From a press release issued by Honda:

2002 MotoGP 500 World Championship, round 7
Dutch TT, Assen, June 27/28/29 2002

FOUR-STROKE MotoGP BOOM COMES TO HISTORIC ASSEN

Four-stroke GP bikes return to Assen this weekend for the first time in almost three decades, with Honda’s rampant RCV riders Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda Team RCV211V) and Tohru Ukawa (Repsol Honda Team RCV211V)leading the charge.

The HRC duo have totally dominated the early stages of the sport’s new four-stroke era, winning all six races so far, and this Saturday they aim to give Honda its first four-stroke Dutch TT win since Mike Hailwood won the 1967 500 race on his RC181. Rossi’s and Ukawa’s current form suggests that they will continue to reign supreme at historic Assen, the only circuit remaining from motorcycling’s inaugural World Championship year in 1949, but the track’s unique layout and the region’s changeable summer weather make the outcome difficult to predict. The heavily cambered Assen track has also undergone several revisions for 2002, adding another element of surprise to the proceedings.

Rossi was in the hunt for 500 victory at Assen 2000 and 2001 but rain intervened on both occasions, leaving the Italian sixth and second. This weekend, when the MotoGP race will commence 90 minutes later than usual to accommodate the World Cup third-place playoff, the Italian youngster will therefore bid for his first premier-class win at bike racing’s most historic venue.

“I’ve never won the big race at Assen, so I hope we have some good weather this time,” says Rossi, who won his first-ever 250 GP at Assen in 1998, 12 months after winning the 125 race. “Assen is a great track, and the most difficult because it’s impossible to make two laps exactly the same. I think it will be hard work on the four-stroke, because I don’t know if it’ll be possible to use all the RCV’s power. Already with the 500 you couldn’t use 100 per cent of the power. Assen is very strange and very difficult because you never go straight, you never have one second to say ‘Ah, a straight, so now I can rest’. For sure we should be faster than the 500s, but only if we can use all of the four-stroke’s power…”

Ukawa is the only man so far this year to have defeated Rossi (he beat his team-mate by a fraction of a second in April’s South African GP) and another victory would be the perfect way for him to celebrate his 100th GP start. The Japanese rider knows how to win at Assen – two years ago he won the Dutch 250 TT – but last year he found his first 500 race at the track a more difficult experience. Ukawa qualified 11th and finished eighth, finding the complex venue an altogether different kind of a challenge on a much faster motorcycle.

“The RCV will be very interesting at Assen!” Ukawa smiles. “The 500 was very difficult around there, because the bike was almost flying off the camber! But although the four-stroke is even faster, I think it might be easier to use, because the power delivery is more smooth and because the bike is more stable than the 500. We will have to work very hard at set-up because Assen places very unusual demands on the chassis and suspension, but so far this year we’ve found that the bike works well everywhere. We are fast almost immediately, even when we’ve never used the RCV at a track before. But Assen is very different, so we won’t really know what’s going to happen until we get there.”

Honda’s five NSR500 two-stroke riders hope that the RCV will be more within their reach than usual at Assen, and there’s a theory on pit lane that the 500s might have one of their best weekends of the year at the high-speed Dutch track. The two-strokes lose most against the new and super powerful four-strokes during acceleration, but since Assen is an ultra-fast circuit with fast corners and long straights, acceleration isn’t of prime importance in the big class.

“It’s difficult to predict how Assen will be for us,” says Loris Capirossi (West Honda Pons NSR500), who started last year’s Dutch TT from pole position, finishing the race a close-run third. “Some people say the 500s will be competitive there, but I’m not so sure, I think we won’t really know until we’ve completed the first couple of sessions on Thursday.”

Team-mate Alex Barros (West Honda Pons NSR500), who made his 200th Grand Prix start at the Catalan GP two weeks ago, is also unsure of what awaits him this weekend. “I’m quite confident of a good weekend, because the last two races have gone really well for me,” says the Brazilian, who won the 2000 Dutch TT on an NSR500 and was top two-stroke rider at Catalunya. “But I’m not sure how we will compare to the four-strokes at Assen. So far this year we’ve not been able to get close to the quickest four-strokes. Maybe Assen will be different, maybe it won’t.”

The pair’s technical director Antonio Cobas reckons that Capirossi and Barros can look forward to good results. “I think we a good chance of matching the four-strokes at Assen because there are no slow corners followed by a long straight, which is the worst situation for us,” he says. “Both Loris and Alex have always done well at this circuit because it’s got so many fast corners.”

Like Ukawa last year, reigning 250 World Champion Daijiro Kato (Fortuna Honda Gresini NSR500) faces a major challenge at Assen – his first big-bike race at the track. Kato ruled 250 racing last season but poor weather spoiled his hopes of victory in the Netherlands, and he must look at this visit to the Dutch venue as a learning weekend. Back on track at Catalunya, after tumbles in France and Italy, Kato is looking forward to continuing a return to his impressive earlier form. “After two difficult races, Catalunya proved that we can perform well,” says Kato. “I know Assen will be a big challenge for me, but I’m ready for that. The track probably takes more time to learn than others, so my plan is to get in as many laps as possible during practice and qualifying. For that reason especially, I hope the weather stays dry for all three days.”

Jurgen van den Goorbergh (Kanemoto Racing Honda NSR500) ended an impressive run of points-scoring runs at Catalunya where he was knocked down by a rival on the very first lap. The Dutch hero will be hoping for a better race at home. “The last race was quite difficult in all kinds of ways, and I think we can look forward to something much better at Assen,” says van den Goorbergh, darling of the Dutch crowd for the last few years. “Everyone knows we are in a development phase at the moment, developing MotoGP tyres for Bridgestone. This means we aren’t just racing, we’re also testing and evaluating, but I think we’ve done well so far, scoring points at four races and giving Bridgestone a huge amount of feedback. They’re working incredibly hard and keep offering us new tyres. Assen is very unusual from a tyre point of view but I think we’ll have a good race if we go okay in practice. Of course, I want to put on a bit of a show for the crowd, so I’ll be doing my best to get as close to the front as I can.”

Fifth NSR rider Tetsuya Harada (Pramac Honda NSR500), who has shown some promising flashes of speed at the last few GPs, is another man who knows all about the unique challenges offered by Assen. “I’ve won on the 250 there but it’s a very different racetrack on a 500,” says the Japanese. “Some of the bits that are straight on a 250 become corners on the 500, so you have to learn your lines all over again. The NSR will be the quickest bike I’ve ever raced there, so I expect to be learning and thinking a lot through the weekend!”


From a press release issued by Kanemoto Racing:

VAN DEN GOORBERGH BRINGS IT HOME TO THE DUTCH FANS

Jurgen van den Goorbergh brings the MotoGP World Championship to his home fans on Saturday 29 June, at the Dutch TT. The famous Van Drenthe circuit in Assen hosts round seven, of the so far four-stroke dominated, 16-round 2002 series. All 60,000 grandstand seats are sold out and they will join another 60,000 track-side spectators to cheer on 32-year-old native Van den Goorbergh in what is Holland’s largest sporting event of the year.

Kanemoto Racing have put behind them the disappointment of round six, the Grand Prix of Catalunya where a first lap racing incident saw Van den Goorbergh collide with Shinya Nakano sending the Team’s Honda NSR500 two-stroke sliding into the gravel ending their race on the very first lap. Immediately following the race the Team returned to the circuit with Van den Goorbergh and Japanese-rider Shinichi Itoh for a valuable two-day test. Team Owner and Manager Erv Kanemoto hopes that with information gathered at the test, together with some better luck, could win the Team their first top-ten finish of the season in Holland.

“We’re due some better luck in Assen as the Catalunya race was naturally disappointing for us and goes to show how luck always plays some part in racing. Jurgen made a good start, too good as it moved him quickly up into the pack which ultimately caused his race-ending collision. It was bad luck but we picked ourselves up from there and immediately returned to the track for a two-day test, joined also by Shinichi Itoh. Having two riders enabled us to gather twice as much valuable information ahead of this weekend’s race.,” relayed Erv Kanemoto from the Team’s Belgian Headquarters.

The revised 6.027kms Assen circuit has hosted a grand prix every year since the championships inaugural season in 1949. It is the only circuit to be able to make that claim and further development has since produced a world
class racing facility and a calendar fixture eagerly awaited by riders looking forward to performing on the circuit’s fast technical bends, with few slow corners, which could aid the racing style of two-stroke competitors.

“The Assen course is fantastic and having a home crowd supporting you definitely makes you go quicker. I’ve put the incident in Barcelona behind us now and I’m totally ready for the Dutch Grand Prix. I know the track well but recent changes will make it a new challenge for me and the other riders. The opening practice sessions will be interesting and while I hope it stays dry for the fans – a little rain, for us, could be good,” said Jurgen van den Goorbergh following the Barcelona testing.

This year the circuit has been slightly shortened from 6,049 metres to 6,027 metres, with the former main straight moved to enlarge the paddock, the Mandeveen and Duikersloot corners have been moved back ten metres to create larger run off areas.

Kanemoto Racing is currently 12th placed in the Team championship and Jurgen van den Goorbergh 18th in the rider’s tables.

DUTCH TT – ASSEN FACT FILE

The 6.027kms TT Circuit at Assen is the longest and one of the most famous in the MotoGP calendar. The Assen circuit has hosted a grand prix round every year since 1949, the inaugural year of the series and the only circuit that can make that claim.

Original racing was on public roads before the development of a purpose built track for motorcycles in 1954. 60,000 fans are expected to watch from the huge new grandstands with a total of 120,000 expected to enjoy Holland’s largest sporting event of the year.

23 million Euros have been invested over the last three years in upgrading the facilities. A new grandstand, hospitality units, race control tower, Media centre, medical centre and pit boxes have all been constructed.

Length: 6.027kms. Direction: Clockwise.
Pole position: Left.
Right corners: 15.
Left corners: 9.
Width: 10m.
Longest straight: 970m
Constructed: 1954
Modified: 2002.

Lap records: New circuit length.
500cc Race winner 2001: Max Biaggi (Yamaha) 30m56.346s, 175.961km/h
(Stopped because of rain.)


JURGEN VAN DEN GOORBERGH DUTCH GRAND PRIX MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES

Wednesday 26 June
Public appearance in Assen city centre

Jurgen van den Goorbergh under Questioning

Following the successful autograph session held at Assen last year, race fans will be offered the chance to meet the GP stars. Honda have made it possible for Dutch MotoGP favourite Jurgen van den Goorbergh to be at the Koopmansplein, in the center of Assen where he will sign autographs and answer the questions put to him by race fans.

TV motorsport presenter Allard Kalff will be on hand to interview Jurgen, but the public, particularly the young race fans, will be invited to put their questions to Van den Goorbergh. The young TT-fans who put the best questions to Jurgen will be invited to visit the race paddock on Thursday, and attend a press conference with 500cc World Champion Valentino Rossi and Jurgen. From among those who put the best questions to Jurgen, one youngster and one girl will be chosen for a ‘Meet and Greet’ with Rossi and Jurgen, visit to the Honda Racing Team, in which Japanese star Tohru Ukawa will also take part.

From a press release:

Libasci Racing and G2 Racing have formed a partnership to race the remaining AMA Superbike Championship Races in the 750 Supersport Class.

G2 Racing’s owner George Grass has purchased two Carry Andrew-prepared Suzukis from the Ebsco Corona team. Libasci Racing’s Andre Castanos will be on one of the bikes and Nick Ienatsch will be riding the other.

From a press release issued by the CRA Press Office:

DiSalvo and Ruehle lead the pack at the Colonel’s Brainerd Intl. Raceway prior to the AMA National

As flood warnings sounded at the Colonel’s Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota, racers held nothing back during the Central Roadracing Association Race held June 22-23.

Having scheduled the race one weekend prior to the AMA National, AMA racers including Jason DiSalvo, Greg Fryer, and Eric Haugo surfaced to challenge the CRA club racers.

After the rain subsided Saturday morning, Robert Jensen dominated the 600 and 750 Supersport races, along with JJ Roetlin cleaning up in the Unlimited class.

In Lightweight SuperSport, Bryant Soberg dominated, while Brad Frey took the win in Ultralight Supersport. Later in the afternoon, Bryand Soberg, once again, cleaned up the Lightweight Trophy Dash.

In the second Trophy Dash comprised mostly of 600s, Gary Carter led the grueling race after multiple re-starts, while young gun, Steve Atlas, held on to 2nd overall. Later in the afternoon, Scott Ruele, expert points leader for the CRA, dominated the 3rd Trophy Dash comprised mostly of 750s and 1000s.

After an increase in the chance of flooding rains for most of Sunday, the Colonel’s track remained dry for an exciting afternoon of Superbike and Grand Prix racing.

Jason DiSalvo dominated multiple races, including 750 Grand Prix, and per his request, was removed from all the CRA results and points lists.

In both 600 Superbike and 600 Grand Prix, Kevin Gordon took home the top finishes, while Adam Domley and Brad Kreller, novice racers, took home the multiple wins in the novice races.

In the Unlimited Superbike and Unlimited Grand Prix, Scott Ruehle, once again took home the top finishes.

In the lightweight races, Ritchie Omdahl and Darek Pugh took the some of the top finishes.

With the AMA National scheduled at the Colonel’s Brainerd International Raceway for June 28-30, CRA racers including Robert Jensen, Jason Hobbs, and Scott Ruehle, to name a few, will give the AMA top racers a run for their money.

CRA would like to thank all the racers and cornerworkers for all of their support and efforts. If you would like more information about how to become involved in the CRA, please visit www.cra-mn.org

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca has extended the deadline for applications for competitor motorhome parking in the paddock for the combined AMA/World Superbike event slated for July 11-14.

The original deadline for submitting an application form without having to pay a 40% surcharge on the $200 motorhome parking fee was June 17, but AMA Pro Racing did not mail the form to teams until June 19.

According to track Hospitality/Event Manager Ann Bixler, “Please do not worry about the surcharge due to AMA not sending our information out to the teams until so late, we are moving that due date up to July 1st…I apologize for the delay with the AMA, I actually asked them for the mailing lists back in early May so I could send the information out directly.”

According to a June 21 press release from the FIM, “anti-doping” testing was carried out June 8 – 9 at the Lausitzring round of the World Supersport and Sidecar Championships. Riders and passengers testing negative for banned substances included: Stefano Cruciani (Supersport), Chris Vermeulen (Supersport), Fabien Foret (Supersport), Sepp Doppler (Sidecar rider), Bernhard Wagner (Sidecar passenger), Martien Van Gils (Sidecar rider), Tonnie Van Gils (Sidecar passenger), Jorg Steinhausen (Sidecar rider), and Trevor Hopkinson (Sidecar passenger).

From a press release issued by series organizers:

TREMBLANT TEST DELAYED

TORONTO, ON – Parts Canada Superbike Championship officials have been forced to postpone a test day scheduled for Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant July 8.

The test will likely be staged this fall, following a Grand American Road Racing sports car endurance event slated for the track Sept. 13-15. Motorcycle industry representatives along with selected staff from the series will still visit the venue July 8.

The test had been planned to give Parts Canada Superbike Championship competitors an opportunity to sample the world-renowned Quebec racing circuit, which has undergone significant improvements in recent years. The day was also designed to allow the series’ television production crew to evaluate potential camera locations for shooting race footage.

The Parts Canada Superbike Championship would like to add Mont-Tremblant to its national schedule in the near future.

“We are obviously disappointed not to have the ability to test at Mont-Tremblant as early as we had planned,” said Colin Fraser of series organizer Professional Motorsport Productions. “But they were not ready for us and it’s clearly a situation beyond our control. We are working on getting there later this year.”

The test was scheduled to follow the third round of the six-event Parts Canada Superbike Championship at nearby Autodrome St-Eustache July 5-7. Teams would have had the opportunity to bring their equipment straight from St-Eustache and riders would have been able to get a feel for the 2.65-mile road course.

“We had an unprecedented level of interest from teams and racers,” Fraser added. “A lot of work has gone into this event and everybody involved in the series was looking forward to this opportunity.”

Located north of Montreal in the picturesque Laurentian Mountains, Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant is one of Canada’s most famous racing circuits. Built in the early 1960s it hosted the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Canada in 1968 and 1970 along with other major international car races.

The last major motorcycle event to take place at Mont-Tremblant was a Superbike race in 1979.

“Mont-Tremblant is a classic road race venue in the style of the great European tracks,” Fraser said. “It has changes in elevation, high speed corners and a magnificent rural setting. It is a real racer’s track.”

A press release from the World Superside Championship series:

Talking with the first female American passenger

Dawna Holloway is an American dreamer, but unlike the rest of us, her dreams of racing in the Superside world championship have come to fruition through a lot of hard work and her gutsy determination.

She joined Roger Lovelock and the Diet Get Fit team at Misano and realised another chapter in the story that began with her watching club racing in the United States.

After a turbulent first day in world championship racing, Superside’s Rob Mader interviewed Dawna Holloway on the top step of the podium at Misano.

Althought never really interested in racing herself, Dawna would head along to motorcycle race meetings to support her solo racing friends. But her first experience with sidecars in America would be a memorable one.

“It was probably my third or fourth race, the sidecars made a special trip down for a fundraiser – It was the first time I’d ever heard of them and the first time they came around the corner I started laughing, like, what the hell are these?” she laughed.

“I was just kind of like in awe of what these things were. I had ridden streetbikes but I didn’t have any interest in racing and people would say ‘you should race’ because they’d seen me at the track. The second time out we rode to the back of the track and were watching from behind and without realizing, I found myself leaning from side to side. This guy walks up to me and says ‘see that sidecar over there, I think that’s a woman’ and I said ‘no it’s not, it’s me next year’. And I had no idea where that had come from…”

Changed from this moment, Dawna started racing in the US and started dreaming of more.

The next step on the path came at the Superside testing session at the start of the 2002 season at the Cartagena circuit in Spain.

“I came over to try and support Rick (Murray) and John (Scott) in their attempt for the first American team, but of course in the back of my mind I had hopes that perhaps an opportunity would come up for me to also passenger.”

That opportunity came at the end of the second day of testing, with an invite for a couple of laps with the affable Team Sand Seb 72 driver, Sebastien Delannoy.

“I had done a few laps with one of the French teams and the driver, Sebastien was really smooth and the outfit felt perfect. And then I asked Abbott to do a few laps. Actually it was pretty spontaneous, but in retrospect it was the greatest thing that I could have done because he’s pretty quick and he could say whether or not I was capable of doing it.”

Abbott was indeed quick, lapping within three or four seconds of his fastest test time with the American on the side!

“It actually just inspired me more to keep coming. I had such a great time doing those few laps with Abbott I that I thought that I have to come back for the next one. So rather than just helping for that practice, I booked another flight on the way home.”

The next world championship experience for Dawna was at the season opener at Valencia.

“That’s when I met Andy Dickinson (Diet Get Fit team manager), and just started talking to him. He thought he could just put the word out and so I just communicated back and forth with him, talking about different ideas. He runs Diet Get Fit so he talked to me about fitness and getting in shape – I was kinda winded when I went out with Abbott. So he talked to me about different fitness things and I’ve been working on that.”

Armed with some more information about training and diet, Dawna set about increasing her fitness while communicating back with Europe in the search for a team and the elusive ride.

The breakthrough came some months later with the Diet Get Fit team inviting Dawna back to Europe for the Misano round, with the possibility of signing for the rest of the season.

“They were having some suspension problems and they wanted to see if a different weight would have an effect, so they decided to give me a try”, she said.

From then on came the push to get everything organised in time after the round at Lausitz. Dawna had to organise the correct licence, flights, accommodation and make all of the briefings required by the FIM for a rookie on the world stage.

Then came the first session in the Misano heat.

The film crew from Scallywag Pictures captured every moment as Dawna donned her helmet and she and Roger set off.

“I talked about it with Roger, and I did a few laps on a pit bike with Andy Peach. When we went out for the first practice, Roger said ‘just do what comes naturally and we’ll talk about where to work from there’, so that’s what we did. I was afraid that the major concerns were going to be the heat, but we were just ironing out the kinks in the handholds, and we worked a little bit on that in the break.

“Roger is a great guy. I couldn’t ask for a better driver to have. He’s very calm and he’s got a kind look in his eye. He’s very calm and cool and his whole team are very encouraging and really willing. If I ask for a different handhold or anything they just take care of it. They’re actually not even letting me help in the pits, they just want me to take it easy, so I’m getting a little spoilt. There’s a really good dynamic between them and they are very welcoming – It’s great.”

Her face lit up when asked about the comparison between the competition in the world championship compares with the competition in America?

“Wow! It’s like, light years apart. The speeds that we are going at here… I haven’t ever been on the number one team in the US, so I haven’t had that experience, but this seems like a whole different world. Nobody goes this quick in the states!” she exclaimed.

Unfortunately, the second session didn’t go entirely to plan for the Diet Get Fit team… The final chicane (Variante del Parco) that leads onto the start finish straight requires the passenger to move from over the rear wheel of the machine across and out for the left as the machine squirms and slides under full acceleration on the exit.

After steadily increasing their lap times, Dawna was flung from the machine during this transition, but walked off of the track relatively unscathed.

“It’s the quickest transition on the circuit, and what I believe happened was that when I was pushing out for the left, my foot got caught. In any case, I was not making that transition as quickly as I needed to be. Roger still feels like he wants to keep going. I guess they feel that the suspension is feeling better”, she recalled, looking to her wrist, recently treated by the Clinica Mobile.

Dawna was back ready to go in final qualifying on Saturday, which saw them end up 17th as the lap times tumbled. But the potential was demonstrated in through the ideal times (the combination of the fastest time for each split), which had them up as far as 13th.

Ironically, the ever-reliable Suzuki let them down on lap seven of the race, leaving Roger and Dawna to consider what might have been.

“It felt really good despite the heat and I was really enjoying myself until the engine gave up,” said Superside’s only American passenger.

As they were leaving pit lane, the Scallywag Pitcures crew pulled Dawna in for another interview with compatriot, Ben Bostrom.

“It was sweet of Ben to come out and say hello, and I wished him luck for the race.”

Dawna will now return to the US to prepare for the next round at Brands Hatch, but rest assured that all of the Diet Get Fit team will be working hard in the lead up to the European round.

So take a moment to think about your goals and dreams as we return to the end of the interview on Friday night for Dawna’s last words.

“I don’t think we know the future, but sitting on the podium must be a good omen!” smiled the determined American as we watched the sun go down over the mountains from the number one spot at Misano.

From a Marlboro Yamaha press release:

MARLBORO YAMAHA MEN BRING MOMENTUM TO THE CATHEDRAL

The Marlboro Yamaha Team and riders Max Biaggi and Carlos Checa come north to the Netherlands this weekend, gathering momentum after impressive performances at the last three GPs. The hard-working squad has scored a podium finish at each of the last three races, with Biaggi crowning the M1’s recent progress by achieving the bike’s first-ever pole position at Catalunya two weekends ago.

That success proved that the M1 now has pace-setting speed, all that remains now is for Biaggi or Checa to score the bike’s first victory in the new four-stroke-based MotoGP World Championship. Both men have high hopes for Assen, for the Dutch circuit is a rider’s track, known as the cathedral of bike racing, where they should be able to combine their riding talent with the M1’s ever-improving performance to devastating effect.

The first-ever Dutch TT of the new four-stroke GP era is a particularly significant event, for Assen is the most historic venue on the World Championship calendar. Even the event’s name is ages old – Assen is the only world round to use the suffix, TT for Tourist Trophy, the designation used for the earliest speed events of the last century. Originally based on public roads, the sinuous circuit is the only survivor from the inaugural 1949 world series, when four-strokes ruled the racetracks before two-strokes took control in the sixties and seventies. The fastest and longest GP circuit, Assen has seen bike racing change in all kinds of ways, both technically and commercially. Assen’s infrastructure has been hugely upgraded over the decades, 23 million euros invested in improving the track and facilities over the past three years alone.

Two things that haven’t changed, however, are the event’s unusual and traditional Saturday race day and its enormous popularity. Assen still regularly draws crowds of up to 150,000, many of them from around the Netherlands and Germany, even though these nations have few major-league GP stars to cheer. The Dutch TT is simply one of those unmissable races – with an atmosphere all of its own and a sense of history like few others.

Neither can this year’s event escape the realities of the outside sporting world. Saturday’s schedule has been changed to allow football fans to watch the World Cup’s third-place playoff. Instead of the usual 2:00 pm start, MotoGP action begins at 3:30 pm.

BIAGGI – READY FOR THE NEXT LEVEL
Max Biaggi has every reason to approach the Dutch TT with a growing sense of optimism. Two weeks ago at Catalunya the hard-riding Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR-M1 rider scored his first pole position of the new MotoGP four-stroke era, outpacing the rival four-strokes from Honda, Suzuki and Aprilia. The artfully talented Italian has scored an amazing 49 pole positions in his 11-year World Championship career, one in MotoGP, 15 in 500 and 33 in 250.

But, as former Marlboro Yamaha World Champion Eddie Lawson (an Assen winner in 1987) once said: “There are no points for practice”. So, having proved that the M1 can be the fastest bike out there, Biaggi is now focused on taking the 200 horsepower-plus machine to the next level – race victory.

“Pole is only one lap but it does mean something and it’s a good morale booster for the rider and team,” says Marlboro Yamaha Team director Davide Brivio. “Max is riding so hard at the moment and that pole position will give him even more motivation as he gets closer to winning his first race on the M1. He’s had three great GPs. He finished third at Le Mans, second at Mugello and then he got pole at Catalunya. He finished that race fourth and I’m sure he would’ve done better if he hadn’t had an unlucky problem in morning warm-up that forced him to race his number-two bike.”

Saturday’s Dutch TT could well be the event at which Biaggi achieves his next goal, for which he has been working so hard since the advent of the four-stroke MotoGP era. The former 250 World Champion has scored three wins at this most challenging of circuits, which rewards the kind of inch-perfect riding technique for which Biaggi is renowned. He won last year’s shortened 500 race at the track, following up his 250 successes there in 1994 and ’95.

“Assen is a very nice track, it’s fast and very hard work, but I enjoy it,” says Biaggi, who celebrates his 31st birthday the day before practice commences. “I don’t really know how it will be for the four-strokes because none of the tracks we’ve been to so far are anything like it, but it should be good, I think.”

Assen is different from modern purpose-built racetracks because it was once a winding public road. Even the straights aren’t straight. And unlike other tracks, many of the corners are cambered. Some riders find this awkward, even dangerous, but Biaggi’s super-smooth and flowing style works superbly at Assen.

“I don’t mind the camber,” he affirms. “You have to adapt your riding style because it’s a different kind of a racetrack, but then you have to slightly change your style for every circuit and I never have a problem doing that. The surface is also very grippy, one of the grippiest circuits we go to, but it’s been resurfaced for this year and the layout’s a little different, so maybe the grip has changed.

“The biggest concern at Assen is always the weather. It can be very changeable, which can rob you of dry-track time in practice, and you need all the set-up time you can get at Assen, because it’s such an unusual and complex circuit.”

Biaggi currently lies fourth overall in the 2002 MotoGP World Championship, equal on points with team-mate Carlos Checa but one position in front, thanks to his second place at the Italian GP, the M1’s best race result so far.

CHECA BACK UP FRONT AGAIN
Carlos Checa ended a run of three difficult GPs at Catalunya a fortnight back and comes to Assen determined to do even better than the third place he managed at the testing Spanish track. With his run of bad luck seemingly at an end, Checa was back up front and battling for victory with Honda rivals Valentino Rossi and Tohru Ukawa. The Marlboro Yamaha Team man led half the race on his YZR-M1 after starting from the second row, and though he ended up third, the result was a considerable boost to his morale.

“After three unlucky races, Carlos finally got a good result at Catalunya,” says Marlboro Yamaha Team director Davide Brivio. “It was the best place for him to get back on track, and the local fans really loved him for what he did. We will need to improve the bike’s handling for Assen because it’s a high-speed circuit which demands ease of handling. Also, we should be able to try some different engine specs during the weekend.”

Checa and team-mate Max Biaggi have worked particularly hard this season, toiling with their crews and Yamaha engineers to bring the M1 up to speed after a difficult start to the year. Although Checa scored a third-place finish at the season-opening Japanese Grand Prix, it took a serious input from Yamaha to bring the M1 to full competitiveness. Since preseason testing the M1 has benefited from a whole raft of improvements to its engine, chassis and electronics, following input from both riders.

Yamaha have run two new chassis since the start of the season, the latest of which improves braking stability, solves chatter problems and offers better front-end feel. Engine upgrades have included modified camshafts, cylinder heads, crankcases and many other parts. Peak horsepower has increased by more than ten horsepower since April’s Japanese GP (at the Catalan GP the bike hit 315.8kmh/196.2mph, 12.1kmh/7.7mph faster than during preseason tests at the track).

Perhaps most interesting of all is the M1’s computer-controlled engine-braking system, which controls the bike’s slipper clutch to increase stability and thus improves rider control in the all-important corner-entry zone. Recent upgrades to the unit have included new software which operates via an increased number of engine and chassis parameters, like gear position, throttle position and brake pressure.

Both Biaggi and Checa have played their parts in the introduction of all these improvements, and are now more than ready to take advantage of the M1’s increased performance.

“The combination is now working really well,” says Checa, who currently lies fifth overall, equal on points with Biaggi. “We have come a long way since the start of the year, I feel much more comfortable on the bike and I think we now have a great opportunity for some good results. My feeling for the chassis is better, the engine-braking system gives us what we want into
corners and the engine is more powerful.

“I’m looking forward to getting to Assen to try out the changes they’ve made to the track. That shouldn’t be a big job because most of the layout is the same as before, though it’s been resurfaced and that could change things. Assen is a very different circuit, it’s unique really. Even the straights aren’t really straight and most of the corners are banked and very fast.
Also, there’s very little room between the white lines and the grass, which means you’ve got to be perfect with your lines. I like the layout a lot and I appreciate riding on different kinds of tracks, it’s great to have some variety, it stops me getting bored! Assen should be good for the four-strokes because it’s fast and you carry a lot of speed all round the lap.”

WHAT THE TEAM SAYS
Davide Brivio, Marlboro Yamaha Team director
“We’ve now had three GPs in a row at three different tracks – Le Mans, Mugello and Catalunya – in which we’ve been right there. That’s an important sign of the M1’s increasing competitiveness. And Catalunya confirmed that the bike is still getting better and better; Max did brilliantly to give the M1 its first pole position and Carlos led half the race and got back on the podium. We are on the pace, now we just need to make that next step towards winning. It’s been a hard few months since the start of the season but the whole team has reacted incredibly well. Everyone has given their all and I’m delighted that we’re now getting some results. Now we need to keep working just as hard to get our first win!”

Fiorenzo Fanali, Max Biaggi’s chief engineer
“Assen is a very unusual racetrack, you have to change the chassis settings to cope with the banked corners. It’s also a track with no real straights, the rider is always turning one way or another, so easy handling is very important. It’s a fast circuit where riders keep their rolling speed, it’s not at all stop and go, which could help the two-strokes. The M1 gets better every weekend but we need to continue working to maintain the progress we’ve made since preseason testing.”

Antonio Jimenez, Carlos Checa’s chief engineer
“Assen’s character is high speed with banked corners, but it’ll be a little different this time because the layout has changed slightly and the track has been resurfaced. In the past it’s always been extremely grippy, which means you run a really hard rear spring because of the high g-forces, to prevent the bike from running wide on the gas. But we’ll have to wait and see this time. Catalunya was great for Carlos, and, all being well, I think he’ll be fighting for the podium at every race from now on. We’ve just got to keep working to improve the bike some more, and if we do that I’m fully confident that we will win a race before long.”

THE TRACK
Assen is the only remaining MotoGP circuit based on public roads and that explains both its singular layout and its unusual surface. The track is also the fastest on the current GP calendar, though revisions to part of its layout may change that. Assen is still the longest venue in GP racing, despite losing 22 metres.

Unlike purpose-built tracks, which feature wide straights and mostly slow to medium-fast corners, Assen is a narrow, meandering circuit, dominated by high-speed corners and rapid direction changes. Its surface is also special, because it is crowned like a public road for improved drainage, whereas other racetracks are flat.

The crown poses a particular problem to riders, who must cope with four changes of camber as they enter and exit each corner. As they head towards the apex they enjoy positive camber and that continues as they start to accelerate, but as they drift wide on the exit they cross the crown in the centre of the track, and suddenly they must contend with negative camber and an immediate loss of traction. Engineers run stiffer-than-usual suspension springs to cope with the cornering forces, so the bikes don’t ‘unload’ so violently as they cross the centre crown.

The layout underwent a major change in 1984, adapted from the original Circuit Van Drenthe constructed in the fifties, and has been changed slightly for this year. Assen’s first 500 TT was run on another nearby street loop on July 1949.


ASSEN: 6.027km
New circuit, lap record to be established

MARLBORO YAMAHA TEAM RIDER DATA LOGS
MAX BIAGGI
Age: 31. Lives: Monaco
Bike: Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR-M1
GP victories: 37 (8 x 500, 29 x 250)
First GP victory: South Africa, 1992 (250)
First GP: France, 1991 (250)
GP starts: 155 (6xMotoGP, 62×500, 87×250)
Pole positions: 49 (1xMotoGP, 15×500, 33×250)
First pole: Europe, 1992 (250)
World Championships: 4 x 250 (’94, ’95, ’96, ’97)
Assen 2001 results. Grid: 2nd. Race: 1st

CARLOS CHECA
Age: 29. Lives: Yorkshire, England
Bike: Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR-M1
GP victories: 2 (500)
First GP victory: Catalunya, 1996 (500)
First GP: Europe, 1993 (125)
GP starts: 126 (6xMotoGP, 92×500, 27×250, 1×125)
Pole positions: 1 (500)
First pole: Spain, 1998 (500)
Assen 2001 results. Grid: 7th. Race: DNF