Jordi Torres & Nico Terol target great results at Assen

Legend has it that once upon a time Assen was better known for its Sunday market, meaning the motorcycle racing had to take place on Saturdays. The market is long gone but the tradition remains and the oldest venue on the MotoGP World Championship will welcome the teams and riders, as it has every year since the inception of the series, on the final Saturday in June.

The Moto2 category has been the most open of the three so far this season and even though the consistency of Scott Redding sees him with a healthy advantage at the top he is just one of any number of pretenders to victory at this famous circuit on Saturday.

MAPFRE Aspar rider Nico Terol is certainly one of them, the Spanish rider boasting a strong affinity for the track despite mixed memories. In 2010 he finished second in the 125cc race but in 2011 he suffered a bad injury to his finger. After a difficult weekend in Barcelona last time out Nico is determined to put things straight this time out.

Team-mate Jordi Torres has similar intentions after an electronic problem and subsequent crash saw him leave his home Grand Prix frustrated and empty handed. The Catalan rider has never previously visited Assen but he is no stranger to learning new tracks in recent years and he is hoping to adapt quickly when practice gets underway on Thursday.

Nico Terol:
“Assen has always been a good track for me. It is fast and flowing and really suits my riding style. After the race in Barcelona, when I did not perform as I wanted, I am full of motivation and determination to do well in Holland. I have some good memories from Assen but also some tough ones. It was the circuit where my career started to flourish but for the past two years I haven’t had the results and in 2011 I had a crash that left me with an injured finger. I really like riding at Assen. There are not many reference points and that means you have to stay concentrated, because if you run off line it is hard to come back. We had some traction issues in Barcelona so we need to work hard this week on getting a bit more from the rear end.”

Jordi Torres:
“We go to Holland full of optimism and motivation after a fiasco in Barcelona. I was expecting much more from my home race but it wasn’t to be and I am hoping to make up for it this Saturday. I have never ridden at Assen before but I have watched a lot of videos and played the games console to try and get used to it as quickly as possible. Hopefully I can get my references quickly and work out the quickest way around the track. The good thing is that since Italy we have had a good set-up for the bike. Everybody says Assen is ‘The Cathedral’ of motorcycle racing but the weather there is not usually the best for our sport so hopefully it is kind to us this weekend so that we can get on with the job of learning the track and getting back on the pace.”

Source: Aspar Media