2019 Motocross Of Nations | Track Preview First Look
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2019 MOTOCROSS OF NATIONS | COMPLETE COVERAGE
Greetings from the Netherlands! After months of anticipation, the time for the 2019 Motocross of Nations has come and we’ve made the long flight to Europe for the international event. The famed TT Circuit Assen has been the site to countless classic moments in motorcycling racing and this weekend it should achieve a few more as it hosts the MXON for the very first time. What’s at stake? The Dutch could claim the Chamberlain Trophy for the first time in history, on home soil to boot, France looks to extend their win streak to an astonishing six straight, the United States has a team eager to turn around a few years of mixed results, and a number of riders and countries hope for big results over the course of three motos. This could very well be one of those races we look back on years from now as a major day in motocross racing.
As for the track itself, we took a walk all the way around the man-made circuit on Thursday afternoon and took a few notes. Housed in the stadium-like final turn and front straightaway, almost every inch is possible to see from the bleacher seats that line the perimeter. If you saw our post earlier in the week, then you have a vague idea of the layout and know that the build only started on Monday morning. By the time we saw it on Thursday, almost all of the work was done with the infrastructure and billboards in place. The sand that the track crew used seems like it’s straight from the coast of the North Sea, as it’s dense and easy to form into berms, waves, and tabletops. Since it’s over the top of the pavement, it’s not the bottomless pit that people think of when they think European sandy, but there’s more than enough to do the job.
You know the drill: keep coming back to the site over the next few days and follow our social media posts for more MXON news.
Located in the north of the Netherlands, TT Circuit Assen will be a great setting for the weekend's race. One of the most modern race tracks in the world, it has plenty of paved space for the paddock with plenty of hook-ups, a permanent and spacious media center, campgrounds located outside the gate, and plenty of services for fans. All of that, plus the close proximity to the roadway and nearby towns.
Motorcycles have sped around Assen for decades, dating back to the 17 mile brick track of the 1950s to the modern era of a racer-friendly 4.7 mile circuit. We highly recommend looking into the history of TT Circuit Assen this weekend before the gate drops.
Onto the track. Youthstream's massive staging area/podium/VIP platform runs the full lenght of the starting line. Need a refresher on the MXON gate pick procedure? Saturday's qualifying moto gate picks are determined by a random ball pick lottery, while Sunday's picks are determined by the team standings of Saturday's motos. The top ranked team on Saturday gets first and 21st gate pick in Sunday's motos, second ranked gets second and 22nd, and so on.
Riders will take off from the metal starting grates, which are used at every MXGP and Supercross race (Pro Motocross still makes use of all dirt starting areas). This makes for an "equal" playing field at the start and the instant power to the ground is impressive to see.
The start section is a massive, smooth pad that leads into the Geert Timmer Tribune, where riders will make a right turn. It'll be interesting to watch every start, especially when the pack comes flying into the curve with the right foot off the peg and away from the rear brake.
A look back at the starting area from the Geert Timmer Tribune.
A gravel pit and quick chicane corner are important features to the TT Circuit Assen road course (search Marquez-Rossi Assen in YouTube), but they've been repurposed for the MXON. The gravel trap has been emptied...
More of the gravel is hidden nicely behind billboards.
Out of the first turn and into the Fox Racing Holeshot. The pack will tighten from the wide bend into the first real lane of track, which includes a split second turn.
To be honest, we'll be surprised if this feature stays through the weekend because the separator is even height as the inside speed roller and it's very likely a rider will bounce over that berm and into the outside line. And that would be chaos.
Out of the split turn and into the Hoofd Tribune. This is where the finish line has been located in past MXGP events at Assen, but this time it's just a slight chicane and a standard big air tabletop.
No, it's a grassy hillside, but we're excited to see the crowd pack into the seated bleachers and hear how the sound of noise makers and saws vibrates off the seats and metal roof.
A look back at the exit of turn two, plus a glimpse of the next lane of track.
The tabletop face.
And profile. It'll look good with a crowd to fill in behind a rider.
This turn marks the end of the MXON track's run down the front straightaway and sends the layout back to the open area that is usually the TT track's final turn.
The next lane of track features a handful of sand waves that go under a row of VIP suites and leads into a medium sized tabletop.
Ground level of sand waves that go under a row of VIP suites and leads into a medium sized tabletop. The height of the sand in this area seemed to vary from two to four feet from pavement base to peak.
FIM officials were walking the track at the same time and took notes of the obstacles for the official records.
Yes, there's rain in the forecast, remnants of recent storm systems in the Atlantic Ocean. There's been a mud race at past Assen MXGP races, so we know that the place can handle the water. The difficult thing about this week's weather is that the sky is always gray and rain comes suddenly, drop steadily, and then tapers off. Just another variable.
A look back at the waves and Hoofd Tribune.
View from the tabletop, which shows the final turns and finish line.
A pair of switchback turns come before the finish line, which would hopefully be a place that tightens the pack up at the checkered flag, or result in a single-file line through the middle.
Like we said earlier, this is like beach sand and it's very heavy with the moisture.
There was still some final work being done during our walk, but it seemed to just be last parts of the full build.
The finish line is a hefty tabletop that will be rutted and choppy by Sunday's motos.
The track crew got creative with the build and angled sand at different angles in this turn for an off chamber effect.
Another jump, with this one having a step-down style landing.
Another hairpin turn that throws the course back in the opposite direction. This turn is over cobblestone (a nod to the original TT track) and is about two and a half to three feet from pavement base to top.
The Monster Energy turn leads into this simple but long straight away that will allow riders to ride flat out.
A quick sweeper turn feeds into a roller that's built over a tunnel and into a right turn.
To keep the riders from hopping to the far inside and straying from the race line, the track crew filled in the basin with dark dirt.
The right turn after the roller.
Riders will then go through another batch of waves in the back section of the course.
After the rollers is a left-hand turn and a rise over a hump, which then sends riders by the mechanic's tower.
Looking back at the roller from the top of the mechanic's tower.
It's interesting to see that the base of the mechanic's tower is all wood this year, because of the speed track it covers.
We like the two-story signal area. We've watched our share of practices from the top level, mostly because of the TV feed and live timing results.
Another specially-made banked turn is after the work area. We don't think the MX33 will be the tire of choice this weekend...
Another tabletop is built for the fans that will occupy the Winterdijk Tribune.
Which goes into another split lane style turn.
Look back at the tabletop and split turn.
Riders will go through another wide-open area with a raised inside line before going back through the start section.
Back into the Geert Timmer Tribune.
Ready for Friday...
Living up to your text to Swap! Cool write-up. Interesting to get this sort of detail for Supercross events.
Your coverage is stellar! Like the previous comment, I personally cant wait ti “nerd out” on these details for SX this year. Great work Anton, Keep em comin