Assen awaits before the summer break

MotoGP 2021 Round 9, Grand Prix TT Assen

Assen, June 23, 2021: After Marc Marquez’s emotional 11th straight victory at the Sachsenring, the Repsol Honda Team are refocused for a new, and different, challenge at The Cathedral.

Held each June, the TT Assen is an iconic Grand Prix – Assen was the only circuit on the calendar to have held a round of the Motorcycle World Championship every year since its creation in 1949 until 2019. The track has undergone a number of changes throughout its life and its current incarnation sits at 4.5 kilometres long with six left corners and 12 rights. After a baking-hot weekend in Germany, the Dutch round is looking decidedly wetter as it makes its return to the calendar.

Marc Marquez arrives on a high after returning to the top step of the podium for the first time since the 2019 Valencia Grand Prix, but the eight-time World Champion is under no illusions that the weekend in Assen will present a new battle for himself and the Honda RC213V. Victory has been achieved by Marquez twice in the premier class at Assen, first in 2014 when he won the opening 10 rounds, and again in 2018. To date, each visit has resulted in a podium finish with a single third place his worst premier class result. Marquez currently sits tenth in the World Championship with 41 points.

On the other side of the Repsol Honda Team garage, Pol Espargaro is prepared for another weekend of work with his team. Unsatisfied with his final result in Germany after a positive weekend, Espargaro is eager to show his speed once again and put together a strong weekend. Saturday remains a key focus, a higher grid position one of the keys to unlocking Sunday.

Marc Marquez

“We have enjoyed our moment after the Sachsenring, with the team, with my family and with those who helped me. But now we focus again and get ready for Assen, in the past we have had good results there but of course our situation is different now. The weather is looking very cold and wet, especially after what we’ve seen in Germany. So we will keep working to improve our situation and see what’s possible.”

Pol Espargaro

“It’s great to return to Assen after one year away, it’s a historic track and it’s always great to ride these tracks. Our weekend in Germany was not perfect but we arrive with a clear mind and ready to go again. For sure it looks like the weather will complicate things a bit, but no matter what we keep working to achieve our best. The objective is to have a weekend without problems to put all the pieces together.”

Rider Standings

Pos.	Rider	Num	Nation	Points	Team	Constructor
1	QUARTARARO FABIO	20	FRA	131	Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP	Yamaha
2	ZARCO JOHANN	5	FRA	109	Pramac Racing	Ducati
3	MILLER JACK	43	AUS	100	Ducati Lenovo Team	Ducati
4	BAGNAIA FRANCESCO	63	ITA	99	Ducati Lenovo Team	Ducati
5	MIR JOAN	36	SPA	85	Team Suzuki Ecstar	Suzuki
6	VINALES MAVERICK	12	SPA	75	Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP	Yamaha
7	OLIVEIRA MIGUEL	88	POR	74	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	KTM
8	BINDER BRAD	33	RSA	56	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	KTM
9	ESPARGARO ALEIX	41	SPA	53	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	Aprilia
10	MARQUEZ MARC	93	SPA	41	Repsol Honda Team	Honda
11	MORBIDELLI FRANCO	21	ITA	40	Petronas Yamaha SRT	Yamaha
12	ESPARGARO POL	44	SPA	35	Repsol Honda Team	Honda
13	NAKAGAMI TAKAAKI	30	JPN	34	LCR Honda	Honda
14	RINS ALEX	42	SPA	28	Team Suzuki Ecstar	Suzuki
15	BASTIANINI ENEA	23	ITA	26	Avintia Esponsorama	Ducati
16	MARQUEZ ALEX	73	SPA	25	LCR Honda	Honda
17	MARTIN JORGE	89	SPA	23	Pramac Racing	Ducati
18	PETRUCCI DANILO	9	ITA	23	Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing	KTM
19	ROSSI VALENTINO	46	ITA	17	Petronas Yamaha SRT	Yamaha
20	MARINI LUCA	10	ITA	14	SKY VR46 Avintia	Ducati
21	LECUONA IKER	27	SPA	13	Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing	KTM
22	BRADL STEFAN	6	GER	11	Team HRC	Honda
23	SAVADORI LORENZO	32	ITA	4	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	Aprilia
24	PIRRO MICHELE	51	ITA	3	Pramac Racing	Ducati
25	RABAT TITO	53	SPA	1	Pramac Racing	Ducati