the year at Catalunya last Sunday, a record he credits to the great job being done by the entire team and their partners. “The race time at Catalunya was 40 seconds faster than last year, so that shows that the work we have done with the bike is incredible,” says Rossi. “Also Michelin have done a fantastic job because I was able to put in three very fast laps at the end to win the race, including the lap record, so the tyres have made a huge improvement. The advantage in the standings means we can work nice and calmly in the team and that is a big help.” Including his performances in the final three rounds of 2004, Rossi has now been on the podium at the last nine races, the first Yamaha rider to do so since Wayne Rainey in 1992-93, and he is hoping that continuing work with the YZR-M1 machine can help him extend his run well beyond this Saturday’s historic race. “On Monday after the race at Catalunya we were able to test some new engine parts that we might use later in the season, so we are always trying to improve. Of course, I want to be on the podium at every race but my main objective is to win the championship. “The season has started well and we want to continue that. It has been nice to have a weekend off after two tough races because the whole team have been working hard. Now we go to Assen and it is going to be another hard Grand Prix. I’m looking forward to it; I think it will be another beautiful battle. “For sure Gibernau and Melandri will both be fast there but racing close together with them is great. I like Assen too; it’s one of my favourite circuits. It’s a very special racetrack, unlike anything else in MotoGP, and the atmosphere is incredible always a lot of people. The only question is the weather because you never know if it will rain.” COLIN EDWARDS: FAMILIAR TERRITORY Colin Edwards enjoyed a brief rest on the north coast of Spain before making his way to Holland for a Grand Prix that he hopes will be the turning point for him after a difficult couple of weekends. The Texan and his team have worked relentlessly to improve the base set-up of the YZR-M1 but this weekend the focus is on using every possible minute of the practice sessions to find a setting that will allow him to challenge for a front row start and victory in the race. “The next three races, Assen, Donington and Laguna Seca, are all tracks that I grew up on, so I’m really looking forward to getting back to the front and picking up some serious points,” says Edwards. “On paper the Yamaha should work well at all of these tracks and we’ve been constantly moving forward with the bike, even if the results haven’t shown that lately. “The team have been doing a great job every weekend but from now on we need to make sure we finish off in the right way on a Sunday, or in this case Saturday. In Catalunya we learnt that we have to spend more time focussing purely on set-up and tyre combinations for the race, instead of getting distracted by other factors. We also need to make sure we get a good qualifying position so that we can run from the front in the race, instead of fighting through the field, as I have done in the last couple of races.” As well as his vast experience racing four-stroke machines at Assen, Edwards is also counting on the massive support that swarms to Holland from all over Europe, but particularly across the North Sea from the UK, to back his cause. “The whole team needs a good result to get back to the way we were feeling at Le Mans and I’m confident that Assen is the perfect place for that. I’ve got a lot of fans there from my Superbike days, the atmosphere is going to be crazy and I know my way around the track as well as anybody. Let’s just hope everything slots into place” DAVIDE BRIVIO: BACK TO UNIVERSITY Gauloises Yamaha Team Director Davide Brivio is looking forward to another weekend of close racing action that he hopes will end in further celebrations for his riders and staff. Still on top of the riders’, teams’ and manufacturers’ standings, Brivio is confident of another top performance from Valentino Rossi and a return to form for Colin Edwards at a circuit that has been given a special name by Italian race fans. “Last year we won at Assen, which we call the ‘University of Bike Racing’ in Italy, and it would be nice to win again,” says Brivio. “Especially because this is the year of the 75th anniversary of the Dutch TT and the 50th anniversary of Yamaha it would be fun to celebrate together on Saturday night! “Valentino will try for sure to continue his positive start to the series and for Colin it is also an important race. This is one of his favourite tracks, he knows it very well and I want to see him back on the podium. There are many more riders than normal who are fast at this track so it will be tough, but we are confident. “At Catalunya we tested a few new engine parts but we won’t be taking any of it to Assen. The idea was just to gather extra data for Yamaha for future development. We’ll be going to Holland with the same bike that we’ve had for the past races, which has shown to be very competitive at a variety of different tracks.” BLAST FROM THE PAST CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF YAMAHA GLORY This weekend will mark 21 years since Giacomo Agostini, the undisputed king of Assen, took an unequalled sixth 500cc victory in the Dutch TT in 1974. Agostini’s second win for Yamaha after joining the factory at the start of that season was also Yamaha’s first in the legendary event, and is remembered fondly by the Italian for precisely that reason. “The 1974 victory at Assen was very special for me because it was the first there by any rider on a 500cc two-stroke, and the first win for Yamaha at the circuit.,” remembers Agostini, who won 68 races and eight world titles in a remarkable 500cc career. “It was my first season with Yamaha after moving from MV Agusta and I was so pleased to win at Assen because Yamaha’s European headquarters were based in Amsterdam. It was their home Grand Prix and they were like a family to me. “I should have won it again in 1975 but I made a big mistake two corners from the end. I looked over my shoulder and saw Barry Sheene about 15 metres behind me so I relaxed too much. Somehow he passed me at the line.” After 75 years of Grand Prix the modern TT is a special event on the MotoGP calendar but according to Agostini that has always been the way particularly thanks to its traditional place on the World Championship calendar. “Going to Assen was always very nice for us because it came straight after the Isle of Man TT,” he explains. “We went from an incredibly dangerous and difficult road circuit, where we had to be up at 4am for practice, to this beautiful facility that was perfect for motorcycle racing and in normal Grand Prix conditions. The track was safe, there were 150,000 people there”¦ it was always a special emotion to ride at the Dutch TT. Why did I always win it? Because I am good!” TECHNICALLY SPEAKING Assen is unique in a number of ways; the Dutch TT originally began life as a 28km street circuit before being shortened to comply with the ever-changing demands of modern motorcycle racing. The most recent of these changes took place during the winter break with alterations at the De Bult and Ruskenhoek corners, bringing the total length of the Grand Prix track to 5,997 metres. Even so, the Assen layout is still the longest on the MotoGP calendar and continues to maintain its street pedigree, giving it a character all its own. With barely a straight piece of tarmac in sight, there is no rest for the MotoGP field, making Assen more of a rider’s circuit than any other visited this season. Handling will therefore be a major focal point, due to high-speed chicanes and dramatic camber changes the latter, in some places, resembling the profile of a public road more than that of a motorcycle racetrack. This single feature in itself makes Assen a challenging circuit to master. Hold the inside line and the rider will benefit from the extra drive available off the steeper section of the camber, but the suspension will need to compensate for these much higher G-force loads. A good result at Assen relies heavily on a chassis that offers both agility and stability. It is quite a difficult balance to find at the best of times, but with the ‘white line to white line’ racing line, it is a must. This is why Yamaha will continue with the base geometry it has used over the past few rounds, relying on the finer adjustments of the suspension package and the correct tyre profiles to get the best out of the chassis. The combination of such fast cornering, good grip levels and extreme camber angles produce the high cornering G-forces, a load which the suspension package will need to deal with. For this reason, a heavier rear spring rate will be chosen, in comparison to the front set-up, to prevent the back of the bike squatting under power. However it will still need to offer a compliant ride, to ensure feel is not compromised and the compression damping character is dialled in to compensate and avoid this. Therefore it will be wound back, from what was used in Barcelona two-weeks earlier, increasing the predictability of a slide as well as tyre life. Although the rear spring rate is firmer than what Yamaha would use at a circuit like Mugello, the front will be somewhat softer in feel. The latter is possible because of the lack of hard braking that will be done on the flowing layout, as trail braking into the apex is the only way to a good TT lap time. With an outright top speed of around 300kmh Assen isn’t the fastest circuit, especially when you compare it to the 337kmh plus of Mugello. But the Dutch TT isn’t about outright top speeds, the key is a top speed average. In this regard Assen is one of the fastest tracks of the year. Because of this it’s an extreme and hard working circuit, not only for the riders and the chassis, but the tyres too. Fortunately grip levels are high, yet the track surface isn’t too abrasive, even though almost all the driving will be done off the side of the tyres. VALENTINO ROSSI: INFORMATION Age: 26 Lives: London, UK Bike: Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1 GP victories: 73 (34 X MotoGP, 13 X 500cc, 14 X 250cc, 12 X 125cc) First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc) First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc) GP starts: 146 (54 x MotoGP, 32 x 500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc) Pole positions: 38 World Championships 6 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 3 x MotoGP) Assen 2004 results (Yamaha): Grid: 1st, Race: 1st COLIN EDWARDS: INFORMATION Age: 31 Lives: Conroe, Texas Bike: Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1 First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP) GP starts: 38 World Championships – 2 World Superbike Assen 2004 results (Honda): Grid: 13th, Race: 6th Assen MotoGP lap record: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), 1m 59.472s – 2004 Circuit best lap: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), 1m 58.758s 2004 More, from Dorna Communications: Gauloises TT Assen celebrates 75th anniversary with MotoGP An unprecedented landmark in the history of the MotoGP World Championship will be reached this weekend as the series heads to the historic circuit of Assen in Holland for the 75th edition of the Dutch TT. The only event that has remained on the calendar since Grand Prix racing began back in 1949 has seen constant changes to what began as a 16km road circuit, keeping it in line with the swiftly changing demands of the world’s fastest and most technologically advanced motorcycles. The most recent updates, including alterations at the De Bult and Ruskenhoek corners and the installation of a revolutionary ‘floating’ grandstand in front of the start/finish line, have taken another 30 metres off the overall track length, which now stands at 5,997, and helped secure a recent deal between the circuit and Dorna Sports which will see the historic event continue for at least another ten years. More importantly, the modifications will help to secure the safety of the flock of MotoGP riders who will this weekend continue their attempts to put the brakes on reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi, now leading the series by the biggest points advantage after six rounds of a championship since Giacomo Agostini back in the 1960s. The only man to finish ahead of Rossi so far this season is Alex Barros, who took victory in the second round of the year at Estoril and has also enjoyed previous success at the Dutch TT. Barros took victory there five years ago, as well as finishing second in 1994 and 2002, and is not the only rider looking to repeat history this weekend. Sete Gibernau and Max Biaggi have both enjoyed premier-class victories in the event whilst Marco Melandri, who currently lies second to Rossi by 58 points in the championship standings, took his first ever win at Assen in the 125cc class in 1998 and followed up with 250cc success in 2002. Toni Elías, who took his first win at Assen in the 125cc race in 2001, will be simply be hoping to compete this weekend after missing the last two rounds through injury. The Spanish rider has benefited from a two-week break since attempting to return at Catalunya as he aims to recover from fractures to his leg and wrist, sustained in a testing crash at Le Mans one month ago. Elías’ former team-mate and Spanish compatriot Dani Pedrosa also took his first ever 125cc win at Assen in 2002 and arrives this weekend looking to extend his advantage at the top of the 250cc World Championship. The reigning World Champion currently has a 27-point cushion over Casey Stoner, who finished third in the 125cc race at this circuit last season after starting from pole position. Meanwhile, Sebastián Porto, who finished runner-up in the championship to Pedrosa in 2004, will be looking to get his season up and running at the scene of his 250cc triumph one year ago. The Argentinean currently lies seventh in the championship, 74 points adrift of the leader, and has scored just one podium this season. The 125cc race promises to be another unpredictable affair, with Mattia Pasini the only rider to have taken two wins so far this season. The Italian youngster leads the championship for the first time in his career, with an advantage of one and two points over Thomas Lüthi and Mika Kallio respectively, and is the fourth rider to do so this season. However, none of the riders in the class have previously scored victory at Assen and, with just twelve points separating the top five riders, it could be all change again on Saturday evening. Traditionally held on the last Saturday in June, the time schedule for the sixth round of the season differs slightly to other events, opening with the first free practice for the 125cc class at 8:45am (GMT +2) on Thursday. Saturday’s action starts with the BMW PowerCup race at 11:15am, followed by 250cc and MotoGP at the normal times of 12:15pm and 14:00pm respectively. The 125cc race takes place at the revised time of 15:30. More, from a press release issued by Telefonica Movistar Honda: ROUND 7 GP OF HOLLAND – PREVIEW 75 CANDLES FOR THE DUTCH TT The championship arrives in Assen, described by many as the ‘Cathedral of motorcycles’ due to its long tradition and the characteristics of the track. The Dutch TT can boast being the only circuit being present on the Championship calendar since its debut in 1949. This year the Dutch track is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Having been in the Championship since 1949, Assen now looks forward: on the Wednesday of the Catalonian GP in fact, an agreement was signed between the Dutch TT and Dorna Sports, enabling this circuit to remain on the calendar for many years to come. With this agreement, announced publicly by Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna and Jos Vaessen, President of the circuit, Assen will host the Dutch GP until 2016. On the occasion of the 75th anniversary, the Dutch TT will unveil a “suspended” tribune, the ‘Geert Timmer’, right on the finish line. SETE GIBERNAU CELEBRATES HIS 150TH GP With 19 GP’s in 250cc class and 130 GP’s in the queen of classes, Sete Gibernau will be celebrating his 150th career GP next Saturday on the Dutch track of Assen. The Spanish rider, twice vice world champions with the colours of Movistar of the Gresini Team, boasts a total of 29 podiums and 9 victories. The only rider able to contrast the dominance of Rossi, Sete Gibernau is a strong, determined rider who is not scared of assuming responsibility and takes charge of his life. During the pre-season test, he worked at the development of the RC211V together with the HRC team. He was the fastest and more consistent rider in the winter tests and in the first six races of the championship, Sete conquered two poles and began five times from the front row. With three second places, he is fourth on the championship and continues to look forward with hope. “The championship is still long, there are still 11 races to dispute, and I continue with the same determination, knowing what my abilities are and the ability of my team” comments Sete, from the second step of the podium obtained during his home race on Sunday, the 12th of June, in Barcelona. “Now I am thinking about Assen. I would have like to have been able to test in Montmelo’, but this was not possible due to the adverse weather conditions. We will have to compensate in Assen during the two days of practice, where we will have to understand what the best setup is, find our race tyre and get in the maximum amount of laps we possible can in race conditions in order to prepare for Sunday.” ASSEN : A CHARISTMATIC TRACK Sete’s comment “Considered the ‘Cathedral of Motorcycles’, this Assen track is amongst the quickest and most technical of the championship. The rider must always keep a very high level of concentration as just one simple distraction can make him pay for it. The track doesn’t really have a straightaway, but the corners and the variations are very quick. “The best point to overtake is definitely the last chicane before the main straight. The secret to a good lap? The track is made up of and joined by many different points, for this reason it is fundamental not to make a mistake as if you error during one corner, it will throw you off balance for many corners to follow. The track: the grip on this track is good both in wet and dry conditions. An incognito: The weather conditions here are always in doubt as the climate can change very frequently. The atmosphere: Assen is one of the most sought after GP weekends for fans. It is a public characterised by passionate and knowledgeable fans who every year meet in Assen. MELANDRI MAINTAINS HIS SECOND PLACE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP Marco Melandri arrives in Assen happy and serene given the past two race weekends where he showed determination, maturity and a lot of desire to continue learning. The rain ruined the work programme planned during testing after the GP of Catalonia. “Shame” comments Marco “I really wanted and needed to test. I wanted to work in order to better my front end. It was an important work programme especially to prepare for Assen.” Second in the Championship, Marco continues to gain experience race after race, he continues to learn from the team, from the race duels, the bike and the RC211V which adapts well to his riding style. “After the fantastic race in Mugello where only a podium finish was missing from my great weekend, in Barcelona I was able to once again step up onto it; a great satisfaction for me and the team. The three podiums and three fourth places of this beginning of the season confirm that we have been working well. My objective is to progress little by little, gain experience and learn from every race. Up until now we have been regular, in continuous growth, and now I would like to make on more step forward: be able to stay in the front with the top two. This will be the most difficult step, I don’t want to put a time limit or bit off more than I can chew, I want to continue to work well.” MARCO MELANDRI AND THE ASSEN TRACK Marco does not hide his excitement to race in Assen, the track he prefers above all. It is the first time he will be racing here with the RC211V and it will be very important to use the three hours of free sessions in order to find the best possible bike setting. Not an easy task being that this Dutch track is consider one of the most technical and difficult tracks of the entire championship. “This track is definitely different from the other tracks because there are no long straight-aways. Assen is one of the best tracks of the championship, very quick and a lot of hard work when riding a MotoGP bike because there is no one point which is completely straight, yet you are still always going really fast. It is because of the multiple corners and series of variation that this track is so difficult and so easy to make a mistake on. Errors are not allowed as if you make a mistake on one corner, it will have repercussions on your entire lap. “It is one of my most favourite tracks. The best sector? There is no one part that is better than another, the part I like the least is the straight behind the pits, a modification made in 2002 which really slowed down the bike during this sector. It isn’t easy to overtake in Assen, there are very few points in which it is possible. It all depends who is in front of you and by the directions changes. I think that maybe one of the easiest place to overtake is the last ‘S’ . The slowest part of the track is the corner before the straight behind the pits (De Strubben). The secret to a quick lap? You need to have a soft and agile ride during the direction changes. I like the Dutch TT a lot both for the design of the track and for the atmosphere there is during the weekend: it is beautiful, when riding on the 6 km of the track, you don’t see one empty space. Being such a long track the stands aren’t very high and the fans are therefore very close to the track. It is a public comprised of real aficionados. You may not hear them as you do the Italians or Spaniards, but you feel the strength of the tradition and passion for motorbikes.” TIME TO CELEBRATE GP OF CATALONIA : 150TH GP FOR THE GRESINI TEAM The team lead by Fausto Gresini last GP celebrated on the Spanish track their 150th GP. The twice world champion in the 125 class was able to put the fruit of his experience as a rider to work, creating a team that in just eight years has become one of the top teams in MotoGP. “In Barcelona we celebrated our 150th GP in style: with two riders on the podium, confirming the capability of the entire team. I want to thank Sete and Marco and all the guys on the team to have given me my 150th GP with two important results” comments Fausto Gresini, team manager and owner of the team.” These are the numbers of the team: 150: the Gran Prix disputed from 1997 to today. 85 GPs in the queen of classes, the 500cc and MotoGP, 65 GPs in 250cc. 26: the number of victories during Fausto Gresini’s career as Team Manager. 74: The total number of podiums conquered by the team lead by Fausto Gresini 1: one world championship title, won by Kato Daijiro in the 250cc class in 2001. 2: Sete Gibernau has been twice vice world champion in 2003 and 2004 1999: the first team victory with Loris Capirossi in Sepang (Malaysian GP), 18th April 1999, 250 cc class) 2003: the first victory in MotoGP with Sete Gibernau in Welkom (South African GP 27th April 2003) FAUSTO GRESINI CELEBRATES HIS “PODIUM” On Sunday, the 19th of June, Fausto Gresini became dad for the third time: at 2.53 a.m. little Alice was born. A special greating to his wife Nadia and the two brothers Luca e Lorenzo. GP OF HOLLAND: 150TH GP FOR SETE GIBERNAU 15 the number on the fairing 32 Sete’s age, he was born in Barcelona on the 15th December 1972 149 the GP’s in Sete’s career before the Dutch TT (19 GPs in 250 cc., 130 GP’s in 500/MotoGP) 29 total number of podiums in his career 9 Total number of victories (1 in 500 cc., 8 in MotoGP) 2 Vice World champion in 2003 and 2004 1992 First GP Spanish Championship (250 cc.) 1998 first podium , GP Comunidad Madrid, 500 Class 2000 first pole, GP South Africa (500 cc.) 2001 first win GP Comunidad Valenciana , Class 500