MotoGP 2014, Assen and a special memory

Assen, the Cathedral of Speed, one of the most glorious old world racetracks holds a special place in the hearts of riders. A circuit that is fast, flowing and one that rewards skills, bravery and the ability to risk it all when the moment demands it. The Dutch crowd are a passionate lot, and the grandstands around the circuit are filled with Yellow smoke on the race weekend. It is a very special place. And MotoGP at the Dutch circuit is a special affair.

My own special memory with Assen is the fact that it is the first proper racetrack that I've ever been to. I had the chance to visit Assen for the very first time in 2013 (check the link at the end of this post for photos) and my very first visit to a MotoGP event has been at Assen in 2014. The crowd was mad, the atmosphere was festive and I got to see my heroes up close. The colours were that much more brighter, the speeds were that much more faster and the atmosphere that much more intense than I had ever seen them from the screen of the telly.

I shot all photos from the TT World Tribune which is located at the points between turn 1 (Haarbrocht) and Turn 2. It is a great place to watch the bikes power out of turn 1, especially at the first lap. You get to hear all the sounds of those unleashed liter class engines as the bikes power out of turn 1 before taking the short right hander across turn 2. All that combination of power, sound and adrenaline make for one heady mixture!

I really enjoyed that race and went back the following year in 2015 and it was a great race that time! (More on that later). Here are photos from my first MotoGP race event at the Dutch circuit of Assen.

The big screen shows the pre-race gathering on the grid.

Aerial view of the Assen circuit on the big screen.

It's a full house today!

The aerial camera helicopter.

Valentino Rossi. The first time I ever managed to catch a close up of Rossi on the Yamaha YZR M1.

Move aside, mortal!

Warm up lap shenanigans!

After this point, the bikes were really fast to get any good shots (and I didn't know how to shoot fast moving objects back then!). So I simply sat back and watched the race. Most of the pictures I clicked came out either with details blurred out, or out of focus at key points. I managed to get a few decent ones though.

#93 Marc Marquez

#46 Valentino Rossi

Elbow dragging at Turn 2!

A lonely ride for Rossi in 4th place. Exiting Turn 1.

And before I knew it, the race was over. Marquez won a dominating victory that day and the crowd was all cheers to the new kid on the block. Everyone knew Marquez was the real deal, but at that point, he was only showing signs of his brilliance.