Almost without a break, the world championship continues its 2004 european tour.
The Repsol riders will look for new podium finishes on the longest track of the Championship.
After the Catalonia Grand Prix, a complicated GP for the interests of the Repsol riders, the World Championship continues its journey through Europe, and now it is time for Holland. Considered as one of the most legendary and epic layouts of all times, the track in Assen, or the so-called Cathedral is the longest of the Championship with its 6.027 kilometres. Of the six Repsol riders who will be racing this weekend in Assen, only Alex Barros knows what it means to win here 2000-, and of the rest, only Pablo Nieto has been on the podium 2nd in 2003-. Alex Barros, who will be back on one of his favourite tracks, where he achieved most of his good results, hopes to make up this weekend for the bad feelings after his crash in Barcelona. Barros had passed Biaggi, he was third and when he was just about to close the gap to the leading group, Gibernau and Rossi, the front tyre of his Honda lost grip and the Brazilian rider ended up on the tarmac. His teammate, had no lucky weekend either, because despite setting the second fastest time in the qualifying session, he made a very bad start and while making his way up, he was forced to retire due to mechanical problems. Hayden, who finished eleventh after his first contact with the Dutch layout, will try to make up for his bad luck and take the podium he has been looking for since the start of the season. For Rubén Xaus, this will be one of the few occasions this year on which he will be arriving at a circuit he already knows. The brave Repsol rider has been on the Assen podium some six times and has also taken a couple of victories, the last one last year in the Superbike World Championship.
In the 250 GP, Fonsi Nieto hasnt got very good memories of this circuit, where he suffered a spectacular crash in 2001 breaking both ankles. The following year, 2002, Fonsi finished fifth and last year he retired due to mechanical problems. Fourth in the overall standings, 42 points behind the leader, De Puniet, Nieto will have to fight for podium finishes in the next races if he doesnt want to loose contact to those who will be fighting for the title at the end of the season. His teammate Sebastián Porto, third in the overall standings, 35 points behind the leader, was fourth in 2002 and fifth last year, although he is eager to get on the podium race after race and make good use of any chance to close the gap with the leading riders.
In the minor class, Pablo Nieto has been very close to victory in the last two races, Italy and Catalonia, but little luck and some own mistakes in the last laps have hindered him from signing and sealing his excellent performances with a victory. Assen is a track that the youngest of the Nieto clan gets well on with; last years second place after an excellent remount is good proof of what Pablo may achieve this weekend in Holland. And while Pablo is thinking about victory and improving his fifth position in the overall standings, Sergio Gadea has a difficult weekend ahead: learning one of the most difficult, technical an longest layouts of the World Championship. An important challenge for Jorge Martínez Aspars young pupil, who will do a great job for sure. Scoring his first points is still Gadeas main objective, as well as learning as much as possible and gathering experience.
