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2005 ASSEN 500 WORLD ENDURANCE MOTORCYCLE CHAMPIONSHIP

SUZUKI CASTROL WINS - SEASON OPENER

2005 WORLD ENDURANCE MOTORCYCLE CHAMPIONSHIP

2005 ASSEN 500:

• Assen 500km: 26th / 28th March 2005
• Race: Monday 28 March, 1.45 pm
• CIRCUIT: The TT Circuit Assen is located about 2km southwest of Assen, in the north east of the Netherlands. The Assen 500km race will be run on the 3.881km short circuit which
  connects S-Bocht with the exit of Strubben. The short circuit retains the high speed and heavily cambered bends that have made Assen famous as a real riders’ circuit. The current endurance lap record of 1:21.925 is held by Sebastien Gimbert, and the 129 lap race is expected to last around three hours.

RACE RESULT:

• 1 Suzuki Castrol Team , FRA , Suzuki GSX-R1000, Philippe, Kitagawa, 130 laps
• 2 Bolliger Team , SUI , Kawasaki ZX10R, Kellenberger, Morillon, Mizera, -2 laps
• 3 Diablo 666 , UK , Kawasaki ZX10R, Mizera, Hutchins, Falcke, -3 laps
• 4 Yamaha Phase One Endurance, UK, Yamaha YZF-R1, Cudlin, Notman,Nowland, -4 laps
• 5 Yamaha Austria 7 , AUT , Yamaha YZF-R1 , Jerman, Giabbani
• 6 Fagersjo-el.se , SWE , Suzuki GSX-R100 , Andersson, Minim, Carlberg
• 7 Shell Endurance Academy , GBR , Yamaha YZF-R1 , Rohtlaan, Wylie, Hogan
• 8 Team X-One , ITA , Yamaha YZF-R1 , Tessari, Ricci
• 9 Team RMT21 , GER , Kawasaki ZX10R , Jennes, Bruning, Roth
• 10 Suzuki Nederland , NED , Veneman, Janssen, Steenbergen

Assen 500 – Race Review

• The podium finish for Suzuki Castrol, Kawasaki Bolliger and Kawasaki Diablo at the
  Assen 500 round of the FIM World Endurance Championship last weekend grabbed all
  the headlines, but further down the results the racing was just as – if not more – intense.
• Close Finish
  Fourth placed Yamaha Phase One held off a charging Yamaha Austria No.7 by only 38
  seconds, and the battle for sixth place between Suzuki Fagersjo-el.se, Yamaha Shell
  Endurance Academy, Yamaha X-One, Kawasaki RMT21 and Suzuki Nederland was
  covered by less than a minute after three and a half hours of racing. Suzuki No Limits &
  RT held off Yamaha Power Bike to take eleventh place, and Suzuki Bridgestone Bikers
  Profi 47 beat Suzuki Austria 76 by seven seconds to take fourteenth place.
  Suzuki Innodrom, Suzuki Fabi Corse, MV Agusta Burger King Lust and Suzuki Eurosport
  Benelux were also locked in a fight for 17th place which went down to the line with only 14
  seconds covering the four bikes, and Yamaha Maco Moto squeezed home in 21st place by
  a mere eight seconds.
• Six Manufacturers, Eight Nations
  Motorcycles from six manufacturers finished the Assen 500km race. Suzuki won the race,
  with two other GSX-R1000s finishing in the top ten. Four Yamaha YZF-R1s also made the
  top ten, but perhaps the biggest surprise of the year was the three Kawasakis in the top
  ten, two of them on the podium. The best results for Kawasaki in 2004 were Bolliger’s
  fourth and fifth places at Zhuhai and Albacete. MV Agusta finished in 19th place, Ducati
  Team Spring were 25th and Projecteam Honda Endurance’s CBR1000RR was 27th. Aprilia
  was the only manufacturer entered which failed to record a finish.
  Teams representing eight nations scored points at the Assen 500, with their riders coming
  from a total of fourteen countries.
• Next Stop: Albacete
  The next round of the FIM World Endurance Championship is the Albacete 8 Hours night
  race on May the 21st.

Suzuki Castrol Win Assen 500 - Kawasakis Second and Third

• The Assen 500km opening round of the 2005 FIM World Endurance Championship has
  been won by Suzuki Castrol. Riders Vincent Philippe and Keiichi Kitagawa led from the
  first lap to the last lap, holding a comfortable advantage for much of the race. The race was incident packed from the start, with second placed qualifier Suzuki Nederland being one of the last teams to get off the line after their engine refused to start. By lap ten they had tucked into third place behind Suzuki Castrol and Yamaha Austria No.7, with Yamaha Austria No.77, Yamaha Phase One and Kawasaki Bolliger slipstreaming and fighting for position.
• The pace cars were called out after an accident on the entry to the start / finish line, bunching the field into two groups. When the incident was cleared Suzuki Castrol were 40
  seconds ahead, with a real battle going on for second place. Yamaha Austria No.7
  crashed while in second place, but rider Gwen Giabbani was able to bring the bike back to the pits for repair, and the team rejoined the race. The Yamaha Austria No.77 bike was less fortunate, also crashing out of second place but unable to continue. This allowed Kawasaki Bolliger to move up to second place, in front of their partner team Kawasaki Diablo, with Yamaha Phase One Endurance in fourth and Yamaha Shell Endurance Academy in fifth place.
• Suzuki Nederland repeatedly moved up through the field before slipping back again because their pit stops were not as fast as the other teams. Yamaha Austria No.7 were also on a charge, making up places as Ducati Spring Team crashed out of the top ten and Shell Endurance Academy made an unnecessary stop.
• Suzuki Castrol made a “splash and dash” fuel stop with just two laps to go but ith their
  comfortable lead this was a precaution worth taking. They finished the race two laps in
  front of second placed Bolliger Kawasaki, who were themselves a lap ahead of Diablo
  Kawasaki. Yamaha Phase One were fourth despite Yamaha Austria No.7 having closed to
  within 38 seconds.
• The sixth to tenth placed finishers were all on the same lap, with only one and a half
  seconds separating Yamaha X-One and Kawasaki Team RMT21.

Press Conference Quotes:

• Vincent Philippe – Suzuki Castrol – 1st Place: “The race was very difficult. The first
  session was too easy, but after that I had a hard rain tyre and it was very difficult to stay
  on the bike. I am happy to finish and to win.”
• Keiichi Kitagawa – Suzuki Castrol – 1st Place: “This is the first time I have ridden this
  course, and it is a very difficult course. I am happy with this result.”
• Dominic Meliand –Suzuki Castrol team manger – 1st Place: “No problems; a good race.
  The conditions were difficult; very mixed, but no technical problems. When the rain was
  light, it was hard to choose a tyre, but later it was an easy choice.”
• Marcel Kellenberger – Kawasaki Bolliger – 2nd Place: “It is a happy moment for all of us at
  Bolliger to be on the podium. The second relais was a little dangerous for me; it was hard
  to stay on the bike in the rain on slick tyres, but after that it was ok. I don’t think the rest of
  the season will be so easy.”
• Steve Mizera – Kawasaki Diablo 666 Bolliger – 3rd Place: “The beginning of the race was a bit difficult because after the safety car went in I couldn’t find my speed again. But we
  knew from testing that the Kawasaki had a very good set-up in the rain, and this was our
  advantage this weekend. James and Kevin gave their best, and we are pleased to be on
  the podium.”

QUALIFYING:

Pole Position for Suzuki Castrol

• 1 Suzuki Castrol Team – FRA – Suzuki GSX-R1000 – V. Philippe – 1:23.566
  2 Team Suzuki Nederland – NED – Suzuki GSX-R1000 – B. Veneman – 1:24.909
  3 Yamaha Austria 7 – AUT – Yamaha YZF-R1 – G. Giabanni – 1:25.113
  4 Yamaha Austria 77 – AUT – Yamaha YZF-R1 – T. Hinterreiter – 1:25.640
  5 Yamaha Phase One Endurance – GBR – Yamaha YZF-R1 – A.Notman – 1:26.032
  6 Shell Endurance Academy – GBR – Yamaha YZF-R1 – M Rohtlaan – 1:26.924
  7 Bridgestone Bikers Profi – GER – Suzuki GSX-R1000 – T. Rothig
  8 Bolliger Team Switzerland – SUI – Kawasaki ZX10R – D. Morillon
  9 Pajic Kawasaki – NED – Kawasaki ZX10R – R.Winkel
  10 Diablo 666 Bolliger – GBR – Kawasaki ZX10R – S. Mizera
  
• Suzuki Castrol have dominated qualifying for Monday’s Assen 500 round of the World Endurance Championship, with Vincent Philippe almost two seconds faster than the second rider in his group, and Keiichi Kitagawa 1.6 seconds clear in his group after the first session. Vincent Philippe: “I could maybe have gone a little faster in the second session, but we wanted to concentrate on a race set-up. We tried different settings on two different bikes; the sensations were different but I am happy to race either one.”
• Second place went to Team Suzuki Nederland, with Barry Veneman putting in a time over
  a second quicker than the next fastest rider in his team. Yamaha Austria No.7 sent their
  number two rider Gwen Giabbani out with the third group to take advantage of the less
  crowded track, allowing him to lap a tenth of a second quicker than his team mate Igor
  Jerman, taking third place in the process. Yamaha Austria No.77’s Thomas Hinterreiter
  was fourth and Yamaha Phase One Endurance’s Andi Notman fifth.
• Having riders who can lap in similar times is very helpful for an endurance team, but
  Bolliger Kawasaki have a trio who are particularly closely matched. Their riders Marcel
  Kellenberger, David Morrillon and Patric Muff were all within a tenth of a second of each
  other during the first qualifying session. Morillon went faster in his second session, moving
  up to eighth place behind Marko Rohtlaan on the Shell Endurance Academy Yamaha and
  Tim Rothig on the Bridgestone Bikers Profi Suzuki.

RACE PREVIEW:

The World Endurance Championship is a unique and gruelling test of motorcycle and rider power and endurance - a worldwide phenomenon that's a massive hit with race fans, riders and teams alike. The Championship is one of only three world road racing championships officially sanctioned by the FIM. World Endurance races are known for their spectacular starts, which see the riders sprint across the track to their waiting motorcycles. Race weekends are hugely popular festivals with music and all kinds of entertainment for spectators. Last year saw production based motorcycles from twelve manufacturers ridden by competitors from twenty different nations competing for overall honour, and the World Endurance Championship is widely recognised as a route into World Superbikes (for 2004 Would Endurance Champion Sebastien Gimbert) and MotoGP (for 2003 World Endurance Champion James Ellison).

Race Schedule

• The Assen 500 race programme includes rounds of the European 125 championship and Dutch Open Stocksport 600 championship as well as the first round of the 2005 FIM World Endurance Championship. All practice and qualifying will take place on Saturday the 26th of March, with the endurance competitors getting two sixty minute free practice sessions before lunch and two thirty minute qualifying sessions for each of the three riders in the afternoon.
• Sunday is reserved for traditional Easter activities at the circuit; last year this included bicycle racing round the TT circuit. A round of the Dutch Stunt Riding championship is scheduled for this year’s event, as well as BMX and Skateboarding demonstrations.
  Easter Monday is race day, with a 45 minute warm-up session for endurance competitors
  in the morning followed by a pit walk giving spectators the chance to meet the riders in
  person and inspect the bikes in detail. The race itself starts with the traditional sprint
  across the track at 13:45.

Quote

• Despite finishing the 2004 season in a disappointing 10th place Russell Benney, manager
  of 2003 World Endurance Champions Yamaha Phase One, remains confident. “This season the team are determined to finish the championship in at least second place and to achieve that, it will be beneficial, to say the least, to get some decent points in the bag at round one.”

Suzuki Dream Team at Assen?

• Suzuki lost out to Yamaha in the World Endurance Championship last year, but they’re
  back for 2005 with a significantly up-rated version of the GSX-R1000 and a dream-team
  rider pairing of Vincent Philippe and Keiichi Kitagawa. We spoke to Philippe and Kitagawa on the eve of the qualifying sessions for the Assen 500 first round of the championship. How much better is the K5 GSX-R, and how are the French and Japanese riders working together?
• Vincent Philippe first, on the new bike: “The biggest differences are in the engine; there’s
  more power and it’s easier to control. This year we have enough power; not too much, but
  enough. The bike is also shorter, but that’s not a good change for me. I had no confidence
  in the front end to start with, and we’ve only had three days of testing before this race. We
  will see how it goes tomorrow, when qualifying starts. I think it will be easier for me this
  year because I have a very good team mate; Keiichi and I are on the same level.”
• Keiichi Kitagawa, who celebrated his 39th birthday yesterday, is no stranger to endurance
  racing or Suzuki Castrol: “Doing two races with Suzuki Castrol last year made me think
  about doing the full World Endurance Championship, and here I am. The team is very
  French – the conversations and the cooking, so you could say I am having difficulties, but
  having fun! It’s easy working with Vincent. We use nearly the same set-up for the bike; I
  am more experienced, so I am perhaps more relaxed about settings and can ride around
  the small differences between our set-up.”
• The pair has just one aim this year; to win the World Endurance Championship. They plan
  on doing that by winning every race, and for Kitagawa that will include a very personal
  challenge: “I really want to win Suzuka this year, and we can do it. It’s very important for
  both me and Suzuki to win; important for me because I have never won the 8 Hour, and
  important for Suzuki because it’s the 20th anniversary of the GSX-R this year.”