Iveco TT Assen 2013
Posted on Jun 24, 2013 by Nick Harris
ROUND SEVEN 2013 MotoGP™ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY JUNE 29
Bradley Smith has 125 and Moto2™ podium finishes in Assen and hopes a repeat of his sixth place in Barcelona, his best MotoGP result in his rookie season. After the Barcelona test he had a screw inserted into the cracked scaphoid in his left wrist and a skin graft on his injured little finger. Both injuries were sustained in a crash during practice for the Italian Grand Prix.
Bradley Smith:
“The double operation was a success and I can’t thank Dr Mir and his team enough. They have done a fantastic job and they told me that the wrist and finger surgery were both a success. Everything went as well as expected and now I am just resting my arm as much as possible. The wrist shouldn't give me any problems now hopefully but we need a few more days to see whether the skin graft has taken. Dr Mir seems happy though and I am sure it is going to be fine. I tried to race on without surgery but it wasn't possible but I am glad it is done now because I can just concentrate on riding pain free. I’ll have an assessment when I get to Assen but 100% I will be riding there and I am really looking forward to it. The last two races have not been easy given my physical condition but the top six in Catalunya was great for my confidence and hopefully I can build on the momentum gained with another strong ride in Assen."
THE CATHERDRAL TO SOUTH AMERICA - A 65 YEAR JOURNEY
As the Van Drenthe cicrcuit in Assen rightly named the Catherdral of Grand Prix motorcycle racing celebrates its 65th successive world championship event this weekend a new grand prix venue comes under the spotlight next week.
Riders and teams travel to Argentina after Assen to test at the brand new Circuitoi Internacional Termas de Rio Hondo which hopes to join the 2014 MotoGP schedule. The brand new circuit sitauted in the Santiago del Estero province would be the first track to stage a MotoGP event in Argentina since the 1999 event in Buenos Aires.
On July 9th 1949 the Assen circuit staged its first world championship race and it’s being so ever since making it the oldest world championship venue on two or four wheels in the world. Racing actually started on the streets surrounding the town in Northern Holland in 1925.
LORENZO GOES FOR THREE IN A ROW
World Champion Jorge Lorenzo chases his third successive grand prix win at the legendary Iveco Dutch TT in Assen on Saturday. The Spanish Yamaha rider, who has won the last two grands prix in Italy and Spain, has mixed emotions about the world famous 2.822 miles Van Drenthe Assen circuit in Northern Holland. Last year he was brought down on the very first corner of the 26 lap race but admits it’s one of his favourite circuits winning the MotoGP race in 2010, the 250 cc twice and 125cc once. He now trails countryman Dani Pedrosa by just seven points after one third of the 18 round championship.
Pedrosa has only a 125 cc win at Assen and will be flat out to halt Lorenzo’s run and will also be wary of his Repsol Honda team-mate Marc Marquez. The 20 year old Spaniard chases his fourth successive win in Holland having won the Moto2 race for the last two years after victory in the 2010 125 cc race. He lies in third in his MotoGP rookie season 23 points behind Lorenzo.
British rider Cal Crutchlow is desperate to get his impressive season back on track after crashing out at the last round in Barcelona while chasing his third successive podium. The Monster Tech 3 Yamaha rider knows the Assen circuit well from his World Supersport and Superbike days and is very capable of returning to the podium. He has an 11 point advantage over Valentino Rossi, the undisputed King of Assen. The Italian Yamaha rider has no less than seven wins including five MotoGP victories. The nine times World Champion finished a lonely fourth in Barcelona and knows he must improve in the new qualifying format to have any chances of running with the leaders.
The Ducati pairing of Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden have made solid starts to what was always going to be a tough season and lie sixth and seventh respectively in the championship. Dovizioso has never won in Assen while Haydon secured his only grand prix victory outside America in his 2006 championship year. Former Moto2 World Champion Stefan Bradl has bounced back after a difficult start to the season on the LCR Honda and has finished fourth and fifth in the last two races but it’s not the same story for former 125 cc World Champion Alvaro Bautista. The Spaniard has crashed out of the last two races on the Go and Fun Gresini Honda and also has memories on his first bend crash last year that brought down Lorenzo in Assen.
Former Moto2 winner Andrea Iannone hopes to get back to points scoring after crashing out in Barcelona and once again will be partnered by Italian Michele Pirro replacing the former Assen winner Ben Spies on the Ducati lab bike in the Pramac Ducati team. Aleix Espargaro continues to dominate the CRT battle after two very impressive eight places on the Power Electronics Aspar ART machine but there was an encouraging ninth place for former World Superbike Champion Colin Edwards in Barcelona on the NGM Mobile Forward Racing FTR Kawasaki. Former 250 cc World Champion Hiroshi Aoyama who injured a finger in a Barcelona crash will be replaced by Spaniard Ivan Silva in the Avintia Blusens FTR team.
ASSEN FACTS AND FIGURES
Circuit Length: 4.542 kms
Width: 14 m
Pole Position: Left
Longest Straight: 487m
Left Corners: Six
Right Corners: Twelve
Pole Position Record:Casey Stoner/Honda1.33.713 (2012)
Lap Record: Dani Pedrosa/Honda1'34.548 (2012)
TELEVISION TIMES
BBC/BRITISH EUROSPORT
Thursday 27 June
08:55 – 09:40 MotoGP FP 1 IPTV & Online
12:05 – 15:00 Moto3/MotoGP/Moto2 FP 2 IPTV/Online and British Eurosport 2
Friday 28 June
08:55 – 09:40 MotoGP FP3 HD Red Button, Connected TV and Online
11:30 – 15:05 Moto3, MotoGP and Moto2 Qualifying Red Button and British Eurosport 2
Saturday 29 June
10:45 Moto3 and Moto2 races Red Button and British Eurosport 2
14:00 – 15:00 MotoGP race Red Button