Tito Rabat admits he will need to rectify his poor career record at Assen if he is to keep the pressure on Moto2 championship leader Johann Zarco. The reigning champion had the worst result of his title-winning campaign here in wet conditions last year and knows that a repeat of that eighth-place finish will not be good enough.
“The next two tracks on the calendar – Assen and Sachsenring – have never been amongst my favourite circuits, which is probably why they are the only two on the calendar at which I’ve never finished on the Moto2 podium. However, if I’m to retain the championship then I need to be just as fast at these tracks as I am at the others, so that is the aim this weekend. We put in the work during a successful test at Aragon, with very positive results, so I head to Assen feeling confident. Like always, we will work hard in every session this weekend, to ensure we’re in a position to fight for the win in the race on Saturday.”
By contrast, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS teammate Alex Marquez enjoys Assen having won here on his way to the 2014 Moto3 crown. The Spaniard continues to make progress in the intermediate class and is targeting the top ten this weekend.
“We did a good job in Montmeló, improving with every session and finding a clear direction in which to work with the bike and we confirmed this during the test in Aragon. In Moto2 qualifying has been difficult this season, because I haven’t been able to find the half-second or so I need on a new tyre. This was an area in which we also made progress during the Aragon test and I’m now feeling more confident about my qualifying performance. I like the Assen circuit; I won in Moto3 there last year and, while I’m sure it will feel different on a Moto2 bike, I’m looking forward to returning. If I can qualify on the front three rows on Friday then I think we could be in for a good race on Saturday.”
