Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS moves forward in confident mood to the next stage of the 2019 Moto2 World Championship. The eighth stop is the Grand Prix of the Netherlands, which Alex Márquez and Xavi Vierge face with plenty of optimism.

• Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS travels to the Netherlands in control of the World Championship and two riders eager to continue improving at the mythical Assen circuit.
• After the Gran Premio de Catalunya, the team remained at the Catalan track to test new parts and reaffirm the development direction with the Kalex package.
• This will be the 71st Grand Prix of the Netherlands and the TT Assen is the only circuit to have featured on the schedule since the start of the World Championship in 1949. It has the second highest number of turns and the shortest straight of the year.

Circuit Information: 

. Length: 4542 metres

. Width: 12 metres

. Curves: 18 (12 to the right; 6 to the left)

. Longest straight: 487 metres

. Direction of circulation: Clockwise

. Running distance: 24 laps

. Last winner: Francesco Bagnaia

Grand Prix Schedule (mainland time):

Friday:

FP1: 10h55

FP2: 15h10

Saturday:

FP3: 10h55

Q1: 15h05

Q2: 15h30

Sunday:

WU: 9h10

RACE: 12h20

Alex Marquez:

• Alex arrives in Assen after making it three wins in consecutive races in Barcelona.
• His home Grand Prix triumph put him at the top of the Moto2 standings. He currently has 111 points, which is seven more than closest rival Thomas Lüthi.
• In 2018, Márquez took the podium in the Netherlands. Starting from fifth on the grid, he crossed the line in third place and was only 2.179 seconds behind the race winner.
• His best result at Assen to date is the 2014 victory when he raced in Moto3.

“We are in a good moment, so we will try to take advantage of it and keep it going”

“Assen is a very nice circuit and I've always enjoyed it very much. It's a fast track where any mistake is a big penalty, so you must be very focused. I'm curious to see how the Triumph engine behaves on this track. It will be a weekend of hard work in which we will have to prepare for a race that will not be easy. We have arrived at a very good moment after three victories and we will try to take advantage of that form and maintain it to reach the summer break in the best possible situation. I am very motivated and looking forward to this Grand Prix. The objective here doesn't change. We need to focus on our work from the first moment and try to finish the race in the top five.”

Xavi Vierge:

• After a difficult weekend, Xavi made a great comeback in Barcelona in front of his fans. Starting in 20th place, he crossed the finish line in eighth position.
• Vierge occupies 11th position of the general classification with 39 points.
• Despite being a track he likes very much, Xavi has not achieved good results in Assen. Last year he was unable to finish the race as he fell in turn one on lap 10 and in 2017 he did not participate in the race due to a left thumb injury suffered in FP3.

“Our goal will be to try to fight for the top five”

“Assen is a circuit I've always liked very much. The track is spectacular, with fast curves that are very easy to enjoy. I am very motivated after the Montmeló Grand Prix. It was a tough weekend but the whole team worked very well and we ended up doing a good race and getting very positive information. The test we did on Tuesday was positive and fruitful. We are still progressing and I'm looking forward to checking how the work we did will help in Assen. Our objective will be to try to fight for the top five. I am sure that if we work along the same lines as in Barcelona we will achieve it.”