RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP get set for historic home race in Assen

This weekend the Grand Prix of the Netherlands will be held at the TT Circuit Assen. It is the 93^rd edition of the ‘Dutch TT’ and of course the home race of both Zonta van den Goorbergh and the RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP team. It is the most important Grand Prix weekend of the year for the team with many guests and relations being welcomed at the special ‘RW VIP square’.

The last weekend of June is all about one thing and that is the Dutch TT. The TT Circuit Assen is the only circuit still on the calendar since the start of the Grand Prix World Championship. In the meantime, the circuit has been shortened to 4.5 kilometres and now has 12 right turns and six left turns.

For Zonta van den Goorbergh, it will be his third home Grand Prix. The Dutchman has scored points in four of the seven races this year and will be looking to add more points to his tally again in Assen. For Barry Baltus, the Dutch Grand Prix is also a special event and he will aim to score points again for the first time since the Portuguese GP.

As every year, the RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP team has again built a special hospitality on the so-called ‘RW VIP square’ where hundreds of guests will be welcomed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. With a perfect view of the circuit, food, drinks and entertainment, it is the best place to experience the Dutch TT.

For more information, visit: rwracinggp.com/vipplein

Barry Baltus: “The race weekend in Mugello has been a long time ago so I am looking forward to racing again in Assen this weekend. It is the team’s home race so that is always special, there will be a lot of guests. In the meantime I went to Japan to test for the Suzuka 8 Hour race, which was quite an experience. Now the focus is fully back on the race weekend in Assen where I will give everything for a good result.”

Zonta van den Goorbergh: “It feels like a long time since we last raced and three weekends in a row without racing is of course quite long. This weekend is the home Grand Prix for myself and the team so that is very special, but it will not change anything about the way we work. We will just go to work in the same way as in all other Grand Prix weekends with the aim of getting the best possible result on Sunday. No doubt it will take a bit of time to get used to the bike again but I will do everything I can to make it a great weekend.”

Jarno Janssen – RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP team manager: “We are on the eve of our home race at the TT Circuit Assen, the only Grand Prix in the Netherlands. For us, this is the highlight of the year. This year we will once again have a VIP square where we will receive many guests. The weather forecast looks good so I think all the ingredients are there for a great event.

The home race also brings some extra pressure of course, especially for Zonta. He has shown in recent race weekends that he has made a lot of progress and is a regular in the top fifteen. A peak in Assen would of course be fantastic but we also have to remain realistic, Moto2 is extremely competitive and you have to fight hard for every position.

For Barry it will also be an intense weekend, he has had a very tough period and is currently still in the middle of it. Let’s hope he can gather the strength to perform to the maximum. As a team, we will fully support him and be there for him. We know what he is capable of and will do everything we can to get him as comfortable as possible on the bike. It will be a weekend with a lot of emotions and we will have to take that into account.

As part of the 75^th anniversary of the world championship we will racing with a special livery this weekend, in collaboration with Dorna. The unveiling of this will take place on Thursday evening at 18:30 on our VIP square and everyone is welcome to attend. It will be a beautiful tribute to the history that we should certainly not forget.”

The race weekend at the TT Circuit Assen starts with free practice on Friday morning, followed by the first official practice session in the afternoon. Then on Saturday morning the second official practice takes place after which it is clear which riders will have to take part in Q1 or Q2. Qualifying starts at 13:45 on Saturday afternoon, with the 22-lap race starting at 12:15 on Sunday afternoon.