MotoGP Assen Pre Race Review

Iveco TT Assen’s “Cathedral of Motorcycle Racing” in the Netherlands will be the host to this weekend’s 7th round for the GP roster.

The long and narrow 2.8 mile circuit houses 12 right corners and only 6 lefts for the premier riders and is one of the original venues to present the Motorcycle World Championships dating back to 1949. The Holland based historic track is a favorite for both spectator and riders alike; with its surrounding grassy knolls and grandstands for some of the best views from the sidelines and its quick and sudden change in direction from a racing perspective while on the tarmac.

Its been a bittersweet experience for the Honda teams as of late with Casey Stoner acing his 3rd consecutive win and 4th for the season and leading the Championship with an 18 point lead over the World Champion, Jorge Lorenzo after the fans witnessed a rare crash at the water logged Silverstone several weeks ago. Stoner's teammate, Dani Pedrosa, on the opposite spectrum, will sit out another round as he continues to recover from his plaguing collar bone injury, placing him in a fifth position as a result of his absences. But, Dani looks to be recovering nicely and should be good to go in Mugello the first week of July. San Carlo Grisini's Hiroshi Aoyama will have the honor of representing the healing Spaniard by piloting his RC212V over the race weekend, while HRC test rider Kousuke Akiyoshi will step in to take Aoyama's spot. The final Honda Factory rider, Andrea Dovizioso is now third in standing after his second place podium win at Silverstone. The talented Italian enjoys the challenges of the circuit of old, with its two distinct styles, a slow portion transitioning into a fast, more technical side.

Aoyama's teammate, Marco Simoncelli, better known as “Super Sic” to his fans, took it hard after his overachieving 5th failure to reach the podium at the recent slick Silverstone circuit. But the crazy haired Italian is poising his head high for this weekend by putting his past behind him and staying on track in his racing objective—to win! Fond of the TT track from before it was renovated in 2006, Marco still finds the Dutch circuit to be one of his favorites.

The TT Assen will hold a special meaning to the Yamaha team this weekend in the celebration of 50 years of Grand Prix racing for the Japanese manufacturer.

To kick off an ongoing celebration, the Factory teams will by sporting a new red and white livery that will be revealed to the media (and the rest of the world) on Wednesday, launching the Yamaha Expo for the race weekend.

MMA Expo Vancity 2011 | 604Now

Mixed Martial Arts Expo – The Original MMA Expo since 2005 – announced that the next major event on its 2011 schedule is June 11 – 12 at the prestigious Vancouver Convention Centre. Now in its seventh year MMA Expo brings Vancouver a high-energy show with the reputation for delivering action-oriented tournaments, interactive exhibits and some of the hottest celebrities in MMA – the fastest growing sport in the world.

An action-packed weekend indeed – as it turns out, MMA Expo Vancouver, a popular event in itself, will be held the same weekend as UFC 131, the largest and most successful fight promotion in the sport of MMA. “We booked the Vancouver Convention Centre some months back, well before UFC 131 Vancouver was officially announced”, added Chopik. “The fact that MMA Expo takes place the same weekend means that in addition to attending the UFC’s fight night, west-coast MMA fans will have a ton of other things to do and see across the weekend. It’s definitely going to be a win-win weekend for MMA fans and we are pumped about MMA Expo contributing to all the action.”

Also featured on the MMA Expo Vancouver show floor are four martial arts tournaments held under the umbrella of the West Coast Combat Championships. Round-robin competitions showcase the diverse styles of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, No Gi Grappling, WKC Continuous Sparring and Mixed Martial Arts. Without question it’s going to be a very busy weekend for BC martial artists. Access to all tournaments is available to spectators free of charge with general admission to the Expo.

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