Six-time World Endurance Champions Suzuki Castrol will start its title defence at the opening round of the 2006 series at Assen, Holland on Bank Holiday Monday. The Suzuki Endurance Racing Team, Keiichi Kitagawa, Mathieu Lagrive and Vincent Phillipe, spearhead a full field of 42 teams aboard their GSX-R1000 Suzuki for the first of seven championship rounds that will include one faraway race in Suzuka, Japan.
The Le Mans, France-based squad take to the track on Saturday for a full day of free practice and qualifying on the new, redesigned circuit, before Monday’s four-hour race, which gets underway at 13.45 local time.
The Assen 500km race will be the first international event to be held on the new 4.5 km circuit that features a modified northern loop at the end of the start-finish straight with the Haarbocht curve. The track now kinks right through Madjik, loops right again through Ossebroken and then rejoins the old circuit at Strubben.
Event Schedule:Saturday:08.00: Free Practice.
11.00: Free Practice.
14.00: 1st Rider Qualifying.
14.30: 2nd Rider Qualifying.
15.00: 3rd Rider Qualifying.
17.20: 1st Rider 2nd Qualifying.
17.50: 2nd Rider 2nd Qualifying.
18.20: 3rd Rider 2nd Qualifying.
Monday:10.25: Warm-Up.
13.00: Start Procedure.
13.45: Start of Race (110 laps/ 501km).
Related Linkswww.suzuki-racing.com
