BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team - WSBK - Assen - Preview

The Netherlands – Assen.

Preview.

26th – 28th April 2013

3rd of 15 race weekends

Munich/Milan, 22nd April 2013. Just over a week after the successful Sunday at Aragón circuit in Spain, the BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team now heads to the iconic “TT Circuit Assen”. The Dutch track will host the third round of the 2013 FIM World Superbike Championship this weekend (26th to 28th April). Factory riders Marco Melandri (ITA) and Chaz Davies (GBR) aim to confirm the potential of their BMW S 1000 RRs by racing at the very front again.

With his double win in Spain, Chaz propelled himself to second in the Riders’ Championship, having collected 63 points in total over the first two rounds of the season. Marco, who has stood twice on the podium so far this year, improved one position in Spain and currently sits fourth with 43 points. In the Manufacturers’ Championship, BMW is second with 79 points.

The BMW Motorrad GoldBet STK Team with riders Sylvain Barrier (FRA) and Greg Gildenhuys (RSA) is also on duty in Assen, tackling the second round of the 2013 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup. The squad had a brilliant start to the season at Aragón, with reigning champion Sylvain winning the opening race on his brand new BMW HP4 equipped with the electronic damping system (DDC).

Assen from the rider’s point of view:

Chaz Davies:

“After my double win at Aragón I am really looking forward to Assen. Obviously it is a confidence booster every time you win, but doing it twice really sets you up for the next races. I am very comfortable now with the RR and how I am feeling on the bike. On top of that, Assen is a circuit I enjoy and one that has been good for me in the past. Back in 2011, I celebrated my first World Championship victory there by winning the Supersport race, last year it was the first time for me to go through to Superpole 3 and I had a pretty decent pace in the dry.

I liked the character of the old Assen circuit a bit more, but it still has the camber in the corners, which is quite special. And obviously there is the history of Assen as well. Every time you go there you feel the tradition. It is a race to look forward to.”

Marco Melandri:

“My shoulder was feeling ok in Aragón for most of the weekend. Only towards the end of race two did I start struggling. The shoulder was a bit inflamed so to compensate I stressed the other arm more and as a result I got some cramps. Anyhow, I am quite calm because I have enough time until the next race to cure the inflammation. In the meantime I am continuing with physiotherapy and training in order to be fit in Assen.

“Assen is a nice track and I feel really comfortable there, even if I prefer the old layout which was wider. What really concerns me is the weather. Last year we weren’t lucky with it, so I hope this time it will be good and not too cold. The best thing in World Superbikes is the fact that balances are constantly changing. In Australia, it seemed that Aprilia was unbeatable. Then in Aragón, it changed. For Assen I expect an open race, with Aprilia, Kawasaki and Chaz being very fast. I feel better and I am improving my feeling with the bike. I am quite optimistic that we will not have the same issues as in Aragón.”

Assen from a technical point of view:

Andrea Dosoli (Technical Director BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team):

“After the successful race weekend in sunny Spain we are now heading to Assen, where unpredictable weather conditions could play an important role. The Dutch racetrack has been the venue of memorable races in the past, earning the title of being the ‘University of Motorcycling’. The layout, even if it has been modified a few years ago, is technical and flowing. It will be demanding for the riders and for our engineers it will be the perfect playground to consolidate the performance shown so far.

Chaz, after the double win at Aragón, can count on a very good technical package. He and his crew will adapt this base to the requirements of the Dutch track, trying to use 100 percent of the RR’s potential. Marco deserves the important results he is used to getting after the unlucky weekend he experienced in Spain. The racing and the R&D department of the team have worked hard to improve his feeling on our winning RR. Now we are all looking forward to the Assen race.”

Assen from a sporting point of view:

Serafino Foti (Sport Director BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK Team):

“After Aragón we are very motivated and confident. Of course we know that in World Superbikes each race can have a different result and that our competitors are really strong. So it will not be easy for us to repeat such a success. We need to keep concentrated and work hard to keep our focus on the championship which is just starting and very long. The race and R&D team have done an excellent job. Now we need to enable Marco to compete at the very front and to ride a successful race. The races in Assen are always special. Very often we have to deal with extremely changeable weather conditions. It can change from wet to dry conditions and vice versa very quickly. We hope to have stable weather conditions which allow us to work well.

“In Aragón we had a successful start to this year’s Superstock 1000 Cup. We made our debut with the brand new BMW HP4 equipped with DDC, the electronic damping system which the HP RaceSupport Team and the STK team worked on over the last months. Sylvain did a great job in the opening race, confirming his determination and speed. Now we need to keep this high concentration and work consistently towards our target.”

Assen from Pirelli’s point of view:

The Assen track is very interesting because the tyres, although not very stressed from a thermal point of view, must be capable of providing the rider with great precision and a lot of directional stability. During the springtime, which is when the Dutch round is schedules, the Assen circuit is generally subjected to weather conditions which are often unpredictable as well as rather cold temperatures. For the Superbike class, Pirelli will take three slick solutions for dry on the front and four for the rear. These are joined by the rear qualifier, the intermediate solutions and the wet solutions. On the front the slicks that Pirelli has chosen are the same ones which were used on the Spanish “Motorland Aragón” circuit in the last round. There will be an SC1 solution (R426) in a soft blend and the SC2 standard solution (R982) in medium blend, joined by the S41 development solution in a soft blend as an alternative to the standard SC1 (R426) intended to reduce cold tearing and to provide greater mechanical stability, a good compromise between the SC2 for solidity and the SC1 in terms of grip.

On the other hand, the rear selection will include a range of four options. These will include the standard SC1 (R828) in medium compound which were already seen at Phillip Island and which were used by all the riders on the starting grid at Aragón, as well as the standard SC2 (R832) in hard blend, capable of providing greater resistance even in the event of low temperatures. In addition to the standard SC1 and SC2 solutions, the R829 will be present, a development solution that met the track for the first time at Aragón and which, in terms of compound hardness, fall halfway between the standard SC1 and SC2, as well as the R1688, a new SC1 compound development solution capable of ensuring better grip than the R829 and more sturdiness than the R828. In the event of varying weather conditions with rain showers, the Assen round could also see the debut of the new intermediate tyre designed by Pirelli, the Diablo Wet.

Background:

Riders and motorbike fans wax lyrical at the slightest mention of the name “TT Circuit”. The racetrack in Assen (Netherlands) is appropriately known as “The Cathedral” and “The University of Motorcycling”. Assen is located in the north-east of the Netherlands and is the capital of the province Drenthe. The first motorbike race was held there in 1925. At least one round of a motorcycle world championship has been held there every year since 1949 – initially on public roads and then, from 1955, on the “TT Circuit”, which is specifically tailored to meet the requirements of motorbikes.

After a number of modifications, the circuit is now about four and a half kilometres long. Assen first welcomed the Superbike World Championship in 1992 and is also a permanent fixture on the MotoGP calendar. In 1997, BMW Motorrad works rider Marco Melandri picked up his first victory in the 125cc World Championship in Assen at the age of just 15, making him one of the youngest ever Grand Prix winners.

The “TT Circuit” has a flowing but difficult layout. It is known for its high speeds and some very quick changes of direction. The track demands maximum concentration from the riders, who spend a lot of time in the lean position and subjected to enormous g-forces. What is basically a fast layout is interrupted by a tight hairpin, out of which the bike must accelerate well. The bike must be stable both in the fast turns and the hairpin. One thing in Assen which is quite unique is the positive camber in many corners. With this camber riders get extra grip and can let the brakes off a little bit earlier.

The asphalt is very aggressive, and the teams must also come to terms with the unpredictable Dutch weather. The surface dries very quickly after showers, meaning the track conditions can vary dramatically over the course of a lap which makes good tyre selection key to any success.

Facts and figures: