Only dropping five-points in the previous three races, he has some positive memories of Assen, having taken the fastest lap in each race in 2004 and a race win in 2000. His team-mate Andrew Pitt is seeking his first podium of the year, after an up and down introduction to World Superbike.
Long time GP rider Norick Abe of Yamaha Motor France may pull off one of his better performances at Assen, as his rookie Superbike season has proved most profitable at tracks he has raced on before. His team-mate Sebastien Gimbert is looking to Assen as the first race in which a leg injury has not played a part in limiting his potential for over three rounds.
Combative PSG-1 Kawasaki rider Chris Walker - like countryman Toseland - can count on ‘home’ support from the masses of travelling Brits at Assen. Walker has as much experience of Assen as any other track, and a great love for the circuit which is shared by many of his peers.
On the fast Kawasaki, he may well spring another podium finish to add to the one he took at Valencia. His team-mate Mauro Sanchini is also expected to be fit for this race, after missing the previous
Brands Hatch encounter.
Of the four current WSBK riders to have taken race wins at Assen, only Klaffi Honda’s Pierfrancesco Chili has not been mentioned so far. At the opposite end of the experience ladder from his team-mate Max Neukirchner, Chili may find no better place to demonstrate all his guile and sheer speed, with Assen rewarding exquisite lines and intimate knowledge of all its cambers and subtle undulations.
Renegade Honda’s Ben Bostrom has also been a top five finisher at Assen, and after some recent encouraging signs in WSBK, he will hope to make at least top ten finishes in 2005.
Despite a tough early season spell for all the Ducati privateers, the SC Caracchi Ducati duo of
Lorenzo Lanzi and
Fonsi Nieto have had their high points, with Lanzi especially impressive as he undergoes his rookie WSBK season.
The team principle of the Petronas outfit, Carl Fogarty, loved Assen above all other circuits, winning an astonishing 12 races at the Dutch track.
