From a press release issued by Honda Racing Information:

ASSEN WELCOMES THE KINGS OF SUPERSPORT SPEED

One month after the latest World Supersport win for Honda the championship prepares to play out the final three acts of a ten-race season, at the ultra-fast and flowing Assen Circuit in the van Drenthe region of the Netherlands.

The 6.049km track, a genuine challenge of all aspects of a rider’s skill and a machine’s capabilities, has been a good one for Honda riders in recent years, suiting the fast and agile CBR600RR in all regards. With six supported riders competing at Assen this year the Honda effort will once more be conducted on a number of fronts, featuring competitive entries from Ten Kate, Klaffi and Team Italia Megabike teams.

The current championship leader, Karl Muggeridge (Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR) has won four races this year, including the last one at Brands Hatch. Possibly more significantly, he was the race winner at Assen last season and has successfully competed in a Dutch Championship event this year.

Muggeridge carries a 24-point advantage into the Assen round, thanks to an incredible run of four wins and one second place in the past five races, emphatically overturning some early season low-scores. The 30-year-old Australian is taking nothing for granted in this pivotal weekend, intending to treat it like any other race.

The second Ten Kate rider, 21-year-old Broc Parkes, has come close to his first win this year without quite making it to the top step of the podium. With similar experience to Muggeridge at the Assen circuit this year, the Dutch race offers Parkes at least as many possibilities to make his ultimate mark in this most competitive class.

Few Supersport riders are as experienced as Sebastien Charpentier (Team Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) a fact reflected by his fifth place in the championship, only one point from fourth place overall. With a season high of second at Brands Hatch, after leading almost every single lap, Charpentier is currently on his best form of the year.

Backing up the challenge of Charpentier is the teenage German hope Max Neukirchner (Team Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) who has been as high as fifth in his rookie WSS season. For once he has experience of the forthcoming track layout, as most circuits are new to him this year.

Team Italia Megabike Honda is represented by the usual pairing of Alessio Corradi (Team Italia Megabike Honda CBR600RR) and Denis Sacchetti, each going for a personal 2004 best. The seasoned Corradi sits tenth overall with rookie Sacchetti just inside the top twenty.

For Muggeridge, it’s one race at a time, despite the close proximity to the end of the championship trail and his impressive 24-point lead. “At Assen it seems we will be going into it just the same as any other race. We’re going there in good shape, not overconfident, but we’re approaching it with the expectation of good results. I need to treat it like any other race. I know we have to keep aware of the championship but we will keep our working format as normal. I hope it will be the same as any other weekend, which means that if we work hard on set-up and qualify well on Friday and Saturday then Sunday can be thought of as the easy part.”

Parkes, who has spent some time in Holland in preparation for the latest Supersport event, is ready to give of his best once more. “I think that we’ll give Assen a pretty good shot. I had a good battle with Karl in the Dutch Championship race earlier this year. I’m pretty confident and bike feels pretty good around Assen, even though I didn’t have much dry track time in qualifying for the National. I’ve been in Holland for a couple of weeks now, getting ready for the race and training hard.”

Assen is a battlefield that suits the style and character of Charpentier. “The track at Assen is curvaceous and truly fantastic. Immediately after the last race at Brands Hatch I started to prepare myself physically and mentally for Assen. It’s one of my favourite tracks and I hope to be on the podium again.”

Neukirchner, one of the fastest rookies of the year, appreciates the challenge Assen presents to any rider. “I like Assen because the long fast turns around the race track are very special. I’m looking forward to a perfect race weekend. A top ten place would be great a top five place even better.”

The European Championship has played a part for both Team Italia Megabike riders, Corradi remembering past glories at Assen as a spur to this weekendâ s action. “I like Assen very much because I won here in 2001, in my European Championship season. This track is very fast and will be hard to stay in the leading group because there will be lots of riders at the front. I will try to repeat my Brands Hatch race, but finish in a better position than sixth. I have a Honda with a fantastic engine, and I think that she can help me at Assen!”

Sacchetti, like all true racers, gives Assen its proper place. “This track is wonderful. I ran here for the first time last year, in the European Championship and I finished on the podium. I think that the race will be so difficult for me because the other riders will be running fast here. It’s one of the last rounds of the championship and I hope to score points. This target was difficult in the last three races but I will push hard.”

After the Assen event, there are two free weekends before the final frantic run to the end of the season, with the Imola and Magny Cours races run on consecutive weekends, at the end of September and beginning of October.