Welcome back to race week and the second part of the double header. This weekend, we are back at the Cathedral of Speed, Assen. This is one of the favourite rounds for riders, teams, and fans, with many iconic races through the years.
Last year was the 100th Dutch TT, in which Marc Márquez took the win by 0.6 seconds over Marco Bezzecchi, with Francesco Bagnaia in third. There were lots of battles near the front throughout the race, which was good to see.
There was also a high crash rate, with six riders recording DNFs. One of the biggest crashes was for Álex Márquez, who crashed during a battle with Pedro Acosta and broke his finger. Yamaha looked strong last year with Fabio Quartararo taking pole, but he could not convert his qualifying pace into race pace.
In Moto2, Diogo Moreira took a closely contested victory over Arón Canet by only 0.056 seconds, with Manuel González in third. Moreira also took pole for the race. Last year’s race was tough, with 11 riders crashing out.
Moto3 saw a battle of three for the win with José Antonio Rueda coming out on top, with David Muñoz in second, and Valentín Perrone in third. The top three were covered by 0.2 seconds. Yet again, there were many DNFs, with eight riders crashing out.
TT Circuit Assen
The TT Circuit Assen has been on the calendar since 1949, only ever missing one year in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit was purpose-built in 1955 to host a safer race after it had previously been held on public roads.
In 1999, some facilities on the track were upgraded, like the grandstand, control tower, and media centre. After the 2005 season, the track underwent further renovation and was shortened from 6km to 4.5km.
The circuit is 4.54km (2.82 miles) long, making it one of the longest circuits on the calendar. The race distance is 26 laps. With 6 left corners and 12 right corners, the circuit offers riders the chance to make fast changes of direction on a narrow layout.
The most successful rider on this circuit is Valentino Rossi, with the most wins and poles. He has eight wins and five poles. The all-time lap record at the circuit is held by Bagnaia at 1:30.540.
What to Expect
With the history of this track and how this season has gone, Ducati and Aprilia are the favourites going into the round. After last weekend’s win at the Czechia Grand Prix, M. Márquez will want to continue his run of form. Bezzecchi will want to redeem himself after the incident with the marshal during the sprint race.
Last year, KTM had a strong showing with two bikes in the top five. However, after a tougher season, they may not be as strong as they once were. The same could be said for Yamaha and Honda after their struggles in the last few seasons. Honda does look like they are starting to get stronger again, yet Yamaha still has a long way to go.
In Moto2, González would be the favourite going into the weekend. After finishing third last year, he is the top-performing rider with a chance of winning. Canet did finish higher last year, yet he has had a hard year, so I wouldn’t expect him to fight for the win.
Moto3 is wide open this weekend with neither of last year’s top two racing; Rueda is in Moto2, and Muñoz is out injured. The top rider of last year, who is racing this year, is Perrone. You cannot rule out Máximo Quiles, after the strong season he has had.