Moto2 Dunlop Assen TT preview

Dunlop heads to the Netherlands and Assen for the seventh round of the 2011 Moto2 Championship which takes place on June 23-25.
Always held on the last Saturday in June, the Assen TT circuit is the only one to be on the MotoGP calendar since its beginnings in 1949.
Dunlop will bring the 753 and 717 compound front tyres allied with the 3 series construction rears in 3854 and 3868 compounds.

“You need a tyre with good stability for Assen,” explains Dunlop Motorsport’s Moto2 co-ordinator, Clinton Howe.
“Assen is conversely a tight and technical track but it is fast and flowing. The first corners were changed in recent years which have altered the feeling of the circuit so that the tyres are worked more on their right side now, as the first corners are four parts of a continuous corner.”

As with any race destination, weather conditions play their part in tyre performance.
“We do see high abrasion from the circuit surface in cool conditions, and flat surroundings of the location lend themselves to cooler conditions,” says Howe.
Though the Netherlands are renowned as being very flat, the actual angle of the track surface has an effect on tyre performance.
“There is a lot of positive camber in the corners,” explains Howe. “This assists with cornering speeds and also the flow of the track. When it’s wet it also assists with water drainage. It’s not a small amount of angle to the corners either, it seems like there’s as much camber as a NASCAR track in places!”

The Assen TT Moto2 championship starts with practice on Thursday June 23, followed by final practice and qualifying on Friday June 24 and the race itself starting at 13:15 local time on Saturday June 25.