From 19th to 21st April, WorldSBK visits the famous Assen TT Circuit, Netherlands. Following a successful season start with wins and podium finishes for Toprak Razgatlioglu, the goal is to bring the BMW M 1000 RR onto the podium at Assen as well. Assen is the home race for Michael van der Mark, who recently showed his return to the top of the field with top-four results at Barcelona in Round 2.

Shaun Muir – Team Principal

“We are looking forward to getting back on track again after quite a lengthy break since Barcelona. Our results from the last round have clearly set the bar for expectations of where we want to be with the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK project.

Michael’s got a lot of experience at Assen, we know he’s going to be eager getting out of FP1 in a really good position because that will set the benchmark for his whole weekend. Meanwhile, Toprak has never ridden the BMW M 1000 RR around the Assen circuit, but coming out of the Barcelona round, his confidence is really high.

The weather forecast is looking very changeable, therefore we are expecting some wet weather sessions, but we will use the time wisely and prepare for every eventuality. Mickey and Toprak will once again work together on every aspect of the setup to get ready for the races, and I’m looking forward to continuing some of the good form we’ve had in Australia and Barcelona. Obviously, it’s difficult to predict results but there are two different aspects to the whole weekend. One is continuing Toprak’s success and the next is bringing Michael to that next level which he is already very, very close to, and with the home circuit advantage I’m hoping we can continue the momentum.”

Marc Bongers – Motorsport Director

“Assen is always something special. The circuit has a long history, and the enthusiasm of the fans there is always great. The first two race weekends of the season have gone excellently, and accordingly, we come to Assen with a lot of optimism. We have shown on tracks that don’t necessarily suit us well how competitive the BMW M 1000 RR is, not only with Toprak’s wins and podiums, but with good results for our entire WorldSBK squad. However, we do not rest on our laurels, but we all work hard to continue this path at Assen. The past races have once again confirmed how tight it is in WorldSBK, but our goal is to be contenders in the top field at Assen as well.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu

“I am very happy to come back to Assen again. We don’t know yet how the weather will be, but it is always a bit difficult there. It looks like it will be cold and with maybe some rain; we will see. It’s Mickey’s home race and maybe he can help me a little bit because it’s my first time there with BMW and Mickey is always strong there so maybe he can help me with some lines and some data. We are always working together and I am very happy for that. My target is to fight for the podium again, but I am there with the BMW M 1000 RR for the first time and maybe my feeling is very good and I will be fighting for the win. We will see at the race weekend. In general I am happy, and as it is Mickey’s home race, I hope that we finish the race on the podium together. I am ready, I keep training every day, and I was pushing especially in the past five days with training two or three times per day. I’m feeling really ready to fight, and everyone in the team works a lot. This is also a very good motivation for me. We have done a very good job so far and I think we can also do so at Assen. We will see at the race weekend.”

Michael van der Mark

“It’s really nice to come to Assen, my home round, and I think that we come there at the right time. We had two very good rounds before arriving at Assen with a lot of confidence which is always nice so I’m looking forward to it. It will be a busy weekend for me with a lot of friends and family but it’s great. It’s only once a year so I will enjoy it and I think we’ve shown now that the base of the bike is really good and we can be really competitive. My goal for the weekend is to fight for the podiums and it would be fantastic to get on the podium at my home round.”