The TT Circuit Assen is a motorsport race track built in 1955 and located in Assen, Netherlands.
Host of the Dutch TT, it is popularly referred to as "The Cathedral" of motorcycling by the fans of the sport.
The venue holds the record for being the only circuit to have hosted a Grand Prix motorcycle event every year since the series was created in 1949.
It has a capacity of 110,000 spectators, including 60,000 seats.
Since 1992, the circuit has also been part of the Superbike World Championship calendar.
History
thumb|left|250px|Original Dutch TT Van Drenthe Circuit (1926–1954) thumb|left|250px|Training session in front of the grandstand thumb|right|250px|Panoramic view of the TT Circuit Assen The original Assen track was first used for the 1926 Dutch TT (Tourist Trophy) race, after the first 1925 event was held on country roads through the villages of Rolde, Borger, Schoonloo and Grolloo, and organized by the Motorclub Assen en Omstreken.
The brick- and semi-paved track had a length of .
The winner was Piet van Wijngaarden on a 500 cc Norton with an average speed of .
From 1926 on the Dutch TT was held at Assen on a street circuit through De Haar, Barteldsbocht, Oude Tol, Hooghalen, Laaghalen and Laaghalerveen.
In 1951 the Italian Umberto Masetti took the record on a 500 cc Gilera with an average speed of .
In 1954, Geoff Duke of Great Britain reached .
The circuit remained unchanged until 1955, when a whole new circuit was built by using a third of the original street circuit, joined with purpose-built sections, but less than a third of the length and much more like a modern road racing circuit.
In the period of 1999-2002, the circuit invested millions in upgrades.
In 1999, the circuit management placed a new main grandstand and hospitality buildings.
In 2000, a new Race Control tower was built, as well as 34 newly equipped pit boxes, a new media and medical centre.
Between September 2001 and April 2002, another 9 million Euro's is spent on the enlargement of the paddock area from 40 to 60.000 square metres.
This upgrade meant that the Veenslang and Ruskenhoek corners had to be altered.
The main straight has also moved about 50 metres eastwards and a new two-lane tunnel now connects the paddock with the main entrance road and the media accreditation / welcome centre.
The Mandeveen and Duikersloot corners have been moved back by 10 metres to accommodate larger run-offs and gravel beds at the southern part of the circuit.
That part of the track has also been resurfaced with new asphalt.
In total, the circuit has been shortened from 6.049 to 6.027 miles.
The total amount of costs on these upgrades is 23 million Euro's.
In 2005, the grandstand at the Geert Timmer corner was slightly altered.
In order to improve the gravel run-off length, the grandstand was made in a 'floating' manner to accommodate the extra space that was needed.
The lay-out of the circuit was also slightly altered.
The circuit was fundamentally redesigned again in 2006, becoming the so-called A-Style Assen TT Circuit.
All alterations aside, only one section of the circuit is original; the finish line never moved.
On 21 September 2009 it was announced that a new chicane will be added, after a request from the A1GP organization, Dagblad van het Noorden  however A1GP was unable to start the 2009–2010 season and as a substitute the Superleague Formula replaced A1GP.
Current racetrack
thumb|Main straight.
Assen race track was built in 1955, and initially had a length of .
The current track has a length of  with the mixture of super fast flat-out and slow corners.
The longest straight is .
The curves in Assen were traditionally banked and the surface is extremely grippy, so the riders were able to drive much faster on the course than other circuits.
Today these sloped or curved bends have been modified due to safety issues.
Lap records
The official fastest race lap records at the TT Circuit Assen are listed as:
Innovation
On 6 July 2004 the organization announced plans for an amusement park located to the north of the track.
In 2006 the northern loop was removed and the length was shortened to 4,555 meters.
The new center is expected to be visited by 300,000 people, and the total investment is approximately €85 million.
Events
April: Superbike World Championship
June: Dutch TT
July: DTM
August: Gamma Racing Day
Supercar Challenge
BOSS GP
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC
CIK-FIA European Superkart Championship
FIM Motocross World Championship
September: British Superbike Championship
October: Finaleraces
Supercar Challenge
CIK-FIA European Superkart Championship
See also
Dutch TT
MotoGP
References
External links
RacingCircuit.info's history of the TT Circuit Assen
Trackpedia's guide to racing and tracking at Assen
TT Circuit Assen homesite
Assen Assen Assen Category:Motorsport venues in Drenthe Category:Sport in Assen Category:Buildings and structures in Assen Category:1955 establishments in the Netherlands Category:Sports venues completed in 1955
