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Rain and cold temperatures, or sun and heat, and then fast turns and other slow ones, changes of direction and some hard braking: all of this is Assen. The only track at which the championship has raced every year since 1949, the year of its birth.
over the years, the Dutch track has changed significantly but it still retains some of its original charm. It's definitely a track that Michelin can't afford to underestimate, particularly when it comes to the changeable weather conditions.
The front tyres are really put to the test at Assen and at Clermont Ferrand they have selected the three classic compounds (soft, medium and hard) with a symmetrical construction. Rear tyres are also offered in the three usual options but with an asymmetric construction and a harder right side. In case of wet weather, the rain tyres will be available in soft and medium compounds (symmetrical at the front and asymmetric at the rear, as for the slicks).
Michelin manager Piero Taramasso explains the requirements of the Ducth GP track: “Assen is one of the most popular circuits with the riders, but because they like it so much it does not make our task any easier, in fact it means there are more demands and expectations as they all want to perform well there as the circuit has such a great history. It is a very technical track and what you do in one corner can really dictate your performance and position further down the track."
“The riders demand good grip from the rear to manage the long, fast corners, but there also needs to be an instant response from the rear asymmetric due to the rapid changes of direction on this narrow track. There is always a concern over the weather and temperatures at Assen, so we have to be prepared with tyres to cover the whole spectrum and give everyone a tyre they can use on race day – no matter what is the weather – this is what we have organised and we have a complete allocation for all situations.”
