Roughly one month since the Barcelona round, Kawasaki Puccetti Racing prepares for round three of the WorldSBK and WorldSSP championships which will get underway this Friday at the historic TT Circuit Assen, in The Netherlands.

Tito Rabat ran a convincing final Superbike race at Montmeló, reaching the points zone and confirming the validity of the development work that he is doing on the Ninja ZX-10RR KRT Factory Replica together with the team’s technical staff.

Fresh from surgery to his right arm to resolve a compartmental syndrome problem, Supersport rider Can Oncu hopes to finally be able to fully exploit the potential of his ZX-6R as he fights for victory.

The van Drenthe circuit, which takes its name from the province in which it is located, was inaugurated in 1925, although the real racetrack was only built in 1955. For many years only motorcycles raced at the Dutch track, which became known as the “Cathedral of Speed” or “the University of Two Wheels”. Many changes have been made to the track over the years, particularly in 1976 and 1984. It currently measures 4.542 kilometres and incorporates eighteen turns, of which twelve right-handers and six left.

Manuel Puccetti

“Temperatures are usually low at Assen, and this favours the performance of our ZX-6R. Oncu is returning to a track where he suffered serious injury, but he is now almost fully recovered. In Superbike we have some important technical updates that should allow us to take another step forward.”

Tito Rabat

“The Barcelona races confirmed our constant progress and we’re not far from the quickest guys. We need to work on the electronics and on the setup at Assen in order to maintain good race pace from start to finish. As always in Holland, the weather will be a factor, but I hope it doesn’t rain, so I have time to work well with my team. We’re all highly motivated and focused on the goals and I personally can’t wait to get out on track.”

Can Oncu

“I have both positive and negative memories of Assen. I’ve been on the podium there, but also suffered that nasty accident last year that compromised my entire season. I’m almost completely recovered from the surgery on my right arm and I’m confident we can do well during this third round. I only hope the weather plays ball, so we can work well in practice and be competitive in the races.”