The all-conquering Fiat Yamaha Team of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo move north through Europe this weekend for the historic Dutch TT at Assen.
Following their show-stopping performance in Spain last time out, which saw Rossi better Lorenzo by just a split second, the pair will be targeting a repeat performance this weekend.
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After two wins this season Rossi is approaching yet another incredible milestone in his charmed career; he now lies on 99 wins and another on Saturday would see him as only the second rider in Grand Prix history to reach 100 wins, the other being the great Giacomo Agostini. The Italian maverick has six victories to his name at the track but has had a turbulent last few years there.
“Assen is a very special track for all riders and it is a wonderful place to ride a MotoGP bike, even if it was better before they changed the layout. Last year I had my worst point of the season there so I want to make up for that with a good performance, because the fans are very passionate and they deserve a good show”, he said. “After Barcelona we know how strong we are but also our rivals are strong too so we can’t afford to relax, we have to keep pushing. Montmeló was fantastic, one of my best wins ever, but the championship is very close between the three of us and so we have to try to win again to take the lead. There is still a long way to go but we have to remain consistent.”
Assen is 22-year-old Lorenzo’s favourite circuit and the youngster certainly has an impressive track record there, having won there once in 125cc and twice in the 250cc class on the way to his two world championships. He finished sixth there last year but after his stunning performance at home last time out he will not be happy with anything but a return to the podium for the sixth time this season an d he will be doing everything possible to take back the advantage from his team-mate following their Montmeló thriller. Yahoo! Eurosports
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Heading into this weekend’s Assen TT, the MotoGP championship could not be any closer, with Casey Stoner level with FIAT Yamaha pair Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo on 106 points. With all three men having tasted success of some sort at the famous Dutch circuit, it promises to be a great battle to see who emerges with the championship lead.
Lorenzo has started to turn his talent into results, and having claimed victories in both the 125cc and 250cc at Assen will have plenty of confidence he can reverse that heartbreaking defeat at his home GP. His challenge now is to achieve consistency. It was about the same stage last season that Lorenzo’s season fell away after a crash at Mugello and he achieved just two podiums in the final 13 races.
Stoner faces an interesting battle, knowing how fierce the rivalry has become between the two Yamaha riders. Over the next five months there are going to be days where the Ducati can’t compete, and Stoner is going to have to focus on getting good results. Sportal.com.au
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