The FIM World Endurance Championship starts this weekend with the Assen 500km race. The Netherlands round of the series is run on the shorter version of the famous Dutch TT Circuit, with competitors having to complete 129 laps of the track and two compulsory rider change and refuelling pitstops.

Practice and Qualifying takes place on Saturday the 26th, Easter Sunday is a day of rest and exhibitions, and the race takes place on Easter Monday the 28th supported by National and European races and the Dutch Stunt Championship. The usual endurance attractions and sideshows will keep the crowds entertained, and there will be a pit-walk before the start of the 500km race.

The winter break has seen a number of changes for the leading teams. Suzuki Castrol's Vincent Philippe will be joined by Keiichi Kitagawa on the French squad's GSX-R1000K5; they are regarded by many as the team to beat. Yamaha Austria have recruited consistent podium finisher Gwen Giabbani and will run two bikes at Assen, while Warwick Nowland joins British team Yamaha Phase One Endurance; after a disappointing year in World Superbikes, Nowland is out to show his true potential.

Italian team X-One have switched from Benelli to Yamaha for 2005, while Team 76 abandon Yamaha to become Suzuki Austria Team 76. Aprilia make a welcome return to the championship, bringing the number of manufacturers represented in the championship to seven (Aprilia, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, MV Agusta, Suzuki and Yamaha). Thirty four teams will start the race at Assen, with competitors drawn from 18 countries.

With many teams having had their winter testing programme affected by the cold weather in February, this will be the first time that they are able to truly measure themselves against the competition. Can the Yamaha teams' off-season R1 updates match the performance of Suzuki's new GSX-R? Is this the year that Kawasaki returns to World Endurance form? Can Honda's Fireblade match the other Japanese fours? Which of the Italian marques will dominate?

The 2005 World Endurance season starts here…

24th March 2005