- Offizieller Beitrag
HONDA RACING INFORMATION
Netherlands World Superbike at Circuit van Drenthe, Assen Tuesday April 20 2010 World Superbike and World Supersport preview
HONDA MEN TO TACKLE MODIFIED CIRCUIT AS THEY GO FOR GLORY
Most Superbike World Championship riders will have their first experience of the new 4.542km long Assen circuit during free practice on Friday 23 April, but Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider Jonathan Rea, and others, have already ridden there during a successful two-day test last week.
The history of the Circuit van Drenthe is one of constant change and modernisation and this year the grand old track has been slightly modified once more, thanks to work done to make the Ruskenhoek chicane less angular and thus a few metres shorter. The final result is a faster circuit, in keeping with Assen's generally flowing nature.
Rea is fifth in the overall WSBK rankings so far, looking for his first win of the year, but perfectly placed to challenge for podiums at least at his team's home circuit.
Home advantage also applies in a similar fashion for second place rider in the Supersport World Championship rankings, Hannspree Ten Kate's Kenan Sofuoglu, as he attempts to catch championship leader Joan Lascorz. The Spaniard is only four points ahead.
Parkalgar Honda's Eugene Laverty lost ground on the top two at Valencia last time out, but has a different mindset this weekend, going all out to compete for all the scheduled 21 laps, after he lost contact with the leading group in Spain. Now 24 points from the lead, the Irish rider intends to start a fightback at Assen, a race he won in closely contested fashion last year.
Back in the Superbike division, Hannspree Ten Kate rider Max Neukirchner is out to continue his recovery from 17th place in the championship standings at present. Still adapting to his machine Max, like his team-mate Rea, made good use of the recent test at Assen, which should make for a quick start to practice and qualifying.
ECHO CRS Honda's Broc Parkes, injured in a training accident pre-season, will return to the paddock for his first race of 2010 at Assen. The Australian rider will have a lot to work through in the first few practice sessions, but is keen to get back on track after a long layoff, the result of a broken right tibia.
Squadra Corse Italia Garvie Image entrant Vittorio Iannuzzo will miss the Assen race due to a hand injury sustained in a Valencia race two crash and his team has now decided to skip this round and start afresh with Vittorio at Monza on May 9.
Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's Michele Pirro was another rider to test at Assen last week, finding his way around the subtly changed layout in readiness for race weekend. Pirro is ninth, one place behind Intermoto Czech's Gino Rea. The English rookie has scored well in every race, and has improved his personal best from tenth, to eighth, to sixth over the first three rounds.
Rea's team-mate Massimo Roccoli has recovered well enough from a high-speed crash at Valencia in round three to be looking forward to the fourth round of the year.
Parkalgar Honda's Miguel Praia was another rider hurt in Spain and the Portuguese rider is still receiving treatment for his hand and ankle injuries, but is set to race in the Netherlands this weekend in any case.
WSBK Rider Comments
Jonathan Rea, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR: "We had a great test at Assen last week to work on making a good bike even better.
The revised corner is fast but I really like the track anyway and I've gone OK here in the last couple of years. We completely re-evaluated the balance of the bike last week and tried shifting a lot of weight to the rear, which helped in delivering grip as it's accelerating out of corners. It's obviously difficult to know how it'll transfer to other circuits but it worked OK at Assen and, without getting ahead of ourselves, I found it quite easy to adapt my riding style to suit the change. It's hard to judge it properly until our rivals take to the track on Friday but it all looked quite positive when we overlaid the data from last year with other parts of the circuit."Max Neukirchner, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR: "It was really important to test at Assen after we had another difficult weekend in Valencia. It's been a tough start to the season so we've needed as much track time as possible to find out what's going wrong. The level of competition in Superbike is much higher now so it's easy to be a long way down even if the lap times are not so far behind. We were able to make some progress during the test and we will try to continue the work when we get back on the track on Friday. I like Assen a lot, although I preferred it before they made the big changes a few years ago. I got on the podium in 2008 and was going OK there last year. I know how hard everyone is working so I'll try my best to get some better results for the team this weekend."
Broc Parkes, ECHO CRS Honda CBR1000RR: "The recovery of my leg is coming along really well and I have been doing a lot of training this week with Leon Camier; cycling, walking and down at the gym. It will be two-and half months this weekend since my injury, but it feels like nine months. We will have a lot of work to do in the first couple of days of practice, and it may take some time to be as competitive as I would like to be, but I am keen to get as much track time in as possible."
Vittorio Iannuzzo, SCI Garvie Image Honda CBR1000RR: "I hurt my right hand in the big crash at Valencia and I cannot even get my glove on at the moment. I will not be racing. This year is very competitive and if I am not 100% then it is very difficult to ride. So for this reason I will stop and come back to race at Monza."
WSS Rider Comments
Kenan Sofuoglu, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR: "I am very happy after the test at Assen last week. We had some difficult problems during the race there last year and I was only able to finish fifth.
Now it's like riding a completely new CBR600RR. I like the Assen circuit very much. OK, they changed the layout a little bit and they said that we might go 1.5s faster. In fact, I think we were something like three seconds faster! The bike still has even more potential to improve as well and we found out a lot about tyre wear later in the race. I was still able to do fast laps at the end of a long run. So, I think you can say that I am not just ready to race at Assen, I'm ready to win."Eugene Laverty, Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR: "I didn't expect to win at Assen in 2009 but we came away with top honours. I went for it then and I'll be doing the same this weekend for a repeat performance.
Assen suits the Parkalgar Honda and I enjoy it. A new corner on the back straight should make the track faster and I like that as well. I want and need to bounce back from the last two rounds with a win."Michele Pirro, Hannspree Ten Kate Honda CBR600RR: "The test last week was very good for me and I hope that the result of this will be a better race than Valencia, which was a big disappointment. It was OK for me to work with the team in a very relaxed way to find a better setting and a better feeling from the bike. We found some new solutions and I look forward to using these at the weekend. I like the Assen circuit very much and the new chicane is very fast, which is OK for me."
Miguel Praia, Parkalgar Honda CBR600RR: "I am receiving physiotherapy twice a day to work on the wrist and ankle injuries I received in my qualifying crash at Valencia. I am not 100 per cent fit as I would like to be but I will not let it hold me back when I get on track. I am coming back and my Parkalgar Honda team has worked hard to support me and deserves a good result."
Gino Rea, Intermoto Czech Honda CBR600RR: "I stayed behind in Spain for a while to do some training, but now I am looking forward to Assen. I have had good and bad experiences at Assen, but the most recent ones have been good, and I won the 600 Superstock race there last year. I know there is a slight change in the track so it will be interesting to see how that affects things. Riding for a Dutch team last year and winning a race at Assen, you never know, I may get a little bit of support from the crowd in the race!"
Massimo Roccoli, Intermoto Czech Honda CBR600RR: "We will have some new engine specifications for the next race, so I hope we can make the best of them in the race at Assen. A new layout in one part, which should be interesting, as it seems quite fast."
Danke für´s reinstellen. Geil.
