Haslam predicts tough competition at Assen WSB

Leon Haslam believes that this weekends WSB round at Assen is wide open with a host of riders all capable of fighting for glory. Last year Haslam secured second place in the opening race riding the Alstare Suzuki and was part of two all British podiums.

Speaking to MCN he said: “Johnny (Rea) has done a lot of testing there over the last three years and he got the double win here last season. He’s not had the best start to his season so I think he’ll be coming back strong at the weekend.

“The Yamaha’s will be good a good package around here. Marco (Melandri) has always been strong in MotoGP at this circuit and right now he’s clearly riding with a lot of confidence.

“Last year Leon (Camier) had a great result and I think he could have had two podiums if he hadn’t of crashed in the second race. It’s not necessarily a track where the Aprilia should shine, but Leon certainly seems to ride the track well. And then there’s Max (Biaggi) who is always going to be a contender

“Carlos (Checa) will be strong again. Historically the Ducati has always gone well at Phillip Island and Donington and last year they weren’t so strong at Assen or Monza. I’m actually looking at the next two tracks hoping to pull a few points back on Carlos. He’s going to be fast at Miller on whatever bike he rides so Assen and Monza are going to be really important for me and my championship campaign.”

Haslam currently sits third in the championship standings on 52 points – 19 points behind second place man Melandri and 38 points behind series leader Checa who has three race wins and a third place finish to his name from the opening two rounds.