OFFICIAL PROGRAMME
For the whole racing world Assen is iconic , but only you Netherlanders in the audience this weekend truly know what Assen means to Dutch motorcycling .
EXCITING CONTENT
Some circuits are more than the sum of their parts and Assen is very much that . A must-do for any rider or spectator , no matter where they were born , the endlessly modified venue is still called ‘ The Cathedral ’ of motorcycle racing for a reason .
Even the safety conscious current version of the 4.542km long Circuit van Drenthe meets every possible meaning of the term ‘ iconic ’. A much over-used term now that everyone and anyone has the ability to scatter it around on the internet , but Assen really is the enduring icon of European motorcycle racing . That ’ s mainly because it is still used for top level motorcycle racing , unlike many other candidates for the same status . And taking that icon idea to its logical conclusion it remains at the heart of things because it has not been scared to modernise and radicalise , even though Assen as an entity is very much aware of its own iconic status .
Assen is a positive exemplar of how to stay in the icon business . Assen was and still is a two-wheel racing venue first and foremost , partly because it was too narrow for cars in the early years , but also because of the vast enthusiasm for bike racing from the Dutch fans . And bike fans from everywhere ; truly everywhere . For the whole racing world Assen is iconic , but only you Netherlanders in the audience this weekend truly know what Assen means to Dutch motorcycling as a whole . More than most we suspect this is because unlike other of the big bike supporting nations , there really only is Assen . Not in a bad way , but as a centre of excellence in motorcycle racing , this is the closest you get to a religious motorcycle racing experience . More importantly , you really only have one , as far as bikes are concerned . The UK has the surprisingly historic Donington Park , Brands Hatch , Silverstone among many others . Germany has both Nürburgrings , a reborn Sachsenring
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