The fourth round of the World Superbike Championship is scheduled for April 20 to 22 on TT Circuit Assen. The circuit was inaugurated in 1925 and at the time was about 28.4 km long. It was shortened to 7.7 km meter in 1955, then it underwent numerous modifications resulting in its current length of 4,542 meter. The circuit has hosted World Superbike without interruption since 1992.
Three months prior, it was the stage for Mick Doohan's fall during qualifying laps for the 500cc class. It became impossible for him to use his war-torn right leg, so the Australian used the thumb brake master cylinder designed by Brembo engineers to return to the starting grid. TT Circuit Assen stands out for its 18 corners, two thirds of which are to the right, and very short straightaways: the longest straightaway measures just 487 meter and the one at the starting line isn't more than 300 meter.
As you can imagine, this is a very drivable track that doesn't require demanding braking. This characteristic combined with the track's geographic location provide optimal conditions for cooling the steel discs. According to the Brembo technicians, who work closely with 16 World Superbike riders, TT Circuit Assen is only slightly demanding on the brakes. On a scale of 1 to 5, it earned a 1 on the difficulty index, which is exactly what Phillip Island scored.