The full entry list for the Assen 500km round of the World Endurance Championship has been announced. Thirty four teams will take part, with Dutch, German and Belgian teams making up the majority of the wild-card entries.

Many of the late additions will be familiar to endurance fans. Team Suzuki Netherland's Veenema, Janssen and Van Steepenbergen will ride a GSX-R1000, as will Hummel & DLH Racing Team's Merkens and Reisse and Polizei NRW's Stamm, Van Loock and Drive. Pajiic Kawasaki make a welcome return, and there are two Belgian Aprilia teams - Team Polytech and RVC Endurance Racing - entered.

Suzuki Castrol - last year's championship runners up - will field a single two rider team of Vincent Philippe and Keiichi Kitagawa, while rivals Yamaha Austria will split their four riders across two bikes, with Jerman and Giabanni on the number 7 machine and Saiger and Hinterreiter riding the number 77 bike. Yamaha Phase One Endurance are also aiming for a podium at every race, with double World Endurance Champion Warwick Nowland back on board.

Practice and qualifying for the race take place on Saturday the 26th of March, with the Assen 500 held on Easter Monday, the 28th of March.

21st March 2005

Full entry list here...