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The TT Circuit Assen is a
motorsport Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of t ...
race track A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also use ...
built in 1955 and located in Assen, Netherlands. Host of the
Dutch TT The Dutch Tourist Trophy, also known as the ''TT Assen'', is an annual Dutch motorsport event established in 1925 for road racing motorcycles held on the TT Circuit Assen, also known as the ‘Cathedral of Speed'. The event attained world champi ...
, it is popularly referred to as "The Cathedral" of
motorcycling Motorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. For some people, motorcycling may be the only affordable form of individual motorized transportation, and small- displacement motorcycles are the most common motor vehicle in the most populous c ...
by the fans of the sport. The venue has the distinction of holding the most Grand Prix motorcycle races every year (except ) since the series was created in . It has a capacity of 110,000 spectators, including 60,000 seats. Since 1992, the circuit has also been part of the World SBK calendar except the 2020 season.


History

The original Assen track was first used for the 1926
Dutch TT The Dutch Tourist Trophy, also known as the ''TT Assen'', is an annual Dutch motorsport event established in 1925 for road racing motorcycles held on the TT Circuit Assen, also known as the ‘Cathedral of Speed'. The event attained world champi ...
(Tourist Trophy) race, after the first 1925 event was held on country roads through the villages of Rolde, Borger,
Schoonloo Schoonloo is a village in the Dutch province of Drenthe, Netherlands. It is a part of the municipality of Aa en Hunze, and lies about 14 km southeast of Assen. The village was first mentioned in 1328 as Gherard Sconelo. Even though it seeming ...
and Grolloo, and organized by the ''Motorclub Assen en Omstreken''. The brick- and semi-paved track had a length of . The winner was Piet van Wijngaarden on a 500 cc Norton with an average speed of . From 1926 on the Dutch TT was held at Assen on a
street circuit A street circuit is a motorsport racing circuit composed of temporarily closed-off public roads of a city, town or village, used in motor races. Airport runways and taxiways are also sometimes part of street circuits. Facilities such as ...
through De Haar, Barteldsbocht, Oude Tol,
Hooghalen Hooghalen is a villageBijhouwer J.T.P. (1977). "The Dutch Landscape." Amsterdam: Cosmos. in the municipality Midden-Drenthe, in the Dutch province Drenthe. In Drenthe it is also called '' Hoal'n '' or '' Hoalen '', but then people often mean the ...
,
Laaghalen Laaghalen is a hamlet in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Midden-Drenthe, about 9 km south of Assen Assen () is a municipality and a city in the northeastern Netherlands, and is the capital of the prov ...
and Laaghalerveen. In 1951 the Italian Umberto Masetti took the record on a 500 cc Gilera with an average speed of . In 1954,
Geoff Duke Geoffrey Ernest Duke (29 March 1923 – 1 May 2015) was a British multiple motorcycle Grand Prix road racing world champion. Born in St. Helens, Lancashire, after retirement from competition he was a businessman based in the Isle of Man. He ...
of Great Britain reached . The circuit remained unchanged until 1955, when a whole new circuit was built by using a third of the original street circuit, joined with purpose-built sections, but less than a third of the length and much more like a modern road racing circuit. In the period of 1999–2002, the circuit invested millions in upgrades. In 1999, the circuit management placed a new main grandstand and hospitality buildings. In 2000, a new Race Control tower was built, as well as 34 newly equipped pit boxes, a new media and medical centre. Between September 2001 and April 2002, another €9 million was spent on the enlargement of the paddock area from 40 to 60.000
square metres The square metre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures) or square meter (American spelling) is the unit of area in the International System of Units (SI) with symbol m2. It is the area of a square ...
. This upgrade meant that the Veenslang and Ruskenhoek corners had to be altered. The main straight has also moved about 50 metres eastwards and a new two-lane tunnel now connects the paddock with the main entrance road and the media accreditation / welcome centre. The Mandeveen and Duikersloot corners have been moved back by 10 metres to accommodate larger run-offs and gravel beds at the southern part of the circuit. That part of the track has also been resurfaced with new asphalt. In total, the circuit has been shortened from to . The total cost of these upgrades was €23 million. In 2005, the grandstand at the Geert Timmer corner was slightly altered. In order to improve the gravel run-off length, the grandstand was made in a 'floating' manner to accommodate the extra space that was needed. The lay-out of the circuit was also slightly altered. The circuit was fundamentally redesigned again in 2006, becoming the so-called A-Style Assen TT Circuit. All alterations aside, only one section of the circuit is original; the finish line never moved. On 21 September 2009 it was announced that a new chicane will be added, after a request from the A1GP organization, however A1GP was unable to start the 2009–2010 season and as a substitute the
Superleague Formula Superleague Formula was an open wheel single seater motor racing formula, which started in 2008, at Donington Park in the United Kingdom. The league introduced team sponsorship by association football clubs. It used the slogan 'The Beautiful ...
replaced A1GP.


Layout history

File:Assen van drenthe - old circuit map.jpg, Original Dutch TT Van Drenthe Circuit (1926–1954) File:TT Circuit Assen 1984-2001.svg, Grand Prix Circuit (1984–2001) File:TT Circuit Assen 2002-2004.svg, Grand Prix Circuit (2002–2004) File:TT Circuit Assen 2005.svg, Grand Prix Circuit (2005) File:TT Assen.svg, Grand Prix Circuit (2006–present) File:TT Circuit Assen moto.svg, Motorcycle Circuit (2010–present)


Current racetrack

Assen race track was built in 1955, and initially had a length of . The current track has a length of with the mixture of super fast flat-out and slow corners. The longest straight is . The curves in Assen were traditionally banked and the surface is extremely grippy, so the riders were able to drive much faster on the course than other circuits. Today these sloped or curved bends have been modified due to safety issues.


Innovation

On 6 July 2004, the organisation announced plans for an amusement park located to the north of the track. In 2006 the northern loop was removed and the length was shortened to . The new centre is expected to be visited by 300,000 people, and the total investment is approximately €85 million.


Lap records

The official fastest race lap records at the TT Circuit Assen are listed as:


Events

; Current * April: Superbike World Championship, Sidecar World Championship * June:
Grand Prix motorcycle racing Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...
''
Dutch TT The Dutch Tourist Trophy, also known as the ''TT Assen'', is an annual Dutch motorsport event established in 1925 for road racing motorcycles held on the TT Circuit Assen, also known as the ‘Cathedral of Speed'. The event attained world champi ...
'',
MotoE World Cup The FIM Enel MotoE World Championship (formerly known as the MotoE World Cup) is a class of motorcycle racing that uses only electric motorcycles. The series is sanctioned by the FIM and the inaugural season in 2019 was due to support MotoGP ...
, RSG Hansa Pokal Rennen * July: Truckstar Festival * August: Supercar Challenge, GT & Prototype Challenge, ADAC Racing Weekend * September: Assen Classic GP * October: Supercar Challenge, GT & Prototype Challenge * November: JYR XIV American style ; Future * BOSS GP (2010, 2015–2019, 2023) ; Former *
ADAC GT Masters The ADAC GT Masters is a grand tourer-based auto racing series founded by the international Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) and supported by the German ADAC automotive club. Similar to an earlier ADAC GT Cup series in the 1990s, the new GT ...
(2008–2011) *
ATS Formel 3 Cup The German Formula Three Championship was the national Formula Three championship of Germany, and the former West Germany, from 1950 to 2002, then as Formel 3 until 2014. In 2003, the series had merged with the French Formula Three Championship ...
(2004–2012) *
British Superbike Championship The British Superbike Championship (BSB), currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, is the leading road racing superbike championship in the United Kingdom, and was once widely acknowledged as the p ...
(2012–2019) * Champ Car World Series (2007) * Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (2019–2021) *
European Truck Racing Championship The FIA European Truck Racing Championship is a motorsport truck road racing series for semi-tractors which is sanctioned to the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; en, Internati ...
(2004–2005, 2009) * FIM Endurance World Championship (1979–1980, 1995–1996, 2003–2006) *
Formula 750 Formula 750 was a FIM motorcycle road racing series based on a 750 cubic centimeter engine capacity. History The series began in 1971 as a collaboration between the American Motorcyclist Association and the Auto Cycle Union. The FIM adop ...
(1976–1979) *
Formula Renault Northern European Cup The Formula Renault Northern European Cup (formerly Formula Renault 2.0 NEC) was a Formula Renault 2.0 championship originally held in Northern Europe ( Germany, Netherlands and Belgium), but has expanded over the years to the whole of Europe. T ...
(2006–2017) * Motocross World Championship (2015–2018) *
SMP F4 Championship The SMP F4 Championship (also known as the F4 NEZ Championship by SMP Racing) was a racing series regulated according to FIA Formula 4 regulations. It was based in the FIA's North European Zone and the Netherlands, and was only open to drivers fr ...
(2017–2018) *
Superleague Formula Superleague Formula was an open wheel single seater motor racing formula, which started in 2008, at Donington Park in the United Kingdom. The league introduced team sponsorship by association football clubs. It used the slogan 'The Beautiful ...
(2010–2011) *
TCR Europe Touring Car Series The TCR Europe Touring Car Series is an annual touring car racing event that is held at various locations across Europe. The series is run in accordance with the TCR Touring Car A TCR Touring Car is a touring car specification, first introduce ...
(2018) * W Series (2019)


See also

*
Dutch TT The Dutch Tourist Trophy, also known as the ''TT Assen'', is an annual Dutch motorsport event established in 1925 for road racing motorcycles held on the TT Circuit Assen, also known as the ‘Cathedral of Speed'. The event attained world champi ...
*
MotoGP Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...


References


External links


RacingCircuit.info's history of the TT Circuit Assen

Trackpedia's guide to racing and tracking at Assen

TT Circuit Assen homesite
{{navboxes, list= {{MotoGP circuits {{SBK circuits {{BOSS GP circuits {{Sidecar World Championship circuits {{FIM EWC circuits {{DTM circuits {{W Series circuits {{TCR Europe circuits {{European Truck Racing Championship circuits {{British Superbike Championship circuits {{Auto GP World Series circuits {{Superleague Formula circuits {{Champ Car tracks {{Formula 750 circuits {{Dutch race track {{Authority control Assen Assen Assen Motorsport venues in Drenthe Sport in Assen Buildings and structures in Assen 1955 establishments in the Netherlands Sports venues completed in 1955