Calendar & Results
GP 9 : Netherlands
Simón 10th, with tyre problems
RABAT AND MÁRQUEZ GRAZE THE PODIUM
RABAT AND MÁRQUEZ GRAZE THE PODIUM
The Road Racing World Championship’s ninth race has been disputed this weekend in the Assen circuit, the one known as the Cathedral of motorcycling. It was, as marked by tradition, on the last Saturday of the month of June, in the only scenario that holds a World Championship race since 1949 uninterruptedly. In the mythical track where Holland’s GP is held, the 125cc Haulotte riders performed well in a race that was held in two parts because of the rain’s fault. In 250cc, Julito Simón was not able to keep up with his expectations due to a problem with the back tyre that made him lose the front places in which he had been able to position himself.
Bad luck for Simón
Positive news brought Julito Simón out during the GP in Holland. Finally, and thanks to the right treatment in physiotherapy, the Haulotte rider was able to enjoy a weekend without being pulled back by the injury in his right arm. The tests, as well, confirmed an improvement in the way Simón connected with his KTM. After a hard start, the rider and his technical team were able to do with the key to be competitive once again. The sixth position he started off with the first day of the tests was the best sign. “It started off a hard day, and that led us to positions at the back. We were having a hard time getting the bike up to par, although we were improving little by little. In the end we tried a different tyre, we made changes in the chassis and in the suspension, and I managed to make it to sixth place. This was very important for me, and it was very gratifying to see myself there, because after the first free practice I was a little discouraged. My arm also improved very much, and I didn’t have any problems”. Rain fell in the early morning of the second day (the seventh GP this year that the riders had to confront the rain), complicating the conditions of the track for the whole day. That is why practically nobody was able to improve their time. In this way, Julito had a very good sixth position at the starting grid. Something he took advantage of. Right after the start he was already in third position, fighting for the places of honour during the first stages of the race. But he soon realised that something was not going well. A problem with his back tyre was pulling him back and didn’t let him be competitive. Overtaken by many of his rivals, Simón hardly managed to finish in a discreet tenth place. “The result was not good at all. I was at the head during the first round, and I tried as best as I could to keep up with the pace at the head. But I soon saw that both going in and out of the corners I was losing a lot of time. We then realised that we were having problems with the back tyre. During the fast part, the last of the circuit, I wasn’t able to accelerate as much as the rest, and I found it impossible to maintain the pace. Anyway, I have to remember the positive things of this weekend, there are may, and think that in two weeks we are going to be in a circuit in which I think our bike can work well”.
The return of Tito
After the hard crash in Montmeló, Tito Rabat needed to complete a good weekend in order to justify himself. Something he achieved in Assen. In any case, the tests were not especially good. The first day he finished in fifteenth position, with some stability problems in the back part of his KTM. “It was a pretty complicated day. During the morning it wasn’t that bad, but in the afternoon we had many difficulties, especially with the motor, that didn’t accelerate too much. On top of it, when I opened the gas, I lost control of the back part of the bike, as if it were trying to spit on me. We had a lot of work ahead”. Friday, with all the problems caused by the rain, was not the best day to get on with the bike’s set up. Even so, Tito and his technical team managed some improvement on the bike, even if the Haulotte rider was not able to race during the last minutes of the official session due to an unforeseen mechanical problem. “We managed to improve the engine. It seemed that the bike went faster and it worked well under the rain. Anyway, we still needed to find a better set up for the chassis, which we did at the end of the test. I was pretty confident I could do a good race”. And he had a reason to. The race ended up spilt in two, when it was delayed due to the rain in Assen. It really was a threat of rain, as the second part was raced on dry ground. But the decision to flash the red flag turned the race into a five round sprint. And that is when Tito let lose. After a great start he placed himself in the crowded group at the head. During the last round, braking brilliantly while he was fourth, he overtook all his rivals, placing himself as the leader of the race. He gave it all to try and win but an error in the last part of the circuit left him with no options to fight for victory or the podium. In the end, the Haulotte rider finished in a good sixth place. “It was a disputed race. There were five rounds and I knew it had to go well and no let them get away. The aim was to ride to the maximum, it was all or nothing. I had nothing to lose. During the last round I saw that I had a chance. I left the slow corner well, I caught the streamlineand during the rushed brake I overtook the three at the head. The rest of the round I did at my limit, and when I reached the stretch, I tried to get in too soon and I lost it a little. That’s when they all overtook me. These are things that happen. The truth is that I am happy because I see that I can be there. The bike does well and my team is helping me a lot”.
Márquez leaves his mark again
He was coming from standing on the podium in Donington Park, something that had filled him with confidence. Even so, his mission during the first day wasn’t any other that to get to know the circuit that was new to him. It was a hard day that ended up with a crash of no physical consequence, but that left him in seventeenth place. “Really the day went well; in the morning I simply went out to get to know the circuit, nothing else, no risk. During the afternoon it seemed that the bike was doing better and I was riding faster. But when I started to bring the time down, I saw that I was starting to have many problems and that was when I crashed. I was risking too much.” The track’s conditions on Friday did not let him improve his position at the grid, in fact, he lost one place. But Marc is very Marc. Starting off eighteenth, the first time he passed by the finishing line he was already eighth. Very calm and with a lot of cheek, he overtook a couple of rivals more. He got into the group of riders fighting for the podium, although he was starting to have problems with his KTM. In the tenth round, when he was sixth, he crashed due to the rain that had started to fall. Marc got up and tried to get to his box in time so he could join the second part of the race. But it wasn’t possible. Even so, the Haulotte rider once again left his quality seal. “The race was going well until it started to rain. The bike’s performance had started to go down and then I was left behind the group at the head. That’s when little more than four drops started to fall and the it rained more. As I was getting out of a corner the asphalt was wet and I lost the bike. I wasn’t able to get to the box with my bike and I wasn’t able to participate in the second race. A pity”.
The World Championship has a week off to rest. The competition will be back next Friday 11th of July. It will be with the first GP tests in Germany that will be held in the Sachsenring circuit.
Bad luck for Simón
Positive news brought Julito Simón out during the GP in Holland. Finally, and thanks to the right treatment in physiotherapy, the Haulotte rider was able to enjoy a weekend without being pulled back by the injury in his right arm. The tests, as well, confirmed an improvement in the way Simón connected with his KTM. After a hard start, the rider and his technical team were able to do with the key to be competitive once again. The sixth position he started off with the first day of the tests was the best sign. “It started off a hard day, and that led us to positions at the back. We were having a hard time getting the bike up to par, although we were improving little by little. In the end we tried a different tyre, we made changes in the chassis and in the suspension, and I managed to make it to sixth place. This was very important for me, and it was very gratifying to see myself there, because after the first free practice I was a little discouraged. My arm also improved very much, and I didn’t have any problems”. Rain fell in the early morning of the second day (the seventh GP this year that the riders had to confront the rain), complicating the conditions of the track for the whole day. That is why practically nobody was able to improve their time. In this way, Julito had a very good sixth position at the starting grid. Something he took advantage of. Right after the start he was already in third position, fighting for the places of honour during the first stages of the race. But he soon realised that something was not going well. A problem with his back tyre was pulling him back and didn’t let him be competitive. Overtaken by many of his rivals, Simón hardly managed to finish in a discreet tenth place. “The result was not good at all. I was at the head during the first round, and I tried as best as I could to keep up with the pace at the head. But I soon saw that both going in and out of the corners I was losing a lot of time. We then realised that we were having problems with the back tyre. During the fast part, the last of the circuit, I wasn’t able to accelerate as much as the rest, and I found it impossible to maintain the pace. Anyway, I have to remember the positive things of this weekend, there are may, and think that in two weeks we are going to be in a circuit in which I think our bike can work well”.
The return of Tito
After the hard crash in Montmeló, Tito Rabat needed to complete a good weekend in order to justify himself. Something he achieved in Assen. In any case, the tests were not especially good. The first day he finished in fifteenth position, with some stability problems in the back part of his KTM. “It was a pretty complicated day. During the morning it wasn’t that bad, but in the afternoon we had many difficulties, especially with the motor, that didn’t accelerate too much. On top of it, when I opened the gas, I lost control of the back part of the bike, as if it were trying to spit on me. We had a lot of work ahead”. Friday, with all the problems caused by the rain, was not the best day to get on with the bike’s set up. Even so, Tito and his technical team managed some improvement on the bike, even if the Haulotte rider was not able to race during the last minutes of the official session due to an unforeseen mechanical problem. “We managed to improve the engine. It seemed that the bike went faster and it worked well under the rain. Anyway, we still needed to find a better set up for the chassis, which we did at the end of the test. I was pretty confident I could do a good race”. And he had a reason to. The race ended up spilt in two, when it was delayed due to the rain in Assen. It really was a threat of rain, as the second part was raced on dry ground. But the decision to flash the red flag turned the race into a five round sprint. And that is when Tito let lose. After a great start he placed himself in the crowded group at the head. During the last round, braking brilliantly while he was fourth, he overtook all his rivals, placing himself as the leader of the race. He gave it all to try and win but an error in the last part of the circuit left him with no options to fight for victory or the podium. In the end, the Haulotte rider finished in a good sixth place. “It was a disputed race. There were five rounds and I knew it had to go well and no let them get away. The aim was to ride to the maximum, it was all or nothing. I had nothing to lose. During the last round I saw that I had a chance. I left the slow corner well, I caught the streamlineand during the rushed brake I overtook the three at the head. The rest of the round I did at my limit, and when I reached the stretch, I tried to get in too soon and I lost it a little. That’s when they all overtook me. These are things that happen. The truth is that I am happy because I see that I can be there. The bike does well and my team is helping me a lot”.
Márquez leaves his mark again
He was coming from standing on the podium in Donington Park, something that had filled him with confidence. Even so, his mission during the first day wasn’t any other that to get to know the circuit that was new to him. It was a hard day that ended up with a crash of no physical consequence, but that left him in seventeenth place. “Really the day went well; in the morning I simply went out to get to know the circuit, nothing else, no risk. During the afternoon it seemed that the bike was doing better and I was riding faster. But when I started to bring the time down, I saw that I was starting to have many problems and that was when I crashed. I was risking too much.” The track’s conditions on Friday did not let him improve his position at the grid, in fact, he lost one place. But Marc is very Marc. Starting off eighteenth, the first time he passed by the finishing line he was already eighth. Very calm and with a lot of cheek, he overtook a couple of rivals more. He got into the group of riders fighting for the podium, although he was starting to have problems with his KTM. In the tenth round, when he was sixth, he crashed due to the rain that had started to fall. Marc got up and tried to get to his box in time so he could join the second part of the race. But it wasn’t possible. Even so, the Haulotte rider once again left his quality seal. “The race was going well until it started to rain. The bike’s performance had started to go down and then I was left behind the group at the head. That’s when little more than four drops started to fall and the it rained more. As I was getting out of a corner the asphalt was wet and I lost the bike. I wasn’t able to get to the box with my bike and I wasn’t able to participate in the second race. A pity”.
The World Championship has a week off to rest. The competition will be back next Friday 11th of July. It will be with the first GP tests in Germany that will be held in the Sachsenring circuit.
