Repsol youngsters looking forward to race at “The Cathedral”

The MotoGP World Championship rolls up to the Netherlands this week, embarking on a three-race series on consecutive weekends. The Repsol riders arrive at round seven having taken a victory and three podiums last time out at Silverstone. The 4.542km Assen circuit, known as ‘The Cathedral,’ hosts the only race of the year held on a Saturday.

Maverick Viñales made an impact on his first visit to Assen last year, taking pole position, the fastest race lap and the victory. He also won a fortnight ago at Silverstone and leads the Moto3 classification. Fellow Repsol riders Miguel Oliveira and Álex Rins are also optimistic about the event; the Portuguese won in the Netherlands in the 2008 Rookies Cup race, whilst Rins makes his Dutch debut.

Miguel Oliveira “I have very fond memories of Assen, as I won there in 2008 in the Rookies Cup. We will keep working with the same plan as at Silverstone and will focus on polishing up the small mistakes that we made last time out. We will be giving all to find a setting with which to go fast and improve upon our result from the British GP.

The track has a section of slow corners at the start and we can get away quicker with these four-strokes than with a 125cc. This is an advantage for us and will make it a much more fun race, because the rest of the circuit is very fast — especially the old section”.

Álex Rins “Going to the Netherlands really excites me, because Assen is a classic circuit at which everyone wants to ride. I’ve been recovering over the past few days and will be motivated, although the crash at Silverstone means that I won’t be at 100%. It’s going to be a new track for me, which means a lot of work together with my team to earn a good result —leaving behind the bad luck of recent races. We have three consecutive race weekends coming up, and we are very motivated”.

Maverick Viñales “Assen is a circuit that suits my riding style very well, in addition to bringing back some fond memories. I won for the second time in the World Championship there, so I am excited about going back to Assen. The fast section is where I go best, but we will work on the engine and the chassis in order to go all-out in every part”.

Source: Repsol Media Press Release