Team Suzuki Press Office – April 25. The third round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship sees FIXI Crescent Suzuki take the short trip across the North Sea to the Assen TT Circuit in The Netherlands.
Jules Cluzel heads to the event following two promising performances last time out at Aragon, which saw him secure a sixth and seventh place finish in the two races. The exciting Frenchman has good knowledge of the Dutch track after racing there in the 125cc, 250cc and Moto2™ classes, before switching to the World Supersport category last season and securing a third-placed grid position and then a sixth placed finish around the famous circuit.
The team is still waiting on the fitness of Leon Camier before confirming the line-up for this weekend’s race, with Australian Damian Cudlin waiting in the wings in-case Camier is unable to ride. Camier has been working hard to repair the damage caused to his left knee at Aragon, which required surgery and then an intensive course of specialist physiotherapy to give him a chance of racing his Yoshimura-powered Suzuki GSX-R this weekend.
The 4,542m Dutch circuit is one of the most iconic and famous race-tracks in the world. The track was originally constructed in 1955, following many years of racing held on country roads through the local villages. The Assen circuit – located in the north of The Netherlands, near the town of Groningen – has held a World Superbike race since 1992 and is one of the longest serving venues on the WSBK calendar. Assen is known to racers and fans alike as ‘The Cathedral of Racing’ because many regard the circuit to be at the pinnacle of the sport.
FIXI Crescent Suzuki’s two riders will take to the track on Friday morning for the initial practice session, before competing in the opening qualifying practice in the afternoon. Saturday morning will see the second qualifying session to confirm the riders that will progress towards the afternoon Superpole session, which will see them compete for the best grid positions for Sunday’s two races.
Jules Cluzel:
“I cannot wait to get back on track and I’m really excited about riding the FIXI Crescent Suzuki GSX-R at Assen. I really like this track and hopefully I can do well here. It looks like it could be cold and wet on Friday, so we will set the bike up to work in those conditions and see what it behaves like and how we can make it work well. The conditions on Saturday and Sunday look much better; I am happy about that and we will have to see what we can do.”
Leon Camier:
“I really can’t be sure about my possibilities of riding at Assen, but I am going there and I will try and see how I feel on the bike on Thursday evening in the garage before making a decision. The problem will be strength, because Assen is a physical circuit and I’ve lost some muscle density in my leg, although I’ve been working really hard to get all the movement back so that I can try to ride. At the moment I’m still a bit frustrated, because I like Assen and have done well there in the past, but we’ll just have to see how things go and assess how things feel when I get on the bike. “
