It is as clear as the Arai decal on Colin Edwards' helmet. The 2000 season and the 2000 RC51 Superbike have largely not gone as planned for Big Red. Things started off well for Honda with Edwards fast in the pre-season and very competitive in the first rounds, but after a few races were in the record books, a trend about the RC51 emerged: it doesn't like short racetracks. Since the beginning of the season Edwards and Honda have been racking their brains trying to configure the bike so that it gives good grip from the front and also from the rear. Of short courses, with short corners, the RC51 has shown its intense dislike. Here with three rounds remaining, a number of things are plaguing the Castrol Honda RC51, most of them are none too unusual for a new motorcycle in top level competition.
They are:
A lack of balance: The RC51 debuted as a pretty competent new motorcycle in World Superbike competition, but in an effort to keep the competitive pace, changes to the bike after the first few rounds stole the balance the bike had early in the season. A lack of feel from the front saw Edwards crashing occasionally, and when increased power came, well, more on that later.

A lack of traction from the front end: Honda isn't really overjoyed to talk about it, but the Castrol Honda RC51, especially in slower corners, lacks feel and traction from the front end. Like the Ducati has since, oh, 1028AD, with their Twin. Honda have undoubtedly done many mods to the '51 chassis to get it to put more weight on the front, which, if Brands Hatch was any indication, have not yet cured it.

Honda's penchant for curing problems with horsepower: HRC sent over go-fast stuff for Hockenhiem and there, on one of the truly fast classic European circuits, the power was appreciated (Edwards qualified fastest and stole Superpole, but was beaten in both races by Nori Haga and the Yamaha).

However, once the World Superbike series moved to the shorter circuits, the power was as welcome as Elvis Presley in an Amish community. As Misano, Edwards could hardly feed the gas on without the back end of the 51 wanting to come around, which it did several times and ended up with Edwards on the ground.

(Whatever bonus Edwards wins for presumably winning the title, he'll have earned it. He's crashed more this year trying to keep the pace than he ever has in his Superbike career. Frighteningly, several of the crashes have been triple-digit slides which could have quite easily ended up with Edwards in a hip to ankle cast.)

By Laguna Seca, Honda had went back to their original configuration.

The '51 worked better at Laguna Seca than anyone could have expected it to, and conventional wisdom said that perhaps Honda had cured the balance, power delivery and lack of feel problems. But the only thing that kept the RC51 competitive at Brands Hatch, was Colin Edwards. It is clear from watching the tape that the bike was not happy at the short Kent circuit. Edwards was lucky to escape with his championship lead intact.

That is why, gentle reader, Honda has to be joyously happy that the next round of the World Superbike championship happens at Assen, one of the last classic European racetracks and one that many veteran riders call their favorite (Doug Chandler, Carl Fogarty). The very fast?some would say non-homogenized?Assen racetrack gives fast motorcycles and daring riders an edge, because the straights are long, and many of the corners are taken at the top of the gearbox. There isn't a multitude of chicanes to spoil the fun ("chicken-shit chicanes", as Sir Ed of four-time used to call them). The Honda as raced by both the Castrol and the American Honda team went well at Daytona, Kyalami, Road America, Phillip Island (in qualifying), Brainerd, Donington Park and Monza. All fast, most of them classic style racetracks, and all with a generally flowing design. Like Assen.

If one had to bet, the safe bet would be that the Castrol Honda RC51 will go well at Assen.

Moreover, with the championship lead being whittled down round by round, Assen may very well be the most important World Superbike round of the year for Honda.

Foggy says Assen is the best, the rest he tolerates