Marc Marquez rides at Assen – Lecuona steps in for Mir

21. June 2023

4 min read

In anticipation of the last round before the summer break, the Repsol Honda Team returns to the Netherlands. Marc Marquez is back after skipping the German Grand Prix. At his side will be Iker Lecuona, who will represent the recovering Joan Mir.

The triumph of Marquez

After an energy-sapping weekend in Germany, Marc Marquez is back in the saddle of the Repsol Honda Team RC213V for round eight. The Dutch round is known for its thrilling duels on the 4.54-kilometer track, where the fast and fluid nature of the course often keeps multiple riders in contention. In the premier class, Marquez has won the Assen race twice and has only missed the podium once – in 2021.

Lecuona’s second performance of the year

Iker Lecuona will deliver his second performance of the year in the Repsol Honda Team pit, while Joan Mir continues his recovery at home with the aim of returning fit for the British GP after a difficult start to the year. Lecuona already made his debut for the Repsol Honda Team in the Spanish round and showed a consistently good weekend with successful finishes in both the sprint race and the Grand Prix. The 23-year-old took his first WorldSBK podium at the Dutch circuit last year.

Riders’ thoughts

Marc Marquez is optimistic: “I’m coming to Assen to put the tough weekend in Germany behind me. We have one race left before the summer break and the goal is to collect a lot of good data for the engineers to work on in the coming weeks. That’s the focus for the weekend, we need to stay calm and approach the weekend with a clear plan.”

Likewise, Iker Lecuona comments, “First of all I want to wish Joan all the best with his recovery. I’m looking forward to being part of the team again, it’s a real honor. Assen is a track I like, I took my first WorldSBK podium there, so let’s hope we can have another good weekend like Jerez. I’m still recovering a bit after the crash at Misano, so this will be a good physical test as well. Lets ride!”

Race venue details

Assen is the only venue to have hosted a round of the World Motorcycle Championship every year since its inception in 1949. The course was built in 1955 specifically for the Dutch TT, after previous events had been held on public roads. The track is narrow and characterized by fast changes of direction.

A look at the track data

The course stretches over a length of 4.542 kilometers, which corresponds to approximately 2.822 miles, and is 14 meters wide. Drivers have to master a total of 6 left turns and 12 right turns. The longest straight is 0.487 kilometers or 0.303 miles. Built in 1955, the course was last modified in 2012.

Records on the track

Pole position statistics are led by Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati, 2022) with a time of 1m 31.504s at an average speed of 178.6 km/h. The record for the fastest race lap is 1m 32.500s with an average speed of 176.7 km/h, set by Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia, 2022). The shortest overall race time was also set by Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati, 2022) at 40m 25.205s with an average speed of 175.2 km/h. He was thus also the winner of the race in 2022.