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Said Neukirchner, who has already stood on the podium in 2009, "Assen is not the same as it used to be and the first section now is very different to what it was before. It is not a bad track, but it's just not as fast and flowing as it used to be and so some of its appeal has gone. Last year, I took a third in the first race and a fifth in the second, so it was quite a good day for me - especially as I had broken my collarbone in Valencia in the previous round. This year's championship is more competitive than last year, so it's important to do well in practice and qualifying and then get a good grid position. I am hoping for a podium or two and can see no big reason why I cannot achieve this."

Yukio Kagayama also prefers the older Assen layout, but is aware that the main job this weekend is to qualify well and get into a good starting position for Sunday's races. "I like fast tracks with fast corners and Assen used to be one of my favourite tracks. There are still some good, fast corners, but you now have to ride the track in a different way because of the first section. This year is very tough and it is difficult to qualify well, but it is important to be on the front two rows of the grid for the races, otherwise you have a lot of work to do to get good results."