The Cathedral To Host Epic Yamaha Showdown
June 23, 2015 | By MotoGP.com
The Motul TT Assen will host to a battle between Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo for the lead in the MotoGP World Championship standings.
The TT Circuit Assen, the only venue that has hosted a Grand Prix every year since the World Championships began back in 1949, is set to be the scene of a showdown between Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi to decide who sits atop of the championship standings.
The Movistar Yamaha riders arrive at the legendary circuit separated by just one point, with Rossi still holding the upper hand after Lorenzo’s incredible run of four wins in a row. One thing is guaranteed, with third-place Andrea Iannone 43 points further back from Lorenzo, either he or Rossi will leave the Dutch GP as championship leader. But who will it be?
The smart money would be on Lorenzo after his imperious form in the last four races have seen him lead a record 103 consecutive laps. Rossi has closed the gap in terms of race pace to his teammate, but unless he can improve his Qualifying performance, it is hard to see anyone stopping the Spaniard in his current mood.
The 4.5km TT Circuit Assen plays to the Yamaha M1’s strengths, and they are the most successful manufacturer since the start of the MotoGP era with seven victories. In addition, both Rossi and Lorenzo will have benefitted from a recent private test where they evaluated a new chassis for the YZR-M1.
Out of the current MotoGP field, Rossi is the most successful rider at the circuit, having taken nine victories across all classes (six in MotoGP), with the last coming in 2013.
Last year’s race winner at the Dutch GP was Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez, as he rode a brilliant flag-to-flag race to take victory ahead of Andrea Dovizioso. But the reigning MotoGP World Champion’s title defense hopes currently lie in tatters after crashing out of the last two races in Barcelona and Mugello, as Marquez finds himself 69 points behind Rossi as he continues to struggle with the engine characteristics of his RC213V.
In effort to cure his woes, Marquez even tried out his 2014 chassis with the current swingarm and engine at the post-Catalan GP test. Despite only managing five laps with the old chassis during the rain-affected test, Marquez felt it was an improvement, although whether it means he will be able to close the gap sufficiently to the Yamaha’s remains to be seen. One thing is for sure; Marquez clearly enjoys the Dutch track, as like Rossi, he has tasted victory in each class before.
Marquez’s Dani Pedrosa heads to Assen off the back of his first podium of the season at the Catalan GP full of confidence that his career threatening arm pump have been resolved. The Spaniard stood on the podium in last year’s rain affected Dutch GP, but has only won once before at the circuit, in the 125cc race back in 2002.
For Team Suzuki Ecstar, Assen represents the next chance to test the competitiveness of the all-new GSX-RR after the engine updates they received at the Catalan GP and a recent private two-day private test at Aragon. The fast, flowing nature of the track will suit the excellent handling characteristics of the Suzuki, and the lack of a long straight should negate the manufacturers lack of top speed compared to the other Factory machines. Aleix Espargaro claimed the Japanese manufacturer’s first pole position since the 2010 Dutch GP last time out in Barcelona, and he will now be looking to back that up with decent result in the race after recording three consecutive DNF’s. The Spaniard took pole at last year’s Dutch GP in his 150th Grand Prix start after a rain-affected qualifying, and finished the race in fourth on the Forward Yamaha.
His teammate Maverick Viñales is looking to build on his career best finish (sixth) at the Catalan GP, at a circuit he has won at twice before (2011 125cc, 2012 Moto3) and finished second in last year’s Moto2 race. Viñales will be boosted by the work carried out at the recent test in Barcelona, where he focussed on improving his pace on older tires.
For Ducati Team’s Andrea Iannone, Assen represents a chance to try and close the gap in the standings to the Factory Yamahas. The Italian has not finished outside of the top six all season, a feat that only Rossi and Lorenzo can match, and crossed the line in sixth at the Dutch GP last year on the Pramac Racing Ducati.
His teammate Andrea Dovizioso will be aiming to get his season back on track after two consecutive DNFs. Dovizioso started the season with three second places in a row, but since then has only managed to step onto the podium once in the last four races. The Italian led last year’s race at the Dutch TT before being overhauled by Marquez and finishing in second, his third MotoGP podium at the circuit.
Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Bradley Smith is the leading Satellite rider heading to Assen, as he currently occupies sixth in the World Championship standings with 68 points. It is the Brit’s best ever start to a MotoGP season, and he has a 21-point lead over compatriot Cal Crutchlow (CWM LCR Honda).
Crutchlow will be looking to bounce back after three DNFs in a row and begin to claim the points his impressive pace shown so far this season deserves. The British rider stood on the podium at the Dutch circuit in 2013 on the Tech 3 Yamaha and finished last year’s race in ninth on the Factory Ducati.
Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS’s Scott Redding equaled his best ever MotoGP result at the Catalan GP (seventh) after struggling so far this season to adapt to the factory-spec Honda. Redding says he is starting to get used to a bike with more power and less grip than last year’s Open class RCV1000R, and will be confident that he can continue to progress at a circuit where he has finished on the podium twice in Moto2 (2012, 2013).
Aspar MotoGP Team’s Eugene Laverty will be looking to build on three point scoring finishes in a row at a circuit he has won at before in World Superbikes (2013). Laverty should also benefit from receiving the new Honda swingarm at recent the Barcelona test.
Avintia Racing’s Hector Barbera leads the Open class battle with 16 points despite not scoring any points at the Catalan GP. He has a three-point advantage over Athina Forward Racing’s Loris Baz, although Jack Miller (11 points) and Stefan Bradl (9) have closed the gap, with the latter taking the class victory last time out in Barcelona.
The Motul TT Assen officially kicks off with the official press conference on Wednesday, and the on-track action starts on Thursday with free practice, qualifying on Friday and the race Saturday.