Stoner unimpressed by Assen

[Roman]

MotoGP championship leader Casey Stoner has turned his fire on organisers of Saturday's Dutch TT after criticising track conditions at the British Grand Prix last weekend.

The 21-year-old Ducati rider, 26 points clear of Yamaha's former world champion Valentino Rossi after eight races, heads for Assen chasing his third win in a row and sixth of the season.

The Australian will fancy his chances of a hat-trick, even if he feels that last year's remodelling has wrecked what has been hailed as the 'cathedral of Grand Prix racing'.

"The first circuit was brilliant, it was an excellent circuit, the old one," he told reporters at Donington Park last weekend. "Since they've changed it ... I don't enjoy riding it any more at all.

"It's just a pain in the ass to try and get around the circuit. What was maybe one of my favourite corners in all the world, they've made flat. It used to be very banked and now it's just flat," he added.

"Why did they destroy such a good circuit? Resurface it all you want but why did they have to destroy it? I'm very, very disappointed with it."

The Assen TT circuit is the oldest in MotoGP, the only one remaining from the championship's inaugural season in 1949, but it was shortened considerably before last year's race.

Rossi was further behind in the championship this time last year but clawed the points back before losing out to Honda's American Nicky Hayden in the final race.

But the Italian, a winner twice this season, recognised at the weekend that Stoner is proving altogether more of a headache.

"Last year we had to fight against bad luck, this year we have to fight against a real rival," he said after finishing fourth at a wet Donington.

He will be hoping for dry weather, after two wet races, at a circuit where he has won five times including three of his last five visits in the top category.

Rossi will also be hoping that Michelin come up with some big improvements to the tyres.

"We know what our problems are, now we need to fix them," the Italian said in a team preview. "Assen is another of my favourite tracks and after riding injured there last year I want to get back to winning."

Yamaha team mate Colin Edwards, runner-up from pole position in Donington, also has a point to prove after blowing what would have been his first win last year and handing victory to compatriot Hayden by falling at the final chicane.

Hayden, a world champion without so much as a podium finish this year, is unlikely to repeat the feat despite showing clear signs of progress in qualifying at Donington.

[Dennis Cavallino]

En hij heeft helemaal gelijk!

De paar gave bochten hebben ze voorgoed verneukt door het camber eruit te halen, of om de veenslang anders neer te leggen om de snelheid eruit te halen ( : : it's a f*cking circuit, for crying oud loud :!: :!: )

Ik vind Assen ook geen fuck meer aan. Vroeger kon je met een ondergemotoriseerd kuthok nog allerlei mensen het schijt voor de ogen rijden (op sommige stukken). Dat is nu weg.

Dat motorrijders werden gelanceerd vanuit de camber bochten is logisch, maar leg er dan een grindduin achter, net als in de Tarzanbocht, daar loopt het ook mooi mee omhoog! Echt een stelletje prutsers die er aan Assen hebben lopen kloten.

[Jorrit]

Assen heeft nog maar 1 mooie bocht, de Ramshoek
(uitgaande van een standaard E30 325i, lekker die bandjes laten gieren en weer een heel rondje ergenis)