Your first trackday at TT Circuit Assen: what to know

Your first trackday at TT Circuit Assen is about finding the flow: Assen is a fast circuit where one corner leads into the next, so a smooth, steady lap is quicker than attacking every corner. Book a day with instruction, check the noise limit of your date, and build up your speed session by session.

Right now Trackstr lists 10 upcoming dates at Assen where you can drive or ride yourself.

What makes TT Circuit Assen different?

Assen is the “Cathedral of Speed”: the home of the Dutch TT, the motorbike Grand Prix that has been held here since the 1920s. The name TT (Tourist Trophy) was granted to Assen permanently. The current circuit is 4,542 m long with 18 corners and lies just south of the town of Assen in Drenthe.

Three things stand out for a first-timer:

• Rhythm over braking. Assen has relatively few heavy braking zones. Many corners are fast and flow into each other, so your line through one corner decides your speed in the next.
• Built for motorbikes. The layout comes from motorbike racing, with long, sweeping bends. In a car this means high corner speeds and a lot of time spent turning.
• Flat and open. The track lies on flat land in the north of the Netherlands, so wind can affect the car or bike on the straights.

How does a lap of Assen feel?

A lap runs from the start-finish straight through a series of fast and medium-speed corners, a long fast section on the far side of the circuit and back to the final chicane, the Geert Timmer chicane, which brings you onto the start-finish straight. That chicane is where many MotoGP races are decided on the last lap.

On a trackday, the driving notes are simple:

1. Learn the lines first. In the first session, drive or ride a gear higher than you think and focus on where each corner leads.
2. Be smooth in the fast sections. Abrupt steering or braking in a fast corner unsettles the car or bike. Small inputs are faster here.
3. Get the final chicane right. A clean exit from the Geert Timmer chicane carries you down the whole start-finish straight.

Follow the briefing and your instructor on the day: they show you the braking points and the parts of the kerbs you may use.

What are the noise limits at Assen?

Noise limits at Assen are set per day by the organiser. For the upcoming dates on Trackstr: The circuit publishes no general limit: organisers set it per day (often 101 dB drive-by). Check with the organiser..

Check the limit of your exact date on the organiser’s website before you book, especially with a loud exhaust.

Which days can you book at Assen?

Assen has days for cars and for motorbikes: trackdays, free practice, racing courses and driving experiences. Upcoming days to drive or ride yourself are run by Cool Driving Events, Junkyardrace, PureDriving, Rensportschool Zandvoort and RSZ Autosport. Published prices for upcoming trackdays: €41.

The next dates are:

• Fri 30 Oct: Junkyardrace – Trackday Auto's
• Sat 31 Oct: PureDriving – Trackday Auto's
• Sun 1 Nov: PureDriving – Trackday Auto's
• Wed 4 Nov: Cool Driving Events – Racecursus Auto's
• Sat 7 Nov: RSZ Autosport – Trackday Auto's

How do you prepare for your first Assen trackday?

• Check your car or bike. Brakes, tyres and fluids in good condition, no leaks. Many organisers do a technical check at sign-in.
• Bring the right gear. A helmet for cars (or check if you can rent one); full leathers, boots, gloves and helmet for motorbikes.
• Arrive early for sign-in and the briefing, which explains the flags, overtaking rules and the noise limit of the day.
• Book instruction for your first visit: a coach shows you the lines much faster than you find them alone.
• Plan your travel. The circuit lies on the south-western edge of Assen, at De Haar.

Then build up: learn the lines, then the braking points, and only then add speed. Once Assen’s rhythm clicks, it is one of the most satisfying circuits in Europe.