Compared to the rest of the circuits that make up the 16-round 2001 MotoGP World Championship, Assen is unique in a number of ways. The Dutch TT originally began life as 28km street track before being shortened - once in 1955 and again in 1984 - to comply with the ever-changing demands of modern motorcycle racing. Even so the Assen layout is currently the longest on the calendar, measuring over six kilometres in length, while its street pedigree has given it a character all its own.

With barely a straight piece of tarmac in sight there is no rest for those competing at this historical venue, making Assen more a rider’s circuit than any other. Handling will therefore be a major focal point for those who will tackle the high-speed chicanes and dramatic changes in camber - the latter, in some places, resembling the crown of a public road more than that of a motorcycle racetrack. This single feature in itself makes Assen a challenging circuit to master. Hold a tight line and the rider will benefit from the extra drive available off the steeper section of the camber - much the same way as a motocross rider would off a berm. But drift wide on the exit of the turns, to the point where the camber can drop away quite dramatically, and as the rear tyre crests the crown of the road grip levels are affected in much the same way. Combined with Holland’s ever changing weather, a race win here is as much good luck as it is talent.

The man who had both on his side last season was Alex Barros (Honda), but victory didn’t come easy. After rain stopped proceedings three laps into the main event the Dutch TT became a race on aggregate times rather than on the track. World champ elect, Kenny Roberts was one rider whose luck had run out on the first lap when his Suzuki seized and threw him into the ground - preventing him from making the restart. With a damp track tyre selection was a major factor in determining results - unfortunately luck wasn’t on every Yamaha rider’s side.

Max Biaggi made the best tyre choice and finished the day fourth (on aggregate times) even though his Marlboro Yamaha teammate, Carlos Checa beat him on the track - Checa actually finishing fifth on the time sheets. Alex Criville (Honda) and Loris Capirossi completed the podium.

A good result at Assen relies heavily on a chassis that offers both agility and stability - quite a difficult balance to find at the best of times. The combination of high-speed corners, high grip levels and extreme camber angles will lead to high cornering G-forces, a load which the YZR500 suspension package will need to deal with. For this reason a heavier rear spring rate will be chosen to prevent the back of the bike squatting under power, yet it will still need to offer a compliant ride to ensure feel isn’t compromised. The importance of drive is exaggerated at Assen, but too much squat on the rear will lead to a slow steering and yet very nervous bike through the high-speed chicanes.

In some ways the base setup for the Dutch TT resembles what Yamaha used in Mugello (Italy) - where the rear spring rate is firmer, yet the front is softer. This balance is possible because of the lack of hard braking areas on the flowing layout - rather trail-braking into the apex is the most common technique. This softer fork setting should lead to more feel from the front of the bike as the rider dives into the sequence of linked corners that make up a fast Assen lap.

With an outright top speed of around 290kmh Assen isn’t the fastest circuit on the calendar, especially when you compare it to the 300kmh plus of Barcelona (Spain) and Mugello. But the Dutch TT isn’t about outright top speeds, rather the top speed average. In this regard Assen is one of the fastest tracks that the riders will visit this year. For example, the slowest point on the circuit will see the YZR500 still pushing 90kmh, while the average speed through the remaining turns hovers around the 160 to 200kmh mark. As for the throttle, it’s fully open around 30-perecnt of the time.

It’s an extreme and hard working circuit, not only for the riders and the chassis, but the tyres too. Fortunately grip levels are high yet the track surface isn’t too damaging to the tyre, even though almost all the driving will be done off the side of them. For this reason the 16.5inch rear is the most likely solution.

Since Assen is about feel and drive, the power of the YZR will be tuned to provide a linear delivery with the main focus on the midrange leading into the top end. If all goes well maybe Kevin Schwantz (Suzuki) ten-year reign as lap record holder - with a 2'02.443 - may come to an end.