Alvaro Bautista heads the Championship table ahead of Round 3, the Pirelli Dutch Round
Known as ‘The Cathedral’ of motorcycle racing, the TT Circuit Assen hosted 62 WorldSBK races since 1992, making it the second most visited circuit since the Championship’s inaugural season.
ASSEN’S HOT SPOTS WITH MICHAEL VAN DER MARK
T1/ “It’s such a nice overtaking spot and you can brake really deep, because of the banking. You can pull the lever hard and long if you are overtaking someone.”
T8/ “They never touched this corner, luckily. It has so much banking. It does not matter where you enter this corner – nine out of ten times you will be alright because of the banking. You always see in the race someone strong in this area.”
T16-17/ “Where almost every race is decided, and I must admit I have waited a couple of times to pass people there… because it is just nice! I could pass them the corner before, but it is a bit more risky and even if you pass people into the last chicane, with a good pass, you can stop them. Then their exit is not as good as they want. Then, they will not pass you on the start-finish straight. If you pass the corner before, they can pass you again.”
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) heads to the Pirelli Dutch Round as the Championship leader as he looks in strong shape to start the European rounds; the Spaniard edged closer to the all-time lap record in Barcelona test.
After the test, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) tested a Yamaha YZR M1 in MotoGP™, in a private test at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto.
Injured after a clash with Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) at Mandalika, Loris Baz (Bonovo Action BMW) has provided a further update on his recovery, including the next steps which may allow him to potentially return to action for the Dutch Round.
Having completed testing at Aragon and Barcelona, Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) will make his full-time WorldSBK debut at Assen, as the British rookie will compete in the European rounds in 2023. Isaac Vinales (TPR by Vinales Racing) is also set to start his 2023 campaign at the Pirelli Dutch Round. – www.worldsbk.com
