The Assen TT circuit in the Netherlands has been on the MotoGP calendar for years, and it’s a really tricky circuit to consistently get right because of the subtle direction changes and higher speed corners.

It took me quite a bit of practice to be able to put a few consistent laps together here, but I did find a bike setup that made it slightly easier.

Here’s a MotoGP class bike setup for Assen TT for MotoGP 23:

• Suspension (Front Fork):
  • • Front pre-load – 4
    • Oil Quantity – 1
    • Front Spring Hardness – 2
    • Front Swingarm compression – 4
    • Front Swingarm extension – 3
• Rear Single Shock Absorber:
  • • Rear Pre-load – 2
    • Swingarm connector – 4
    • Rear spring hardness – 3
    • Single shock absorber compression – 4
    • Single shock absorber extension – 3
• Vehicle Geometry:
  • • Steering head inclination – 2
    • Trail – 4
    • Steering plate position – 3
    • Rear swingarm length – 4
• Transmission:
  • • Gears (1-6) – 5-5-5-5-4-3
    • Final ratio – 5
    • Slipper clutch – 7
• Brakes:
  • • Front disc – 355 mm
    • Rear disc – 220mm
• ECU
  • • Traction control – 5
    • Engine braking – 4
    • Anti-wheelie – 3
    • Power mapping – 2

This setup seems nicely optimized to make the cornering easier around Assen (although I would argue it’s never easy in itself – this is a tricky track to get right).

For the braking, the game actually recommends the 340mm High Mass front brake disc, but I use the maximum 355 mm one as I want stopping power around here. Brake disc is down to personal choice – using the thicker one makes the braking more responsive but slightly harder to control; using the smaller one deliver less braking power but makes the braking easier.

Also, for the ECU calibration, I use quite a high TC value of 5 to get rid of the annoying understeer that’s built into the default handling on this game. Other players prefer using a much lower TC value of 1 or 2, but again it’s down to experimentation and personal choice for each player.

I did also try my template/baseline setup for this game around this track, just with the gears/brakes/ECU ported across from the above setup. It’s not a million miles away from the one posted above, but it didn’t feel very good for me so I’m sticking to the first one for now around here.

Moto 2 and Moto3 Setups For Assen

The less powerful Moto2 and Moto3 bikes are more forgiving around a tricky circuit like Assen which has a lot of higher speed changes of direction. With the lesser acceleration, you’ve a bit more time to prepare for and react to upcoming corners, but it’s still tricky to get all the sectors right and put together consistent laps.

If you’re looking for bike setups for these classes, check out our generic setups page for MotoGP 23 for starter setups you can bolt on and test against the default game setup for easier handling or better lap times.

Tips For Riding Around Assen

I’ve always found Assen a really tricky circuit to get right. I can put one lap together, but stringing together multiple laps without crashing is a real challenge, because you’ve got lots of little corners or “kinks” to remember.

Here’s some extra tips from my experience riding around Assen:

Caution/Restraint – This is a track that seems to reward being restrained on the power and going for consistency rather than pushing for pace. Always err on the side of braking too early rather than too late, and taking a slow in, fast out approach to corner sequences seems to pay off in better lap times.

Turn 1-5 – The first section of this track isn’t too hard to learn. You’ve got a 90 degree right to start, then a fast right kink then a very sharp double apex right hairpin following by an even sharper left hairpin. So it’s basically 3 right handers followed by a left hairpin.

Turns 6/7/8 – This is the first tricky change of direction. It follows a right kink–left—-right sequence. Brake lightly for the right hander about 1 second after passing the overhead sign, then coast into the braking zone for the left that follows. Then it’s just a short dab on the power before braking for the right hander of turn 8.

Turns 9-10-11 – As soon as you exit turn 8, it’s another very short burst on the accelerator, before you brake for the left hander of 9 as soon as the kerbing on the right comes very close to the racing line. It’s easy to over-run this corner so brake hard and early, and use some extra rear brake on it’s own to tuck the bike into the corner if needed. Then it’s just a light dab on the power before you take double apex prolonged right hairpin or turn 10/11. I prefer to take a wider line into this corner, and a slow in, fast out approach also seems to work well.

Turns 12-15 – This is another tricky sequences of quick corners that you just need to learn through practice. It follows the general sequences of right kink—right kink—-left kink—-left. You can carry more speed into the corners here, but you need to lightly dab the brake and get your turn in points nailed or you’ll run off. Takes practice to get this bit right.

Turns 16-17-18 – The last few corners are a right-left-right chicane style section. Again, I find slow in, fast out, works well, braking heavily for the first right, and then accelerating through the left-right to finish the lap. You can ride the kerbs a bit for this section to gain more time, but getting enough speed scrubbed off before you enter this chicane is important to be able to stay on the right line and power through to finish the lap.

Wet conditions – Rain is not uncommon at Assen, which makes this already challenging track several steps harder. Check out our guide on riding in the wet for tips on how to stay on the bike in these conditions.

Mastering Assen TT – Track Guide