Sebastien Charpentier (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) approaches Assen with the knowledge that a race win would guarantee him his first and Honda’s fourth consecutive World Supersport Riders’ Championship. Such has been his astonishing run of consistently competitive outings on his Winston Ten Kate machine that he sits 74 points ahead of his closest challenger, his own team-mate Katsuaki Fujiwara (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR).

Charpentier’s raceday dominance has been a result of strong work behind the scenes by manufacturer and team, with Charpentier winning six of the eight races so far, and taking seven of the eight pole positions. Only Fujiwara and third placed rider Kevin Curtain (Yamaha) have even an arithmetical chance of overhauling Charpentier before the season ending race at Magny Cours on October 9th.

Charpentier and Fujiwara are not alone in their quest to take the Assen win for Honda, as the Team Italia Megabike Honda squad has 2002 World champion Fabien Foret (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR) and Michel Fabrizio (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR) ready to do battle once more. With Foret fourth overall on 85 points and Fabrizio fifth on 82, Assen will be something of a personal duel between the former champ and the young contender.

WSS novice Tatu Lauslehto (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) rates Assen as his favourite circuit of all, but this year he, like all his competitors, will have a new section of track to learn, after winter safety modifications at a number of corners on the circuit.

For Charpentier, Assen is not just a chance to win in front of his Winston Ten Kate team’s home crowd; it is one of four remaining opportunities to become champion – something he would rather not think about quite yet.

“For sure, the championship is possible for me this weekend and I’m in very good physical condition,” stated Charpentier, who prefers to deal with this race as a single event like any other. “We know how strong the bike is and how well the team has been working all through the season, so I have to be hoping for a win or at least a podium finish. My approach to the weekend will be exactly the same as before and, although I cannot help thinking about the championship, when I am inside the box and inside my helmet, there is only one thing I am concentrating on. That is riding as well as I can and trying to get the best from a very good bike. I like the circuit at Assen but some of the GP riders were not so positive about the changes for this season so we’ll have to see what the new layout is like.”

Fujiwara will be racing a Honda for the first time at Assen, but is undaunted by the challenge of the always impressive van Drenthe circuit.

“This is my first time at Assen on the Honda but I think it will suit the bike,” he states. “Although I know there have been some changes for this year, we will have to see what effect they have on the track’s character. I like the circuit and took pole position for my first Supersport race there in 2001. I also finished in third behind Chris Vermeulen and Karl Muggeridge a year or so later. My back is much better after my crash in Japan last month, although it was a little sore after the race at Brands Hatch, I don’t expect any problems this weekend. I will have to be in good shape because I know I have to beat Sébastien at Assen to stop him winning the championship.”

Foret has firm aspirations for his 2005 season, to finish top three despite his ups and downs.

“The last two race weekends were no so good for me,” confessed Foret. “I’m fourth in the World Supersport championship and my target is to arrive on the final podium. This target will be possible only thanks to four fantastic races, from Assen to Magny Cours. I will make the best that is possible for me and I know that the team also has that as a target. Assen is a wonderful track and I want to return to the podium.”

Fabrizio’s last experience of Assen came on a MotoGP bike in the rain, but whatever the conditions it is a track that he knows he can take a podium at.

"I made a good race at Assen in the rain one year ago, but I’m not hoping for bad weather for Sunday, because I know that I can make a good race, again with the podium as the target, without the ‘help’ of the rain,” said Fabrizio. “The bike now has a good suspension set-up and good engine power. The victory? It’s my dream for this week-end but I know that Charpentier will be a hard rider to pass.”

Lauslehto, tenth overall in the championship race in his rookie season, loves Assen and hopes to continue his affection for its new layout.

“I like Assen a lot,” grinned the flying Finn. “Actually, it is my favourite track. It should be, because in 2004 I won my first European Championship race at Assen. I have a confident feeling for the next round. But I try always to think realistically and a position somewhere in the top ten seems possible.”

For this race Lauslehto will have a temporary Klaffi Honda team-mate, Scandinavian Production 600 champion, Nicolai Sørensen, from Denmark.

Chris Vermeulen (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) knows that only race wins with his name on them, and some bad luck for championship leader Troy Corser (Suzuki), will be enough to leave him a fighting chance of the title. This reality is merely a spur to his deep-seated desire to take his second and third race wins of the season, to add to his second leg success at Monza in May.

A first podium is the fervent desire of his team-mate Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) as he begins the final third of his rookie SBK season, with his memories of his 2004 World Supersport championship win still fresh in his mind - including his Assen race win. His immediate Assen target is to break into the top ten in the championship, and he is currently only three points from it.

Even the most experienced World Superbike rider of them all, Pierfrancesco Chili (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR) has a new trick to learn this year, the Assen ace joining his fellow riders in having a new section of the track to assimilate, thanks to off-season safety modifications. Eighth overall, Chili will be looking for his first podium of the year at Assen.

Max Neukirchner (Klaffi Honda CBR1000RR) had a superb start to the season but has been dogged by injury and slight misfortunes since then. Nonetheless, the German 22-year-old likes fast tracks, and is a big fan of Assen. In 13th place at present, he is determined to finish in the top ten in his rookie SBK season, and add to his lone Phillip Island podium finish.

Using a recent British Superbike Championship race at Silverstone to get in some valuable testing miles, Ben Bostrom (Renegade Honda Koji CBR1000RR) suffered impact injuries to his back and internal organs, but hopes to recover sufficiently at Assen to improve on his overall 15th place in the rankings.

Vermeulen is one of Assen’s many fans, and he has already won a Superbike race at the Dutch venue, taking the first leg in his rookie Ten Kate Honda season in 2004.

“I like Assen and I've had some success there in the past, with a win and a fourth in Superbike last year and pole position in Supersport in 2002 and 2003,” recounts Vermeulen. “We need to get the bike working a little better to beat Troy (Corser) but we all know that we have the potential. I don't see any reason why we shouldn't be going for eight wins from the remaining eight races but it's going to be tough to stop Troy with the points lead that he has.”

For Chili the second highest placed Honda rider in the championship, recent Assen performances will be his incentive for great things this season.

“The last three years I was always on the podium at Assen, so this is one good reason I like the track very much,” said Chili. “This time there is one renewed part of the race track I don’t know yet. I wonder if this will make a real difference. I’m looking forward to riding at Assen and I’ll give my all to be on the podium again.”

Despite the new section of the track, and the broken hand he suffered at Brands Hatch on 7th August, Muggeridge reckons his task of learning circuits on a Superbike should be easier at this venue than any other.

“Although I haven't raced the Superbike there, I think Assen will suit the bike. It seems that the faster and more flowing the circuit, the better we can get the bike working. It's difficult to compare with Chris's results from last year but at least we should have a good base setting to start from - something we were lacking a little at the beginning of the season. I like all the circuits but I think I'm at last learning what we need to get the bike working properly. My hand is a lot better after a three week rest though, and I'm in good shape.”

Neukirchner’s season has also been affected by a hand injury, but his youthful exuberance has been undimmed by his occasional bouts of bad luck and no scores.

“Assen is one these fast tracks I like very much,” he enthused, “But this track is also a challenge which requires a lot of experience. Last year I finished 7th in the Supersport race at Assen. This was perfect. But I had to learn in the hard way before, because I crashed twice in the practice sessions. This time I hope to keep a little bit cooler in the beginning. In return I’ll open the throttle during the race. A top ten position would be great!”

Bostrom fully expects Assen to be a painful trial but such was his encouragement after qualifying at his recent British Championship ‘testing’ weekend, that he is still ready for a new challenge.

“After a good qualifying and some hard work finding improvements in set-up I had a fourth gear highside at the British Championship meeting at Silverstone, after hitting water left by another bike,” said the 31-year-old American. “It was the biggest highside of my life. It’s left me with an incredibly painful back and it messed up my insides quite a bit. I suppose the good news is that I’ve lost about ten pounds in weight, because the internal bruising has put me off eating. In the run up to the races I’m just looking to rest as much as possible, and get the bike as easy to ride fast just as soon as I can.”

Both Supersport and Superbike classes decamp immediately from Assen to a former SBK venue of Lausitzring in Germany, for the tenth round of the series on 11 September