Moto GP Preview - TT Assen - June 25, 2009

THE AMERICANS: U.S. riders Colin Edwards (Houston, Yamaha Tech 3) and Nicky Hayden (Owensboro, Ky., Ducati Team) will compete in this race. Edwards is sixth and Hayden is 15th in the MotoGP standings after six races this season.

•Colin Edwards: “We’ve had bad starts, jacked-up conditions. I had a rain map put into the bike for Motegi. I felt like we should have been fighting for the podium. I’ve had all these little things going on all year, and it’s just like, ‘Can I catch a break?’” Assen, I go good at. Laguna, I go good at. Donington, I go good at. Even Sachsenring, I’ve had a good race there. I’m looking real forward to the next four races. Laguna, Assen and Donington are three tracks that I just love, so we’re looking forward to a good run here.”

•Nicky Hayden: “Assen is a special circuit for me – I love it here. The final split is my favorite because you have a run of fast corners that are crucial to a fast lap. The weather can change from one minute to the next, so it will be important to make the most of all the track time available to us. I’ve had some of the best races of my career at Assen, like the fight for the win with Colin (Edwards) in 2006, which is my favorite. In 2007, I finished third, and the last year I had the heartbreak to lose the podium in the last corner! We know we have a lot of work to do, but myself and the team are hoping that the Catalunya race was the start of a major turnaround that we can continue to build on until the end of the season.”

THEY SAID IT: “I really look forward to going to Assen. Holland is where my family came from, so there are always people around that remember my grandfather and tell me how they are related to me, so I feel like a bit of me is coming home!” – Rizla Suzuki MotoGP rider Chris Vermeulen, a native of Australia with Dutch ancestry

FAST FACTS: TT Assen is the only circuit that has been part of the World Championship since its inception. The track is nicknamed “The Cathedral” … Valentino Rossi can earn his 100th victory in Grand Prix racing with a victory this weekend in Assen. Eight-time World Champion Rossi (six MotoGP, one 250cc, one 125cc) has 73 victories in MotoGP/500cc, 14 in 250cc and 12 in 125cc. Fellow Italian legend Giacomo Agostini leads the all-time win list with 122 … Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner are tied atop the MotoGP standings with 106 points after six races this season … American Colin Edwards has finished third at Assen twice, in 2005 and last year. Edwards, from Houston, appeared to be headed to his first MotoGP victory at the circuit in 2006 when he crashed in the final corner, handing the victory to fellow American Nicky Hayden … Hayden has finished in the top four at TT Assen every year since 2005 … With the addition of 125cc World Champion Gabor Talmacsi of Hungary to the MotoGP grid, nine of the 19 riders in the series have won a world title in at least one World Championship class. Sixteen of the riders have won a Grand Prix in a World Championship class … American Stevie Bonsey will continue in the 250cc World Championship at this event aboard an Aprilia for the Milar-Juegos Lucky Racing Team. Bonsey, from Salinas, Calif., will race for the team for the rest of the season. He finished 15th in his debut with the team June 14 at the Grand Prix of Catalunya, becoming the first American rider to score points in the class since Kenny Roberts Jr. in 1995. Bonsey, 19, competed in the 125cc class the last two seasons and is the first full-time American rider in 250cc since Kurtis Roberts in 1997 … American Cameron Beaubier will continue his first season in the 125cc class at this event. Beaubier, 16, from Roseville, Calif., is 26th in the World Championship standings this season for the Red Bull KTM 125 factory team.

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