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| | Tuesday, 25 June, 2002, 17:16 GMT 18:16 UK Back at happy hunting ground McWilliams' family will be with him in Holland BBC Sport Online columnist Jeremy McWilliams will have plenty of support at this weekend's Dutch MotoGP in Assen This weekend I return to Assen, the scene of my victory in the 250cc class last season. It would be nice to get somewhere near that result again but as in the last race, my main aim will be to finish and get some points. The Dutch TT is the first of a run of races which should suit the strengths of the three-cylinder Proton KR3 and I am really looking forward to them. After this race comes the British GP at Donington, followed by the German round at the ultra-twisty Sachsenring and then Brno in the Czech Republic after the summer break. Although Assen is one of the fastest tracks of the season, its layout and complex combinations of fast corners mean that there are few opportunities to open the throttle all the way.
It is a highly technical circuit and that is what I enjoy. It helps make up for the relative top speed deficit of our more agile lightweight machines and the racing is always close there. It is one of my favourite tracks although I believe that some changes have been made since last year. The track is 22 metres shorter but the essential character is unaltered and hopefully it will suit us. I qualified in pole position on a 250 in 1999 and was also on the front row on the 500 Aprilia a year later.
To win from fourth place on the grid last year was a big achievement but this season brings a new and very different challenge. For this race, we are reverting back to the standard chassis we have used all season but incorporating some of the things we learnt with the new one at Catalunya. We learned a lot about spring rates, especially at the rear, which helps tyre life, and we can incorporate a lot of that into the standard chassis. The team felt that the earlier version, with these modifications, would suit Assen better but we hope to do some more testing and possibly have the newer one for Donington in two weeks. Since the last Grand Prix, I have been chilling out with Kenny Roberts in the south of Barcelona. It was a nice break and it was good to have some time to relax in the heat. This weekend, the whole family is in Holland with me so I will not be lacking support from the pitlane. The whole team is in a positive frame of mind and we have high hopes for this weekend. Hopefully they will be fulfilled. | | See also:  18 Jun 02 | N Ireland 15 Jun 02 | N Ireland 02 Jun 02 | Motorbikes Top N Ireland stories now: Links to more N Ireland stories are at the foot of the page. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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