Repsol Honda riders Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa are in high spirits as they head to Assen, Netherlands for the Dutch TT after an eventful weekend at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Dovizioso finds himself second in the overall standings behind championship leader Jorge Lorenzo after finishing second in Britain. The Italian enjoyed a close tussle with Randy de Puniet in the first 10 laps and then survived a late attempt at a pass from Nicky Hayden to secure his fourth podium in five races.
'We are improving race after race, so I’m happy and we will work hard to be faster and be able to fight for the win' – Dovi
And the test of the legendary Circuit van Drenthe is one that Dovizioso is clearly relishing. “We go to Assen very motivated. After the second place in Silverstone on a new track, we look forward to race on the historical track of Assen,” he said.
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“The characteristics of the circuit are not so favourable for us, because it has a lot of corners with high speed, but we are really confident and we look forward to do another step forward. We are improving race after race, so I’m happy and we will work hard to be faster and be able to fight for the win.”
Team-mate Pedrosa enjoyed a mixed weekend at Silverstone. After qualifying third, he had to be stretchered away from qualifying after crashing his RC212V bike while on his final flying lap.
Despite bruised knees, the Spaniard made an impressive start – even snatching the lead on the first lap – before slipping back, and finishing eighth. That result dropped him to third in the standings, behind Dovizioso, but he remains upbeat ahead of the Dutch TT – especially after his flag-to-flag victory in the previous round in Mugello, Italy.
“It’s good that we are going to Assen straight after Silverstone because it gives me and the team an early opportunity to put the last race behind us and work towards another strong result like we had at Mugello,” the 24-year-old said. “We will learn from what happened at the British Grand Prix and then move on. It’s fortunate that I’m not hurt after Silverstone and I’m confident we can get right back on the pace this weekend.
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“Assen is a good track - even if it was better before they changed it a few years ago - and I like riding there. It’s a circuit which requires an agile machine because there are several fast direction changes - as there are at Mugello - so it would be nice if we get another result like in Italy. The team is working really hard and I’m confident we can make a good start in first practice at Assen and have a competitive weekend. The crowds and the history create a special atmosphere at Assen so I’m looking forward to getting out on track again.”
Both riders can take heart from Honda’s impressive performance at the historic Assen track. Between 1984 and 2009, the manufacturer has won 15 of the 26 races held there.
To find out if Dovi or Dani can add to this impressive haul go to motogp.com or check out our dedicated event page.
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