MotoGP's Dutch round continues our European tour at the beginning and middle parts of the season, and you'll need a good setup to be fast for the MotoGP 23 Dutch Grand Prix!
We're really impressed by MotoGP 23 and you read why by heading over to our full review. MotoGP 23 is probably the best motorbike games on the video gaming market, but it's anything but easy.
In MotoGP 23's Career Mode, the eighth round of your first full season takes place in the Netherlands. The Dutch TT is Round 8 on the full calendar, but isn't featured on the short calendar.
Assen is the oldest circuit on the MotoGP 23 calendar and is one of the tightest and twistiest out there. Setting the bike up to be fast in Holland is so tough, but we're here for you with our MotoGP 23 Italian setup guide!
MotoGP 23 Dutch setup
Assen has been on the MotoGP calendar every year since 1949 and the circuit has remained almost unchanged in over 70 years. While the track is as flat as a pancake, it's still a major challenge.
Corners are deceptively slow and tighten a lot towards their apexes. Run-off is almost non-existent as well and the gravel traps are waiting to swallow you up if you go wide.
Starting with the tyres, we think that going middle of the road with Mediums on the front and rear. A soft on either rear or the front can work out, but you will have to save the tyres in the closing laps.
A Hard tyre on the front is probably too much, as the corners here aren't fast enough to merit that level of tyre life.
Suspension
Front pre-load needs to be low at 2 to allow for more consistent steering around Assen's longer corners. Oil quality should be up at 4, with the front spring hardness also at 4.
The front fork compression is best at 4, as with the extension of the fork at 5.
On the rear, the rear pre-load has to go up to 5 with the Swingarm connector around 4. Spring hardness should be down at 3, with shock absorber compression up at 5 and the extension also at 4 to help the bike's overall grip.
Vehicle geometry
For your Vehicle Geometry, the steering head inclination should be up at 4 to allow for more consistent steering.
The trail should be down at 2, but the steering plate needs to be up at 5. Lastly, the rear swingarm length needs to be up at 5.
Transmission
Your gears in Holland should start low and get higher as you get closer to top gear. This is because the the slow corners here are very slow but the overall top speed is quite high.
So, these gear ratios strike a great compromise between overall speed and acceleration. The slipper clutch should be at 4, though, to help the bike's stability.
Brake System
In the Netherlands, there is a big braking zone into Turns 1 and 8. This alone means you need powerful brakes and there are more significant braking zones in other areas of the track as well.
A 340mm high mass brake on the front and a 220mm on the rear are the best options here.
ECU
As usual, electronic aids that are available to you in MotoGP definitely come in handy here. You'll need to turn all of them up quite high to keep your bike on the road. Traction Control only needs to be up at 3 though, as there aren't many major acceleration zones.
Engine Braking should be cranked up to 3 in order to shave speed around the long corners. Anti-wheelie only needs to be at around 3 thanks to the circuit's flat nature.
Power mapping is best at 3 for a flying lap, but you'll need to turn this around during some points in the race. This is to save the engine and fuel.
All of these can be adjusted out on track using the HUD in the bottom-right of the screen.