Who will be the King of Assen?
Steve English takes a look over what the Dutch fans may have to celebrate this weekend
Today marks a public holiday in The Netherlands, with King's Day celebrated across the nation. It is a day of festivities across the Kingdom to celebrate the birth of King Willem-Alexander. While there will be celebrations on the streets today, there will be another celebration this weekend with Assen playing host to the Dutch round of the WorldSBK season. The crowd will be out in force for Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team), as he tries to claim his first victory in the series - if he succeeds there will be calls for another public holiday in celebration.
It might seem fanciful to think that van der Mark could win at the iconic Assen. Last year the 24 year old thrilled his compatriots by standing on the rostrum, and if the chips fall for him this weekend the chances of a repeat visit are not to be underestimated.
The Yamaha YZF-R1 has found form over the winter, and with Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) having been one of the standouts from the opening three rounds, there are two riders capable of fighting at the front this weekend on the blue bikes.
From when he first sat on the Yamaha last November, van der Mark has been excited by its potential and the feeling he has from it. The way the bikes turns and changes direction should be a strength that can be exploited at the fast and flowing Assen circuit; indeed Sylvain Guintoli qualified on the front row in 2016.
There is pressure that comes with a home round, and it may have been a factor in van der Mark's crash from Race 1 last year. The Rotterdam native is however looking much more comfortable on the Yamaha now, and has found form at the right time.
“I'm really looking forward to my home race,” said van der Mark. “It's always something special to ride in front of your home crowd. After the Aragon weekend with good results and a really good test I'm going to Assen with lots of confidence.
“The YZF-R1 is starting to feel like really my own bike and together with the Assen circuit it should be a good combination. Hopefully we can get our best results of the season and really enjoy my home race.”
While Assen is one of the most historic circuits in the world the crowd has never had a rider quite like van der Mark to get behind in WorldSBK. Despite only racing in the series for two seasons, he has already amassed more than double the points of any previous Dutch rider and been the first to claim a podium and a pole position. It will not be a surprise if the 2013 World Supersport champion also becomes the first Dutch winner in WorldSBK.
Can van der Mark do it? Follow all the Acerbis Dutch Round action with the WorldSBK Video Pass, which can be found here.