Stands set to float over Assen TT
Construction has begun on new 'floating' stands at the Circuit van Drenthe in Holland, home of the Dutch TT.
The 200-metre long and 8-meter high sand wall that had served as a base for the finish stands (and part of the Winterdijk stands) will make way for the new structure.
The new stands will be 200 metres long with two concrete support structures. Above these, long 50-metre 'floating' stands will be built on a steel frame.
Extra space freed up by the elevated stands will allow the gravel trap at the chicane to be extended, at the request of the MotoGP riders, which will continue underneath the seating area. This inventive plan guarantees the safety of the riders, and allows the Geert Timmer Curve seating to remain in place.
Diggers get to work on the new stands.
Pictures: TT Assen
The new 'floating' stands will comprise over 6,700 comfortable preformed plastic seats, and will be connected directly to both the main grandstand and, via a rising curve, the Winterdijk stands, which will also be raised up one metre.
Like the main grandstand, the bottom row of the new finish stands start at a height of four metres, which means that the racing fans no longer have to watch through the fencing, and the highest point reaches up to a height of fifteen metres, which affords the spectators a unique panoramic view of the TT Circuit Assen.
Construction is expected to take up the entire winter period, after which the new finish grandstands can be 'broken in' ahead of the 75th Dutch TT on 25 June 2005.
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