Alice TT Assen racing numbers
Wednesday, 24 June 2009 - motogp.com
A selection of Grand Prix statistics ahead of the World Championship’s visit to The Netherlands.
156 – Following the Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya, Valentino Rossi has made 156 Grand Prix starts in the premier-class, the same as Jack Findlay whose career spanned from 1958 to 1978. Only five riders have started more races in the premier-class: Alex Barros (245 premier-class starts), Carlos Checa (192), Loris Capirossi (177), Kenny Roberts Jnr (167) and Sete Gibernau (158).
106 – Three riders currently share the MotoGP championship lead with 106 points each. Never before has there been a three way tie at the top of the championship table after six races. Since the current point scoring system was introduced in 1993, the closest previous title race in the premier-class after six races was in 1998 when the top three riders were separated by just 8 points; Criville – 103, Biaggi – 98 and Checa – 95, with eventual Championship winner Doohan trailing in 4th place on 90 points.
61 – This will be the 61st World Championship Grand Prix event to be held at Assen, which is the only venue that has hosted a Grand Prix event every year since the motorcycle World Championship Grand Prix series started back in 1949.
50 – Casey Stoner’s 3rd place finish at Barcelona was the 50th time he has stood on a Grand Prix podium. This makes him the 31st rider to reach the milestone of 50 Grand Prix podium finishes.
49 – Jorge Lorenzo’s second place finish in Catalunya was the 49th time he has stood on a Grand Prix podium.
45 years – Race day at Assen will be the 45th anniversary of Jim Redman (Honda) winning the 125cc, 250cc and 350cc races at the 1964 Dutch TT – the first rider to have won three GP races on the same day. The total combined distance for these three races was 392 km covered in a time of 2hrs 48 minutes.
28 – The rider with most Grand Prix appearances at Assen is Phil Read, who started a total of 28 races across the various classes at the Dutch TT, winning five times and appearing on the podium on 18 occasions.
0.095 seconds – Valentino Rossi’s winning margin at the Catalunya race was the smallest in the MotoGP class since Casey Stoner beat Rossi at the same circuit in 2007 by just 0.069 seconds.
10 – Colin Edwards’ 3rd place finish last year at Assen was the 10th time he stood on a podium. New Zealand rider Graeme Crosby is the only other rider to score 10 podium finishes in the premier-class without having stood on the top step.
Rossi and Lorenzo planning rematch in Assen
Valentino Rossi - “A special track”
“Assen is a very special track for all riders and it is a wonderful place to ride a MotoGP bike, even if it was better before they changed the layout. Last year I had my worst point of the season there so I want to make up for that with a good performance, because the fans are very passionate and they deserve a good show. After Barcelona we know how strong we are but also our rivals are strong too so we can’t afford to relax, we have to keep pushing. Montmeló was fantastic, one of my best wins ever, but the championship is very close between the three of us and so we have to try to win again to take the lead. There is still a long way to go but we have to remain consistent.”
Jorge Lorenzo - “My favourite track”
“I could never have imagined after the crash in Jerez that I would have the opportunity to become leader again so quickly, but here we are at the front with Casey and Valentino! The last three races have been fantastic and almost unbelievable, and now for the three of us it’s almost like we’re starting the championship all over again. Assen is my favourite track and I am going there feeling very confident in my bike and my Bridgestone tyres and with all the team feeling very motivated. Last year I was sixth so the most important thing is to improve on that, but of course I am aiming for another podium, because consistency is the way to remain close to the top of the standings. We had a positive test in Barcelona and now I will hope to show our improvements with an even better performance in Holland.”
Stoner: Old is best at Assen
“I really enjoyed the old circuit, the same opinion as I think all the riders,” said Stoner, who starts the 2009 event tied at the top of the world championship standings with Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo.“The last [old] part of the circuit is still a lot of fun, it flows really well and has some of the banked turns,” he continued. “The main disappointment is that all the new corners they put in have no banking, there is no flow with the land. They are very flat.
“That makes it a little dull and there is not a lot of overtaking on the first part of the track either, it is all done on the [old] part of the track.”
Stoner won last year's race by over eleven seconds for Ducati, but is taking nothing for granted.
“We had a fantastic race last year, the bike was working well, but we have a new bike this year so we'll have to wait and see on Thursday,” he said.
Pedrosa plans to ride without painkillers
| By Matt Beer | Monday, June 22nd 2009, 11:48 GMT |
Dani Pedrosa says he plans to try riding without painkilling injections in this weekend's Dutch TT after encouraging progress in his recovery from hip and leg injuries.
The Spaniard struggled throughout the Catalunya weekend after damaging his hip in the previous race at Mugello, and exacerbating the pain with crashes in the Italian race and in qualifying in Spain.
He sat out the post-race Catalunya test and says he now feels ready to compete at Assen.
"Since the race in Barcelona I've basically been resting, trying to give my hip as much chance to improve as possible," said Pedrosa.
"Obviously there hasn't been a lot of time - just over one week - but I certainly feel a lot better now than immediately after the last race when I was totally exhausted."
The Honda rider feels he will be better off trying to compete without the painkillers he used at Mugello and Barcelona.
"I'm feeling positive about the weekend and we'll just have to see how it goes when riding starts on Thursday," Pedrosa said.
"My intention would be to ride without receiving any painkilling injections because gradually they lose their effectiveness and they are not something I want to rely on - we'll see how the feeling is when I start to ride."
Prior to the latest injury Pedrosa was a title contender, as despite having not yet won in 2009 and having been hampered by constant physical problems for almost a year, he was within nine points of the championship lead four rounds into the season.
But the hip drama has been a major blow to his title hopes as he has now slipped to fifth in the standings, behind his Honda team-mate Andrea Dovizioso, and 39 points away from the leaders.
autosport.com
Melandri to clear up fitness doubts on Thursday
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Hayate Racing rider Marco Melandri will test the condition of his right hand in The Netherlands on Thursday in free practice, following his Barcelona test crash.
Currently placed seventh in the general standings after six races, Marco Melandri will be in the hunt for more good points at the Alice TT Assen, arriving in the paddock on Wednesday not overly concerned by the knocks he took at the Catalunya circuit at the beginning of last week – but stating he will need to test the condition of his right hand in free practice.
The Italian star crashed his Hayate Racing Kawasaki machine right at the end of the day in the Monday post-race Barcelona test, sustaining wrist and ankle blows, but other than some bruising and swelling the injuries were not serious and he is close to full fitness for round seven.
Speaking to motogp.com, Melandri commented, “I’m quite good actually. The crash was pretty bad, pretty tough, but the ankle was bad because of an old injury and after three or four days it was good again. The hand is not too bad, but until I ride I’m not sure because I have some pain there, it is my right hand and there are a lot of right hand corners at this track. It is going to be tough, but we will do some work with Clinica Mobile and I feel confident.”
Having ridden a Lorenzo Pasolini 1968 Benelli replica at the MotorDreamEvenTT at the TT Museum next to the Assen circuit, Melandri stated, “It was nice because I have only seen this type of bike in pictures or old films. It thought it would be more difficult but it was ok! This was a good experience and it will be nice to put up the pictures of the event on the wall in my house! motogp.com
The MotoGP ‘Cathedral' of Assen in the Netherlands awaits Rizla Suzuki this coming Saturday, as the MotoGP field descends upon the famous circuit for the Dutch TT.
Chris Vermeulen heads to the land of his ancestors determined to return a good result at the 4,555m Assen circuit.
He has had some promising performances at the Dutch track - including pole position in 2007 - but has yet to break into the top-six in a MotoGP race. Vermeulen had a successful post-Catalunya test and will be using many of the improvements he took from there as he prepares his assault for glory.
"I really look forward to going to Assen. Holland is where my family came from so there are always people around that remember my Grandfather and tell me how they are related to me - so I feel like a bit of me is coming home!”, he said. “We had a good test after the Catalunya race and if we can translate that into the forthcoming weekend then I am sure we can be competitive. I enjoy riding at Assen and I have won there in World Superbikes, but I have never quite got the results I think I've deserved - or certainly wanted - in MotoGP. I hope this will be the weekend when that all changes!"
Loris Capirossi will be planning to build upon the form that has seen him take successive fifth places at the last two events. Capirossi is eager to get back on track and carry on from where he left off at Catalunya, believing that a lot of the data collected at the Spanish track will stand him in good stead at Assen. Capirossi will also be determined to extinguish the memory of the crash he suffered at last year's Dutch TT that kept him out of the race and forced him to miss the next MotoGP event.
"I am still very happy from my performance in Catalunya, but this is a whole new race and we have to begin again. We used the new engine specification in Spain and then did a lot of testing with new parts on the Monday so we have a lot of data to use for this weekend”, he said.“We hope we'll use the new spec engine again at Assen but it is still being developed and Suzuki needs to check everything, so we will just have to wait and see. I really want to carry on with the good progress we are making, especially at Assen because I didn't get the chance to race there last year. I also want to do well for Rizla - they deserve a good result at what is really their 'home' racetrack."
Assen is one of the most famous circuits in Grand Prix racing, and although the venue has altered considerably from the original road track, it is the only location on the current calendar that has staged Grand Prix races since the inception of the championship in 1949. Although numerous changes were made to the present circuit layout in 2007 for safety reasons, it still retains its magic and most riders look forward to racing there.
Rizla Suzuki takes to the track for the first free practice session on Thursday afternoon, followed by the second - and final - free session on Friday morning. Vermeulen and Capirossi will be out in the Friday afternoon qualifying session to challenge for the best grid positions for Saturday's race. moto-live.com
Gresini Team looking for improvements
Known in Europe as ‘The Cathedral' of motorcycle racing, Assen is the only circuit on the MotoGP calendar that has hosted a round of the World Championship since its inception back in 1949. This weekend's Grand Prix is the first of four in just five weekends for the MotoGP class, with races at Laguna Seca, Sachsenring and Donington Park set to follow before a well-earned summer break. It promises to be a crucial period for the San Carlo Honda Gresini Team riders Alex De Angelis and Toni Elias, who have the opportunity to make up ground on their rivals after a crucial day of testing following the last race in Barcelona. Both riders have been troubled all season by a lack of rear grip and currently lie 13th and 14th respectively in the championship standings, but they are optimistic of climbing the table thanks to progress made with the set-up of their machines in the one-day session. " I love Assen because it's so fast, as is Laguna Seca, so I'm looking forward to the next two races with optimism. I know the results this season are not as good as the same stage one year ago but the races are much closer and I truly believe that with some small steps forward with the setting of the bike we can make up a lot of positions on the guys in front of us”, said De Angelis. “It is vital that we keep this in mind, stay positive and continue to work because if you drop your guard in this series you can suddenly find yourself behind. I have a great record at Assen in the 250cc class but I crashed out of my first MotoGP race here last year on the opening lap so I want to make up for that with a solid performance this time around." “Assen has always been my favorite circuit because it is technical, fast and flowing, although it hasn't always been kind to me”, said Elias. “I missed the race completely in 2005 because of injury and then the year after that I crashed after just two laps of free practice and broke and dislocated my left shoulder.Then in 2007 I crashed again in free practice and broke my leg! Last year was the first time I had raced on the modified circuit and I finished twelfth, so hopefully that ended the jinx and we can look forward to a much better result this time around. We have been struggling for rear grip this season but we made some progress in the test at Barcelona after the race. It will be very interesting to see how these improvements transfer to Assen because I really feel like we deserve a top result after all the hard work the whole team is putting in.” “Our results so far this season have not been good enough but the positive thing is that the whole team has shown their resilience and desire to continue working hard, as was evident in the test at Barcelona”, commented Team Manager Fausto Gresini. “We are working within our means and that is all I can ask of my staff. The goal for the rest of the season is to build and improve so that is all I am looking for in Holland. This is a legendary event and we have some great memories of this circuit, so hopefully a little bit of the magic can rub off on us again this weekend.” Over the years since the first running of the Dutch TT, which began much earlier than the World Championship, in 1925, the original road circuit was gradually altered, initially reduced some 59 years ago from 16km to 7.7km. In 1984 it was reduced further, to a little over 6km, before more alterations in 2006 saw it adapted to its current configuration, with the removal of the North Loop bringing the total length down to just 4.5km. moto-live.com Ducati will keep working to help Hayden
Stoner is now tied for the points lead with the two Yamaha riders, but team boss Livio Suppo said Ducati had no intention of devoting all its resources to the Australian's title bid at the expense of its efforts to help Hayden acclimatise. "We need to continue to give our maximum both to Casey, who is fighting in one of the closest championship battles for years, and to Nicky, who has shown that he has the ability to adapt to the characteristics of our bike, which is more difficult for him than it is for other riders because he had spent so many years on the same machine before this," said Suppo. Hayden, who has struggling to adapt to the Desmosedici after joining from Honda, was hugely encouraged to set the sixth fastest time in Catalunya practice, although he slipped back down the order in qualifying and was only able to finish 10th. Nevertheless, he believes the Spanish event was the start of a resurgence. "We know we have a lot of work to do but myself and the team are hoping that the Catalunya race was the start of a major turnaround that we can continue to build on until the end of the season," said the former world champion. Suppo believes Ducati took a big step forward with both riders at Catalunya, but that the bike's progress was masked by the illness that hampered Stoner all weekend. He finished third, but could not keep pace with Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo's incredible lead battle. "The weekend in Barcelona was really important for us," said Suppo. "We started to see the fruit of all the hard work being done by [technical director] Filippo [Preziosi] and his guys, as well as [test rider] Vitto [Guareschi], and it looks like the development route we're taking with the GP9 promises to make it even more competitive." autosport.com Takahashi to ride Assen race despite finger fractureTuesday, 23 June 2009 Japanese rider also relaxed about having missed testing time.
Yuki Takahashi has confirmed a return to action at the Alice TT Assen, despite having had to skip the post-race test in Barcelona with a hand injury. The Scot Racing rider was unable to participate in one of just two permitted days of mid-season testing following a first lap crash on race day, although the Japanese star needed no operation on his injured digit. The micro-fracture to his finger may cause difficulties for Takahashi this week, although he is relaxed about missing the track time at the Spanish circuit last time out. “It is not going to affect my performance,” says the Honda satellite man. “We brought forward the testing of some potential solutions to Saturday in Spain, so I still had the chance to express my opinions to Emanuele (Ventura, Scot Racing Technical Director). We know what we want.” The Assen track has not been an especially successful one for Takahashi, with a best result of sixth in the 250cc class back in 2006. MotoGP is a different cylinder class, however, and the change to 800cc machinery could see him more at ease with the legendary circuit. “I never liked Assen too much when I was a 250cc rider. I didn’t like Barcelona either though. But I have to say that with a MotoGP bike things are different, and I have begun to also feel good on layouts like these.” Scot Racing will undertake their second Grand Prix as a two-rider team this weekend, after Gabor Talmacsi signed up for the team in a permanent capacity just moments before practice for the Barcelona round. Added intrigue for the team comes in the form of the changeable conditions typical of the Assen circuit, which customarily brings at least a token amount of rainfall to make the riders’ lives difficult. The team have just two bikes in their garage to split between Takahashi and Talmacsi, and have yet to confirm either a game plan for a flag-to-flag race nor the progression of their request to Honda for an additional pair of RC212V machines. Simoncelli’s MotoGP entry for 2010 confirmedWednesday, 24 June 2009 San Carlo Honda Gresini confirm Italian as part of 2010 project, as renewed deal with title sponsor is announced simultaneously.
Reigning 250cc World Champion Marco Simoncelli will make his MotoGP debut next season with the San Carlo Honda Gresini team in 2010, the satellite outfit announced on Wednesday in the Assen paddock. The team have also announced that San Carlo are to remain as their principle sponsor next year. The deal will see the quarter-litre category star replace one of either Toni Elías or Alex de Angelis in the team. Simoncelli had rejected offers of a MotoGP move for the current season in order to defend his title, but will finally make the switch after the present campaign. Team owner and manager Fausto Gresini commented: “We're extremely happy to be able to make this important announcement: renewing our agreement with San Carlo, who have shown great belief in us and continue to support our targets for next year, and the agreement with Marco Simoncelli to race with us in MotoGP.” motogp.com “Marco has shown over the past couple of years that he has the ability to be a major force in the premier class, as well as being a great communicator. We have established a good feeling with him already and that facilitated negotiations over a contract that we have signed for 2010. Also, Honda rate Simoncelli highly and believe he is a rider with great potential for the future, so Honda is very pleased that we are welcoming him aboard next season.” Simoncelli himself added, “Next year I will be a member of the Honda Gresini team and I am very happy because it is an Italian team. I think they are a very strong team. I am very happy to be with Honda and with Fausto. As many people know I am friends with Valentino Rossi and we sometimes go motocross training together, but I would like to be fighting against him next year because that will mean I am doing very well.” |
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Ducati says it will continue working to get Nicky Hayden up to speed on the GP9 in addition to pushing forward with developments to help Casey Stoner's title challenge.
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