Actually, a cold shower in Assen is always part of the programme, but this time the Dutch Grand Prix is set under different conditions. “We have a weather forecast of over 30 degrees,” says former MotoGP rider Tom Lüthi, “Assen is otherwise actually known for the occasional bit of rain. This year it doesn’t look that way.”
The high temperatures present particular challenges for the riders, including KTM factory riders Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder. It means that the MotoGP starters would have to “manage the tyres” and “get them through the distance,” said Lüthi, “and then we will see who will be the fastest.”
The Swiss rider expects the world championship to remain exciting. “It will continue to be thrilling,” said Lüthi, “Marc Márquez has shown that he is fit again, that he can be fast. We are curious to see whether he can build on these successes.” The Spaniard had most recently triumphed at the Grands Prix in Hungary and the Czech Republic. It is “certainly an advantage” if a rider “has had success, is in good shape, then he can take that with him directly. That is always cool when you are in the flow.”
Assen is “a fast, cool track” with “high-speed direction changes from left to right.” The event is also exciting because of the many people who “always travel there, real motorcycle fanatics and fans, who are there on site and truly celebrate a motorcycle festival at the race weekends in Assen”.
