The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team have not been idle during the three-week break between the Italian GP and the Dutch GP. Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins spent time testing in Valencia as well as attending the Track Day of Legends in Silverstone. These events kept the riders' minds sharp for Round 8 of the 2024 MotoGP season.

Quartararo really likes the Assen track as is evident from his impressive results in the Netherlands so far. In his Moto3 debut year (2015) he secured a second place here. He equalled the achievement in the Moto2 class in 2018 and followed it up with three MotoGP podiums: a third place in 2019, a win in 2021 after a local one-year pandemic hiatus, and a third place in the 2023 Sprint.

The Frenchman is in 13th place in the overall rankings after the Italian GP and is hoping to gain positions at the back-to-back Dutch GP and German GP before starting the summer break.

Rins has also enjoyed strong results at the much-beloved Dutch track. He secured a third place in the Moto3 class in 2013, followed by a second place in Moto3 the year after. He narrowly missed out on an Moto2 podium on Dutch soil in 2015 but equalled his best classification at TT Circuit Assen on a MotoGP bike in 2018, securing second place again.

The Spaniard is currently in 20th position in the overall standings. Feeling the support of the Yamaha Motor Europe staff during his visit at the headquarters in Schiphol-Rijk today (26th June), he will be gunning for points in the coming two weekends to end the first half of the season on a positive note.

TT Circuit Assen was especially built for the Dutch GP in 1955, but Assen has been part of the Motorcycle World Championship calendar every year since 1949, when the race was still held on public roads (with the exception of 2020 due to the pandemic). The current Assen track measures 4.5km and is often referred to as ‘The Cathedral of Speed' as it is a favourite of riders and fans alike thanks to its rapid changes in directions, coupled with a nice mixture of high-speed and low-speed corners (six left and twelve right). Especially the Geert Timmer chicane just before the start-finish straight makes for great entertainment right in front of the main grandstand.