Honda Riders Ready to Go at Historic Assen

[totalmotorcycle]

@Honda #Riders Ready to Go at Historic @Assen


Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) arrives at MotoGP’s most historic venue after regaining the World Championship lead in a hard-fought Catalan Grand Prix earlier this month. Marquez finished the race a close second, while previous points leader Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) was taken out by another rider.

Marquez’s second-place finish was his sixth podium result from the first seven of 18 races and puts him ten points ahead of Lorenzo, with former champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) in third. Team-mate Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) holds fourth overall after achieving his second podium of 2016 at Catalunya and completing Repsol Honda’s second podium double of the year.

Assen is the only MotoGP venue that’s been part of the series since the World Championship’s inaugural season in 1949. The Dutch round is also unique in that it’s a TT (Tourist Trophy) event instead of a Grand Prix. This harks back to the very beginnings of racing when competitors raced road bikes, known as touring models. Assen lets slip one age-old tradition this weekend – it drops its usual Thursday/Friday/Saturday format in favor of the standard Friday/Saturday/Sunday program.

Marquez has played his own part in Assen’s history, with four victories across all three classes during his last six visits. In 2010 he won the 125 race, in 2011 and 2012 the Moto2 race and in 2014 the MotoGP race. Last year the remarkable Spaniard fought for victory until the last corner, where a collision with Rossi dropped him to second place.

Marquez goes into the 2016 Dutch TT building strength as his team and the Honda Racing Corporation solve the riddle of one of this year’s crucial technical changes, the switch to same-for-all electronics software. The new software has been a challenge for a company that, uniquely in MotoGP, has always programed its own rider aids.

Pedrosa is also benefiting from recent technical advances, which allowed him to finish just six seconds behind the winner at Catalunya, despite losing some time while fighting with rivals. The 30-year-old Spaniard also has good form at Assen: five podiums in the premier class, two in 250s and a victory in 125s, way back in 2002.

Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda RC213V) is Honda’s leading satellite MotoGP rider as the season approaches half-distance. The Briton has had an up and down start to 2016, with his points tally dented by several falls. However, he seemed to turn a corner at Catalunya, where he finished a season-best sixth and then clocked the fastest lap during the following day’s open test session. During that outing Crutchlow tried Michelin’s latest development tires which suit him well and have him looking forward to Assen, where he scored a third-place finish in 2013.

Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS RC213V) also had a better time at the last race, scoring his best premier-class result to date. The young Australian finished tenth after managing the low-grip conditions brilliantly.

Tito Rabat (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS RC213V) will have an easier time at Assen than he did at his home race at Catalunya, where he bravely rode to 14th place, just 15 days after breaking his left collarbone at Mugello. The Spaniard has since continued his recuperation and should be in much better shape this weekend.

The contest for the Honda-powered Moto2 World Championship could hardly be closer, with the top three riders covered by just ten points. Reigning World Champion Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport Kalex) is on a charge, having taken victory at the last two races following difficult outings at Jerez and Le Mans, his home race. Zarco is now third overall, just two points behind Jerez winner Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 Kalex) and a further eight points behind Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40 Kalex), who won at Le Mans and COTA.

This weekend Zarco will be out to secure a hat-trick of victories, at the track where he scored one of his greatest victories of 2015 after a great battle with 2014 Moto2 king Rabat.

Rins, who recently announced a 2017 move to MotoGP with Suzuki, finished four seconds down on Zarco at Catalunya, so the Spaniard knows he has some work to do if he is to protect his slender points advantage. Likewise Lowes, who has struggled to reproduce his stunning pace from earlier in the season.

Thomas Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten Kalex), winner of the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix, holds fourth overall, thanks to consistent top-seven finishes, including a podium at Le Mans.

Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Raceline Malaysia Kalex) has also impressed with his speed and consistency. Fourth at Catalunya and currently fifth overall Syahrin is aiming to become the highest-finishing Malaysian rider in motorcycling’s Grand Prix World Championships.

Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Intact GP Kalex), Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia Kalex), Dominique Aegerter (CarXpert Interwetten Kalex), Simone Corsi (Speed Up Speed Up) and Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0.0 Marc VDS Kalex) complete the top ten in this ultra-competitive class, in which all riders use identically prepared Honda CBR600 engines.

Honda’s Moto3 title hopeful Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda NSF250RW) won his first Grand Prix at Catalunya to close the gap on series leader Brad Binder (KTM), but just six days later his championship hopes were dealt a major blow when he fell during training, breaking a leg.

Navarro has since undergone surgery on his fractured left tibia and fibula but it is still too early to say when he will be ready to ride again. While he recuperates his place will be taken by 18-year-old Italian Lorenzo Dalla Porta, current leader of the FIM CEV Repsol series, who contested half of the 2015 Moto3 season, scoring a best of eighth place at the British GP.

In Navarro’s absence, Honda’s Moto3 charge will be led by Niccolo Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold Honda NSF250RW), winner of the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix. The 20-year-old Italian currently holds sixth overall, just 14 points off fourth place.

Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Moto3 Honda NSF250RW) sits one place and just three points behind Antonelli, despite missing the French GP through injury. The young Italian scored his first podium of 2016 three weekends ago and believes he is back on track after a so-so start to the year.

Jakub Kornfeil (Drive M7 SIC Racing Team Honda NSF250RW) is ninth overall, thanks to some excellent consistency, and rookie Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda NSF250RW) is 11th, with two top-six finishes so far.



Honda MotoGP rider quotes

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team:
“We’ve had two weekends off after Catalunya, and it has been good to be able to disconnect a bit, spending a little time with my friends and enjoying the amazing experience of doing some laps on the RC213V-S at the Red Bull Ring last Tuesday. Anyway, I’m happy that the time to go racing at Assen has arrived, as it’s a track I really enjoy and, importantly, the first in a series of circuits that suit my riding style quite well! Step by step, we’re making some small improvements to the bike, so in Assen we’ll keep working hard from the first session to find a good set-up and try and fight for the podium again. The weather is particularly unpredictable there, so we’ll keep an eye on that also and try to be fast from the beginning of the weekend.”

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team:
“It was nice to be able to put in some good laps at the last race in Catalunya, to enjoy a bit of fighting and to step back on the podium, but now we must focus on doing a good job in Assen as well. We’ll see what feeling we’ll have in different conditions: colder than recent races, and very high-speed. The chances of rain are always high there, so we hope to have enough dry sessions to do some good work, both for the race weekend and for the future. Last Tuesday I quite enjoyed taking part in a video shoot at the Red Bull Ring in Austria: it was my first time at that track, which looks really good, and I had fun with the RC213V-S, which is an awesome street bike.”

Cal Crutchlow, LCR Honda:
“We go to Assen in an optimistic frame of mind after the test in Barcelona. It’s a track that I like and I’ve had some good results there in the past. I’m hopeful Michelin will bring some of the tires we tested after the last race because I think they would work around Assen. We tested some setting changes at the test in Barcelona, as well as some new aerodynamic wings. We made the front of the bike softer and that helped me to decelerate quite well and then tested some different electronics settings. It was nice to be fastest and back on top of a timesheet, even if it was a Monday and it doesn’t mean anything. We took a lot of positives and worked well as a team and I think we can take that forward to this next race.”

Jack Miller, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:
“It was a good weekend in Barcelona, but we can’t get ahead of ourselves off the back of one good result. We found some direction in Barcelona and we need to keep working to improve both our qualifying performance and our race pace. I’m looking forward to getting to Assen and giving it a go round there. I like the track; last year I had really good speed there on the open bike, so I’m looking forward to trying the factory bike there this time around.”

Tito Rabat, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:
“The race in Barcelona definitely gave my confidence a good lift and I needed it after the injury problems from Mugello. It was good to have the two-week break because I needed it to help my left shoulder fully recover. I have been working really hard to get back to my peak level of fitness and I feel going to Assen I will be able to push at 100% again. I really like Assen and it will be great for me to ride a MotoGP bike for the first time at such an iconic venue. It is important that I can build on the point scoring finish in Barcelona with another strong challenge for the top 15 again this weekend.”



Moto2 rider quotes

Alex Rins, Paginas Amarillas HP 40:
“We go to Assen with my usual ambition, following the recent news that I will move to MotoGP next season. This news makes me very happy but makes no difference to my 2016 goal, which is to win the Moto2 world title with the Pons team, who gave me the chance to enter the intermediate class which will take me to the next step of my career. I look forward to Assen, where I’ve had a couple of Moto3 podiums and last year just missed out on a Moto2 podium. It’s a great track and totally unique, where you have to work very hard to find the correct compromise in bike set-up.”

Sam Lowes, Federal Oil Gresini Moto2:
“I can’t wait for Assen. After the last race we need to come and fight for the win there. We have been working hard off the track and we know that we can do a good job in Assen! I enjoy the circuit. Some parts of the track suit my style and I’ve aways had a good feeling there in the past. I’m happy to get there and see my team again and start work on the bike!”

Johann Zarco, Ajo Motorsport:
“It will be the first time we will ride at Assen on a Sunday, so it will be interesting, although the planning for the weekend does not change at all. Last year we did very well there, but now it's all about the feeling that we have with the current bike and pushing as hard as possible, as we did have done in the last few rounds. The first objective will be, whatever the conditions, to take advantage of Friday to analyze different tires and when to use them. That will be important for Saturday, when we will chase a spot the front row. In Barcelona I was able to be get there for the first time in a long while, and I realized that it was a great help. For Sunday, I hope that we get the same result as at the Catalan GP.”




Honda Moto3 rider quotes

Niccolo Antonelli, Ongetta-Rivacold:
“Assen is an amazing track, very fast and with lots of corners and I really like it. As in every weekend, we will work at our best in order to be ready for the race. We need also to understand what was wrong in the last race and we have to do better in this one. I really would like to come back and fight for the podium and I will give the maximum to reach this goal.”

Enea Bastianini, Gresini Racing Moto3:
“The race at Barcelona was undoubtedly a turning point of my season, because it was crucial to be able to recover well after the right wrist injury that forced me to miss the French GP. We had an excellent weekend at Barcelona, managing to be always fast and to stay always in the leading group. Now the goal is to continue like this in Assen, where, as always, it will be essential to start the weekend well. I like the track very much: last year in the race I got a bit stuck in traffic but I took pole position and I was fast, so I think we can be strong. We will give 101% to try to get a good result!”

Jakub Kornfeil, Drive M7 SIC Racing Team:
“I feel good about this next Grand Prix, for sure better than before Barcelona. Assen is a flat track without any hills, so it’s really important to just let the bike flow and don’t stop it so much. A good line is vital; with this everything becomes easy. When you set a good time at Assen it can be hard to continue improving it alone, so this is when you have to use the slipstream.

At the last round in Barcelona we finished in the top ten, which at a track where I usually struggle a lot, was good, but overall top ten is not enough for us. I am looking forward to improving my qualifying at Assen and starting from within the top three rows. Our race target now is always top five. This is what we must really push for. At the start of the season we focused on the top ten whilst we adjusted to the Honda, but now we must arrive at another level. We have everything we need to achieve this.”