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TT Circuit Assen

De Haar, Assen, Nederland
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Miata
GT3 RS
FZ1
F1
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MX-5 Miata
911 GT3 RS 4.0
Yamaha FZ1
F1 Car
Length:
2.82 MI
4.54 KM
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*PLEASE NOTE* The racing lines and simulations shown here are based on a simplified analysis that does not incorporate 3D effects such as camber and elevation, track irregularities, or surface conditions. It assumes perfect grip and perfect pilot control. Always temper your approach to a racetrack with common sense and an awareness of your skill level. Be safe out there!
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Lap Times Explained

Each column represents a vehicle driven on different racing lines. For example, the first row of the first column is the time for the Miata driven on its own line. The second row represents the Miata driven on the Porsche's racing line, and so on. It is expected that when a vehicle is driven on its own line (large font) the lap time will be the quickest. Otherwise, Al has not done his job very well.

Vehicle
Line Miata GT3 RS Moto F1 beta
Miata 2'03.73 +1.24 +2.30 +0.43
GT3 RS +1.46 1'45.91 +0.95 +0.75
Moto +1.85 +0.45 1'47.22 +1.56
F1 +1.38 +1.88 +3.03 1'10.62

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TT Circuit Assen

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You are welcome to suggest a resource for TT Circuit Assen. Valuable resources include:
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Resources which are excellent demonstrations or discussions of the racing line at this circuit will be added to the page. Thank you for contributing!

The Racing Line at TT Circuit Assen

Dubbed "The Cathedral" of motorcycling, TT Circuit Assen is home to the Dutch TT, which is the longest running event on the MotoGP calendar. World Superbike also competes at the circuit, along with a sprinkling of other events throughout the year.

Despite its legendary status, Assen is actually a fairly tight circuit, with 20 turns packed into a length of about 2.8 miles. The racing line has a couple has a couple surprises, with Al's approach different significantly from convention in a couple areas.

After braking down from the back straight, the main idea in Turns 1 and 2 is to utilize a flowing line that goes from the left edge of the track following Turn 1, to the apex at Turn 2, to the left edge again before entering Turn 3. Only the Miata straightens the steering between 1 and 2 - the other vehicles should carry a continuous rightward lateral load from Turn 1 to Turn 5.

How far out you go between Turns 3 and 4 is mostly a matter of preference, as the lines are fairly interchangeable. Entering Turn 5, Al has every vehicle driving straight from the apex at 4 to the first of two apexes in Turn 5. This is in direct opposition to the established approach, which is to keep farther to the right while exiting Turn 4 and swing in for a single late apex at Turn 5. Despite the definite prevalence of that approach, it is virtually guaranteed to be slower than the optimized line. If you happen to be behind anyone taking the wide line, by using Al's approach you can virtually pass at will. If you get a good drive out of the corner, unless they draft you there's no reason they'll pass you back on the straight.

Exiting Turn 5, only the Miata ends up using the full width of the track. High power vehicles benefit more from straightening out early and getting on the gas harder. The difference in a wide or not-wide exit, however, is only a couple hundredths of a second.

Keep up the speed at Turn 8, such that you're carried all the way to the left and can smoothly transition into Turn 9. Exiting 9, Al recommends staying left of mid-track in order to have the best approach into Turn 10. Turn 11 is the opposite, where you should exit all the way to the right and only the Miata comes back past half track berfore turning into Turn 12.

Skipping ahead to Turn 15, this is where you begin the setup for Ramshoek. Don't hit the apex at Turn 16, or the right edge of the track prior to Turn 17 (except for the Miata). The chicane, Geert Timmer Bocht, is the final opportunity for brave overtakes before returning to the start/finish line. All vehicles can be at high or full throttle from the apex of 18 through the end of the back straight.

BMW M3 Youngtimer Trophy Race

Founder's Notes

This clip is a good all-around track tutorial. Notice the drivers rarely enter Turn 5 from very wide.

Pieter Bos - Porsche 996 GT3 Cup

Founder's Notes

Pieter demonstrates the dominance that can be dealt when behind the wheel of a GT3 Cup. The setup into Turn 5 is slightly wide on most laps, but he takes a tighter line at the 8:10 mark in the video, perhaps to protect the inside.

Onboard with the Factory Yamaha

Founder's Notes

Going pretty fast, there.

Fast Bikes at Assen

Founder's Notes

Mystery riders aboard a mystery ride. A rather furious pace in this vid - this pilot still suffers from wide entry at Strubben when traffic is light. Pay attention to the line through 9, where these riders stick to the inside through most of the corner.

Henrik Lilja Takes 3rd in Superkart Championship

Founder's Notes

Hard driving from Henrik in this video. You should notice many drivers taking a tight line through Strubben. Particularly at around 3:45 in the video, there is a group of three cars ahead of Henrik. The first two take a wide entry into Turn 5, and the third takes it tight. The second car ends up leaving the inside vulnerable and gets passed.