Assen. The third round of the 2024 FIM Superbike World Championship 2024 (WorldSBK) brings BMW Motorrad Motorsport to the ‘Cathedral of Speed’. From 19th to 21st April, WorldSBK visits the famous Assen TT Circuit, Netherlands. Following a successful season start with wins and podium finishes for BMW Motorrad factory rider Toprak Razgatlioglu (TUR) and ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, the goal is to bring the BMW M 1000 RR onto the podium at Assen as well.
Assen is the home race for Razgatlioglu’s teammate, BMW Motorrad factory rider Michael van der Mark (NED), who recently showed his return to the top field with top-four results at Barcelona (ESP). The Bonovo action BMW Racing Team can also consider the round in the Netherlands a home race, as its team base in northern German Cuxhaven is only two and a half hours away from Assen. The team aims to continue where it left off in race two at Barcelona and to fight for the top ten with both BMW Motorrad factory riders Garrett Gerloff (USA) and Scott Redding (GBR).
Quotes ahead of the Assen round.
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “Assen is always something special. The circuit has a long history, and the enthusiasm of the fans there is always great. The first two race weekends of the season have gone excellently, and accordingly, we come to Assen with a lot of optimism. We have shown on tracks that don’t necessarily suit us well how competitive the BMW M 1000 RR is, not only with Toprak’s wins and podiums, but with good results for our entire WorldSBK squad. However, we do not rest on our laurels, but we all work hard to continue this path at Assen. The past races have once again confirmed how tight it is in WorldSBK, but our goal is to be contenders in the top field at Assen as well.”
Garrett Gerloff (#31 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team): “I’m looking forward to Assen. It’s a track that I really enjoy and a track that I feel that I flow very well with. I think also that with some of the changes we have made with the bike it will be a good track for the BMW M 1000 RR and something that I can flow on. I’m looking forward to getting to the track and to seeing my team again after a couple of weeks off and putting our heads down and try to do the best we can.”
Toprak Razgatlioglu (#54 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I am very happy to come back to Assen again. We don’t know yet how the weather will be, but it is always a bit difficult there. It looks like it will be cold and with maybe some rain; we will see. It’s Mickey’s home race and maybe he can help me a little bit because it’s my first time there with BMW and Mickey is always strong there so maybe he can help me with some lines and some data. We are always working together and I am very happy for that. My target is to fight for the podium again, but I am there with the BMW M 1000 RR for the first time and maybe my feeling is very good and I will be fighting for the win. We will see at the race weekend. In general I am happy, and as it is Mickey’s home race, I hope that we finish the race on the podium together. I am ready, I keep training every day, and I was pushing especially in the past five days with training two or three times per day. I’m feeling really ready to fight, and everyone in the team works a lot. This is also a very good motivation for me. We have done a very good job so far and I think we can also do so at Assen. We will see at the race weekend.”
Scott Redding (#45 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team): “I’m really looking forward to Assen. It is a track that I really love! A lot of history there and I enjoy racing on circuits like this. This weekend I am hoping for more potentially after finding some good directions at the end of the Barcelona race weekend. I hope for good weather and I look forward to seeing all the fans at the Cathedral of Speed.”
Michael van der Mark (#60 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “It’s really nice to come to Assen, my home round, and I think that we come there at the right time. We had two very good rounds before arriving at Assen with a lot of confidence which is always nice so I’m looking forward to it. It will be a busy weekend for me with a lot of friends and family but it’s great. It’s only once a year so I will enjoy it and I think we’ve shown now that the base of the bike is really good and we can be really competitive. My goal for the weekend is to fight for the podiums and it would be fantastic to get on the podium at my home round.”