Aspar Team – Assen Previews

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Álvaro Bautista:
“I think we’re strong right now and we go to Holland with plenty of confidence and motivation after the victory in Barcelona. Assen is a circuit I really like, with a mixture of fast and twisty sections, and in general it’s a nice place. Last year we won from pole and we have good references, so hopefully the weather can be on our side like it was at the last round so that we can set the pace again. Our objective will be to work hard from Friday and find the best set-up possible so that we have every chance of fighting for the win on Saturday. Being the series leader is a source of great motivation but you have to remember that there is still a long way to go in the championship and it is important we stay consistent. If I have a chance to go for the win I won’t think twice about it, but if it’s not on then I’ll take as many points as I can.”

Mike Di Meglio:
“Assen is a wonderful circuit and I like it a lot, so I hope I can perform well there. Last year things didn’t go well for me in the race because I had some problems with my bike but hopefully in this new category and with this new team we can work well for this race. The idea is to continue to learn and make progress but I would really like to cap it off with a good race. Over the past couple of rounds we’ve done well in practice but for one reason or another we haven’t been able to finish the job off on a Sunday. From now on I’ll be taking extra care not to crash because we’ve thrown away too many points already.”

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Julián Simón:
“I really like Assen a lot. The old layout was better but it is still fun to ride here. I am really motivated because I know I can run at the front, even though we won’t know exactly what we’re capable of until we get out there. I’m sure that if we keep working as we have done up to now we’ll be up there. The weather is going to be an important factor, as it always is here, and there’s usually a day or two of rain. I really want to get back to winning ways, like at Le Mans, and be up there fighting for victory the whole race. I also want to put the disappointment of Montmeló behind me. Being back on top of the championship givers me a lot of motivation and I think it is a position befitting of the job we’re doing.”

Bradley Smith:
“After finishing eighth at Montmeló I’m looking forward to getting to Assen and fighting for a top finish. It wasn’t a bad result and I’m still only a point and a half behind Julito but I was left with a bittersweet taste after that race. We have to think positive and keep working in the same way we have up to now. The Dutch TT last year was a strange race because of the red flag but I think I finished fifth, which isn’t a bad result. I really enjoy riding at Assen – a lot of people I speak to say the old circuit was even more fun but I never had the chance to ride it. The first section is a bit slow and personally I prefer the second half of the lap because it’s really quick. I think the work we did at the Valencia test should pay off because we improved engine performance.”

Sergio Gadea:
“Assen is a circuit I’ve done well at in the past. Last year I broke down when I was in third place but I’ve been on the podium here before and I have plenty of good memories. I think I can be competitive here in wet or dry conditions and psychologically speaking we’re strong after the podium at Montmeló and I think we can look for a top result. I just want to keep working as well as we have done up to now – I know we’re 25 points behind Julián but we closed the gap in the last round and it is only one race difference, so it is up to us not to make any mistakes and to stay in touch. We’ll try and do our job to the best of our ability in each race, not make any mistakes and I think our experience could play in our favour.”