TT Circuit Assen

Circuit guide by Chris Pollitt · dates updated 2 November 2026

Assen has hosted the Dutch TT since 1926, first on public roads around the town and then on a purpose-built circuit from 1955. It has run a Grand Prix motorcycle race nearly every year since 1949, more than anywhere else, and World Superbikes since 1992. The northern loop was cut off in 2006, which left today's 4.542km lap with 18 corners. Bike racers call it the Cathedral of Speed, and once you've ridden it you'll understand why.

It's a bike circuit first and foremost, and that's what most UK visitors come for, but car days run here too through organisers like GP Elite. The track is wide (10 to 14 metres), flat and full of banked, fast corners that flow from one to the next, with tarmac run-off in many places. It's not a novice circuit in the sense of being easy to go fast, but it's a forgiving place to learn a big track, and the rhythm keeps people coming back.

A lap of TT Circuit Assen

Layout: Grand Prix, 4.542 km (2.82 miles)

The lap starts with the Haarbocht, a right at the end of the start-finish straight and also where the pit exit rejoins. From there the 2006 loop takes you right through Madijk and on through Ossebroeken, a run of right-handers past the grandstands where the last two corners merge into one. This first section is tighter and slower than the rest of the lap, so it's where you pass people and where you get your braking wrong if you're not careful. It ends at De Strubben, a left-hand hairpin where bikes drop to around 75km/h.

Get a good drive out of Strubben, because the Veenslang is the fastest bit of the lap, a 560-metre straight where MotoGP bikes reach about 275km/h. At the end is Ruskenhoek, a fast right-left that looks like a chicane on the map but is far too quick and open to ride like one. Carry the speed through and set up for Stekkenwal, a hard right that's a proper braking zone. Then it's a bending straight to De Bult, a left where bikes drop to second gear and another good passing spot.

Next come Mandeveen and Duikersloot, a run of right-handers in the southern loop that seem to go on forever. Many of the corners at Assen are banked, which helps you carry speed, but it also tempts people into tipping in too fast. From Meeuwenmeer the lap opens up again through the fast Hoge Heide sweepers, and racers will be in sixth gear before the long left at Ramshoek.

Ramshoek is properly quick. You arrive very fast and have to keep a lot of speed through the corner, which takes commitment and a smooth line. Straight after it is the Geert Timmer chicane, a left-right that's the only real chicane on the lap and where many races are decided. Brake hard and straight, get the bike or car turned, and drive out cleanly for the start straight.

Track day tips

• The track day noise limit is usually 101dB. Many UK bikes with aftermarket cans will need a baffle.
• Ramshoek is very fast. Build up to it over several laps rather than charging it in your first session.
• The Geert Timmer chicane comes up quickly after Ramshoek. Pick a clear braking marker and stick to it.
• The asphalt is high in bitumen, so grip changes a lot with temperature. It can feel greasy on a cold morning.
• The banked corners can trick you into carrying too much entry speed. Focus on rhythm and exit speed.
• If you're riding over from the UK, bring your V5C and European breakdown cover, and book the ferry early around Dutch TT and WorldSBK weekends.

Getting there

The circuit is at De Haar 9, on the southern edge of Assen, in the north-east of the Netherlands. From Calais, it's about 530km by motorway through Belgium and across the Netherlands, ending on the A28 past Zwolle. For many UK riders it's easier to take the overnight Hull to Rotterdam ferry or the Harwich to Hook of Holland crossing, which leave you roughly 250km away. Groningen Eelde is the nearest airport, with Amsterdam Schiphol further away. Assen and Groningen both have plenty of hotels.