MotoGP stars enjoy classic demonstration ride

On Wednesday afternoon, ahead of the seventh MotoGP round of the year, a group of premier class riders attended the MotorDreamEvenTT, at the Assen circuit’s TT Museum, providing a popular demonstration ride on some classic race machinery for the fans.

This is the World Championship’s 61st consecutive visit to ‘The Cathedral’, as Assen is known, The Netherlands’ venue being the only ‘ever-present’ on the Grand Prix calendar since 1949, so the museum event was a fitting preliminary ahead of Thursday-Saturday’s action.

Much to the interest of the cameramen and MotoGP followers in attendance, Fiat Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo showed off a Jarno Saarinen 250cc Yamaha, whilst Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Colin Edwards rode Jack Middelburg’s 500cc machine, which won at Assen in 1980.

Rizla Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen rode the 1976 500cc Suzuki of his hero and mentor Barry Sheene, Hayate Racing’s Marco Melandri took control of a Lorenzo Pasolini 1968 Benelli replica and Dutch 125cc youngster Jasper Iwema was riding a 1972 Seel machine.

Scot Racing pair Yuki Takahashi and Gabor Talmacsi, meanwhile, rode a 1976 Mike Hailwood Honda replica and a Bob McIntyre Honda respectively.

Clearly well aware of his history having mounted the classic 1970s Yamaha which had been ridden by a fellow former 250cc World Champion, current joint MotoGP standings leader Lorenzo stated, “For me it was an honour to ride the bike because it belonged to Jarno Saarinen, a Finnish rider who died in Monza in 1973. This bike is nearly 40 years old so it is very different to my M1. For me it is great to ride any bike and especially this one.”