It’s nearly time for the eighth round of the season and Team SUZUKI ECSTAR is heading to Assen (The Netherlands) for what is expected to be an emotional weekend, as Factory rider Alex Rins is rejoining the team after a long hiatus caused by injury.

Rins suffered a fracture to his left arm at the GP of The Americas, in Texas, that took him away from racing since April. The surgery and following rehab process took about eight weeks, and the TT Circuit Assen is the designated race for his comeback.

The TT Circuit Assen will be the first of a back-to-back GP, together with the German GP in Sachsenring, on July 2nd. Andrea Iannone is seeking a further push for improvements after the last test in Barcelona that followed the race gave him a good feeling about the development of the bike.

The circuit, known as “The Cathedral of Motorcycling,” because of its historic significance to Motorcycle World Championship racing, is the only circuit to have hosted a race every year since its creation in 1949. Assen is quite a technical track, very narrow with rapid successive changes of direction that could be favourable to the handling capabilities of the GSX-RR machines. With a total length of 4.555 km (2.82 miles), it has a very short straight (only 487m – 1597.77ft) and a majority of right corners: 12 versus six left-handers.


Andrea Iannone

“After the test we did in Barcelona, I’m arriving in Assen with more confidence. We got to grips with some important things and gained a better understanding of some weaknesses we had. This will allow us to start immediately in Assen on the work to compensate for them. The TT circuit seems suitable for our machine; there are few hard braking points and rewards cornering speed and agility in the change of direction, which are some of the strengths of our GSX-RR. I hope we can get back in the fight for the top positions soon.”

Alex Rins

"The recovery from injury has been long and tough, but finally I will rejoin the team and again be able to race my GSX-RR. I can’t wait to get back to the feeling of racing and be reunited with my team again. Last week we tested in Barcelona and my feelings were positive. I’m recovering well and made a lot of progress. We worked without any pressure, but yet we were able to make improvements. Assen is a magical circuit; I can’t wait to ride there on a MotoGP machine.”