Assen, the Cathedral of Speed, one of the most glorious old world racetracks holds a special place in the hearts of riders. A circuit that is fast, flowing and one that rewards skills, bravery and the ability to risk it all when the moment demands it. The Dutch crowd are a passionate lot, and the grandstands around the circuit are filled with Yellow smoke on the race weekend. It is a very special place. And MotoGP at the Dutch circuit is a special affair.
My own special memory with Assen is the fact that it is the first proper racetrack that I've ever been to. I had the chance to visit Assen for the very first time in 2013 (check the link at the end of this post for photos) and my very first visit to a MotoGP event has been at Assen in 2014. The crowd was mad, the atmosphere was festive and I got to see my heroes up close. The colours were that much more brighter, the speeds were that much more faster and the atmosphere that much more intense than I had ever seen them from the screen of the telly.
I shot all photos from the TT World Tribune which is located at the points between turn 1 (Haarbrocht) and Turn 2. It is a great place to watch the bikes power out of turn 1, especially at the first lap. You get to hear all the sounds of those unleashed liter class engines as the bikes power out of turn 1 before taking the short right hander across turn 2. All that combination of power, sound and adrenaline make for one heady mixture!
I really enjoyed that race and went back the following year in 2015 and it was a great race that time! (More on that later). Here are photos from my first MotoGP race event at the Dutch circuit of Assen.
The big screen shows the pre-race gathering on the grid.
Aerial view of the Assen circuit on the big screen.
It's a full house today!
The aerial camera helicopter.
Valentino Rossi. The first time I ever managed to catch a close up of Rossi on the Yamaha YZR M1.
Move aside, mortal!
Warm up lap shenanigans!
After this point, the bikes were really fast to get any good shots (and I didn't know how to shoot fast moving objects back then!). So I simply sat back and watched the race. Most of the pictures I clicked came out either with details blurred out, or out of focus at key points. I managed to get a few decent ones though.
#93 Marc Marquez
#46 Valentino Rossi
Elbow dragging at Turn 2!
A lonely ride for Rossi in 4th place. Exiting Turn 1.
And before I knew it, the race was over. Marquez won a dominating victory that day and the crowd was all cheers to the new kid on the block. Everyone knew Marquez was the real deal, but at that point, he was only showing signs of his brilliance.
Repsol Honda teammates #26 Dani Pedrosa and race winner #93 Marc Marquez.
It's a lonely ride back to the pits after the race.
#99 and (then) reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo on the outlap.
A glimpse of Marquez celebrating on the big screen.
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Photos of the legendary Assen Circuit in Netherlands - The Cathedral of Speed
Up above the Arctic Circle - Tromso and the Northern Lights
A solo backpacking trip across the UK
Cycling 500km across Europe: Dtube
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Exploring God’s Own Country on a Motorcycle – Dtube
500km of cycling across Europe - A photolog
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Incredible pics dude! Assen is amazing....
Talking of amazing... did you watch the race today?
I did! What a crazy race! I'm so glad Vinales has found his mojo again! I was really hoping for a Rossi win (who isn't!), but the Doctor gave a great race! If it wasn't for Lorenzo holding him down at some points, Rossi could've made a break for it.
That duel between Marquez and Vinales was long awaited. From the start of 2017! We saw some signs of it now. Hopefully it will get better in the races to come!
It was crazy! Probably the best gp race of the season, so much action at the front! I was really hoping Rossi was going to get the win, if he didn’t slide out on the penultimate lap I think he would have got 2nd or definitely 3rd.
Lorenzo shot to he front on the first lap after starting from 10th! Crutchlow also staying with the pack!
Yes it was great to see 93 and 25 battle, finally! We have waited a long time for that! However, Marc is just too good... he’s so fast, and he almost can’t crash... the saves he makes are just ridiculous! I don’t really like Marc but his riding is insane.
It’s a bit annoying being such a Rossi fan as I wanted him to win so bad haha, so when he finished 5th I was a bit upset, even though we had an amazing race, it was so much fun! This season has been amazing, but I don’t see anyone catching Marc, unless he crashes and is out for a few races, but I don’t think he can crash haha