Assen awaits the Repsol Honda Team

With an extended championship lead and a successful test, the Repsol Honda Team arrive in Assen with clear goals.

Known as ‘The Cathedral’, Assen is steeped in history as the only circuit to have hosted a round of the World Championship every year since 1949. The fast and flowing nature of the 4.5km long circuit has traditionally produced some of the most exciting races of the year.

Reigning World Champion Marc Marquez arrives with a comfortable margin over his title rivals, but knows he can’t relent for a second. Fortunately, Marquez has an impeccable record in Assen having finished on the podium in each of his six premier class starts. A positive and productive post-race test in Barcelona allowed Marquez and his Repsol Honda Team to assess a number of future options and potential setup changes to benefit them in Assen and beyond.

For Jorge Lorenzo, the TT Assen represents a chance to once again demonstrate the speed he showed in the opening laps of the Catalan GP. An ever-improving feeling with the Honda RC213V is bringing Lorenzo closer and closer to the front of the field. Time between the test and next round of the MotoGP World Championship has allowed Lorenzo to fully recover from his crash during testing.

Honda will also celebrate their 60th racing anniversary over the course of the Assen TT weekend. A number of legendary bikes and riders will be on display and in attendance over the weekend, including a special press conference on Friday.

Marc Marquez 

“Assen is a circuit where you need to be very precise and it’s difficult to be consistent there. To be strong in the fast change of directions is really important to go well at Assen. I’m looking forward to racing there again as we have had some good battles in the past and have put on a great show for the fans. I am sure we will have a great race on Sunday. The weather is also looking good so I am confident we can have a strong weekend.”

Jorge Lorenzo 

“We come here after our most consistent weekend of the year in Barcelona. The end result was not as we wanted but all weekend we were able to be competitive and keep improving the bike, this is what I want to do again this weekend. If we continue to work in this way with the Repsol Honda Team, we can again have the speed like we did in Barcelona.”

Rider Standings 

Pos.RiderNumNationPointsTeamConstructor
1MARQUEZ Marc93SPA140Repsol Honda TeamHonda
2DOVIZIOSO Andrea4ITA103Mission Winnow DucatiDucati
3RINS Alex42SPA101Team Suzuki EcstarSuzuki
4PETRUCCI Danilo9ITA98Mission Winnow DucatiDucati
5ROSSI Valentino46ITA72Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGPYamaha
6MILLER Jack43AUS53Pramac RacingDucati
7QUARTARARO Fabio20FRA51Petronas Yamaha SRTYamaha
8NAKAGAMI Takaaki30JPN48LCR HondaHonda
9ESPARGARO Pol44SPA47Red Bull KTM Factory RacingKTM
10CRUTCHLOW Cal35GBR42LCR HondaHonda
11VINALES Maverick12SPA40Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGPYamaha
12MORBIDELLI Franco21ITA34Petronas Yamaha SRTYamaha
13ESPARGARO Aleix41SPA27Aprilia Racing Team GresiniAprilia
14MIR Joan36SPA22Team Suzuki EcstarSuzuki
15LORENZO Jorge99SPA19Repsol Honda TeamHonda
16ZARCO Johann5FRA16Red Bull KTM Factory RacingKTM
17IANNONE Andrea29ITA12Aprilia Racing Team GresiniAprilia
18OLIVEIRA Miguel88POR12Red Bull KTM Tech 3KTM
19PIRRO Michele51ITA9Mission Winnow DucatiDucati
20RABAT Tito53SPA9Reale Avintia RacingDucati
21BAGNAIA Francesco63ITA9Pramac RacingDucati
22BRADL Stefan6GER6HRC Test TeamHonda
23GUINTOLI Sylvain50FRA3Team Suzuki EcstarSuzuki
24ABRAHAM Karel17CZE2Reale Avintia RacingDucati
25SYAHRIN Hafizh55MAL2Red Bull KTM Tech 3KTM

Photos: Honda Racing Corporation