World SuperSport 2003 - Round 9 - Assen

Assen – “The Cathedral”

Located in the north of The Netherlands, near the town of Gronigen, the historic Assen circuit is a definite favourite with the fans and most riders.

The track itself dates back to 1925, when the first Dutch TT was held on a 14km public road course. Thirty years later the current venue was built and, although it has been updated over the years, the circuit still has much of the original character and feel. Known as ‘The Cathedral of motorcycle racing’, Assen is one of the few world championship circuits not to be broken up by the introduction of first gear chicanes, making it a real, old-fashioned, ‘rider’s track’. Fans love the place too, with many traveling from neighbouring Britain and Germany to enjoy the great racing and party atmosphere that even the all too common wet weather can’t put a dampener on.

YZF-R6 set-up report – fast and flowing

It may be the longest circuit the World Supersport competitors will race at this season but in terms of bike set-up Assen is less challenging than other tracks. Most tracks have corners that range from extremely fast to extremely slow and which require some major compromises in bike set-up. But at Assen, the majority of corners are highly cambered second and third gear sweeps which demand similar characteristics from the machine. Grip levels are outstanding, even in the wet, and the combination of this, high speeds and extreme camber angles produce high G-forces which force the bike onto the asphalt during cornering. For this reason hard springs and high compression settings will be chosen, and the smooth surface means that the usual concerns about using such stiff settings – lack of grip and instability under braking – do not apply here.

A neutral chassis set-up is the aim – a big jump from the front-end biased settings used in the last round at Brands Hatch – to give the rider confidence to carry lots of speed through the flowing corners. Assen is a fast track even though there are few real straights and power is important, although this is an area where the 2003 YZF-R6 does not lack. Gearbox settings should also be relatively straightforward. Bikes will need to be geared for over 250kph top speed down the back straight and, with no really slow corners to dictate a short first or second gear, the teams will be able to select a close ratio gearbox without compromises.

Of course, as with every track a good motorcycle is just part of the equation and rider skill and circuit knowledge will play its part. The full Assen circuit is used just twice a year – at World Superbike and MotoGP – which means that the barely-used back section can offer less grip than the regularly used short circuit. However, by race day the whole circuit is generally ‘clean’ and offering consistent grip levels, although the reduced traction during practice can cause some problems when it comes to selecting a race tyre. Luckily Yamaha has a man who knows all about Assen to advise its riders of the nuances of this circuit. Wilco Zeelenberg, a three-times Dutch national champion and a World Supersport winner at Assen, is Yamaha’s Technical Coordinator and a source of technical and riding knowledge to the teams and riders.

Last year’s race – accident ends enthralling affair A horrific seven-rider pile-up cut short last year’s Assen encounter and denied fans the chance to see what was shaping up to be a grandstand finish between the top three riders.

2001 winner Paolo Casoli (Yamaha Belgarda Team) had led for most of the early laps, but was overhauled by the Hondas Fabien Foret and Iain Macpherson before the red flags came out on lap 12, four laps before the scheduled end of the race. With the result declared at the end of the 11th lap the result was set with Casoli was forced to take third place, less than half-a-second behind declared winner Foret.

Season so far – so near but so far

Consistency has been the key to Belgarda Yamaha Team’s Jurgen van den Goorbergh’s drive to second place in the points standings, although one thing has been elusive in his debut Supersport season – a win.

The Dutchman is looking to change all of that at his home circuit and a good result is vital if he is to continue to take points from championship leader Chris Vermeulen (Honda), who has a 37 point advantage over the Yamaha rider with three races remaining.

Christian Kellner (Yamaha Motor Germany) and fellow R6 rider Alessio Corradi (Yamaha Team Italia Spadaro) are locked in a battle for a top five finish in the end of season standings. The German currently holds that position with a 15-point advantage over former European champion Corradi as the championship enters the final three races.