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MotoGP riders talk the Assen TT through their eyes

June 27, 2021 mcnews Leave a comment

2021 MotoGP Round Nine Assen Quotes

Fabio Quartararo – P1

“I’m really happy, especially because during the weekend I did only bad starts, and I mean really bad, and I was actually a bit worried. But with the team we always get the job done and save the best for the race. Today it was like this, so I am so happy. It was a really good race. It was a tough one, but we did it. I think today is the perfect day to go on holiday after a victory. I will go see my family straight away to enjoy this moment and spend some time with them.”

Fabio Quartararo extended his championship lead to 34-points

Maverick Vinales – P2

“For me this was a great Sunday too! It‘s been a long time since I was last on the podium. It was good. Honestly, I‘m very happy. Actually, the second part of the race was fast. I was able to do fast laps, but I just expected a bit more from the beginning. I knew immediately when I was behind Nakagami for ten laps that I lost the race, because also the tyres suffered. Zarco was attacking me, and I was controlling the gap between me and Nakagami to make sure I wasn‘t overheating the tyres, so it was a very complicated race, but in the end, it finished in a good way.”

2021 Assen MotoGP podium
1 Fabio Quartararo – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – 40:35.031
2 Maverick Viñales – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – +2.757
3 Joan Mir – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki – +5.760

Joan Mir – P3

“I did everything I could to get a good result for the team and for myself ahead of the summer break; this podium is really important and we couldn’t ask for much more today. It wasn’t easy to get up to third, especially against the Ducatis, but I made a good start and tried to make clean passes. I had one or two moments that were a bit close to the limit and I’m sorry if I was too close sometimes. We’ve struggled more than we expected in the first half of the season, and it’s crucial to go into the break as close to the top guys as possible so I’m satisfied and today has given us a boost. There is still plenty of time to go this year, and we’re aiming to becoming more competitive, bring new parts, and be even closer to the top. Overall, we’re happy with how the season has been going, and this result brings a nice feeling to all of us.”

Joan Mir doggedly worked his way up to podium contention

Johann Zarco – P4

“I am very satisfied. It was an extremely difficult race and we were able to handle it the best we could. At one point I even thought I could make the podium. All this makes me feel very confident and has given me greater certainty for the second part of the championship.”

Miguel Oliveira – P5

“A tough weekend but we’re happy to take home a 5th place and finish this period of four races in the top five and with decent points. This was the best we could hope for today and now we’ll take a rest. We’re fully motivated to continue the work once the summer break is over and we get into the second half of the season.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P6

“Today has probably been one of the most difficult races I’ve ever had in MotoGP. I tried hard to defend myself from Fabio, but it was clear I couldn’t stay with him when he passed me. In the first part of the circuit, I made up some ground, but I lost a lot from him in the last sector. It was hard fighting with Nakagami too. In my attempt to defend myself, I exceeded the track limits twice and had to serve a long lap penalty. At that point, it wasn’t easy to make up positions. I apologise to my team for this mistake, which I could have avoided, but today I really gave it all to try and bring home as many points as possible”.

After taking his long lap penalty Bagnaia had a determined Marc Marquez to deal with

Marc Marquez – P7

“I am very happy today, sure if you check the result and see seventh it’s not too impressive but when you start from 20th on the grid, it’s not too bad. I was pushing a lot in the opening lap and I was up to 12th. Then I made a mistake in the middle of the race and lost contact with the front group. From then I just focused on coming back and I was able to ride well until the end with a nice battle with Aleix Espargaro in the last laps as well. I was destroyed physically so could not challenge Pecco more. When I came back to the box I said thanks to the team and Honda because after Friday’s crash, they gave me the confidence again by changing some parameters with the TC and I was able to ride well. The potential of the bike was a podium if we had started in the front. Now for the summer break, time to rest and recover and come back stronger for the second half of the season.”

Marc Marquez was in the cut and thrust of battles right from lights going out all the way to the flag

Aleix Espargaro – P8

“We can be proud of what we’ve done in this first half of the season. I had an outstanding pace again in this race, better than what we managed to put into practice. My fast lap at the end of the race when I was alone is demonstration of that. Unfortunately, when we are behind certain rivals, the difference in power makes it hard to overtake. The RS-GP accelerates well and has very little wheelie thanks to the aerodynamics, plus it is very competitive on all the sectors. We are truly very close to having a technical package that will let us battle for the podium in every single race. I know that the team is working hard and I’m sure that we’ll be able to count on a further evolution even before the end of the season.”

Takaaki Nakagami – P9

“This was quite a positive race. At the beginning of the race I was ready to go, ready to fight and I was in P3. I tried to overtake Bagnaia but it was really difficult and overall I’m happy about the race performance. Of course, in the middle of the race I had one big mistake and dropped positions and ending up in P9 was not the best result. But I’m happy about the feeling of the bike and it was nice to be in P2 and P3 during the race. I want to say thanks to the team and I’m really looking forward to the two races in Austria after the summer break.”

Pol Espargaro – P10

“I knew it would be a difficult race, I am still unable to overtake at the start of the race with a full tank of fuel. If I am alone, I can run with a good pace, like in Warm Up, but as soon as I am in trouble with other riders around – I am too defensive and I stop riding how I want to and I make mistakes. Again, we need to improve our Saturday to be in a better position for Sunday so we are not starting behind. The job for after the summer break is to improve Qualifying, but now we head to the break. The start of the season hasn’t been how I wanted so I am looking forward to this time to rest and reset.”

Alex Rins – P11

“I was very unlucky today because I made an incredible start and I felt able to fight for the Top three or four, I was with the lead group. Then in Turn 10 I went in like normal, when another rider arrived very fast and his winglet hit my arm, so the only thing I could do was pick up the bike to avoid crashing. If I hadn’t been there he would have run off for sure, but instead he hit me. But this situation was out of my hands, so I just had to try and do my best after that. My race pace was good and it allowed me to climb up to 11th. It’s a shame to have another race with unlucky circumstances, I’ve been fast in a lot of races but I’ve had crashes and incidents that have prevented me getting good results, but now we’ll go into the break and come back stronger and more ready for part two.”

Brad Binder – P12

“Difficult race for me. Starting in 21st and trying to pass the guys in the beginning, and then I clearly didn’t have the speed in the first stages of the race. As the laps went down I started to improve my riding at different points on the track and went quicker. At the end I could match my quickest time on the last lap. I’m glad I made an improvement, but I lost too much time early on. It was an up-and-down weekend and I got a bit lost but I gave ‘my all’ in the race. I was a bit disappointed with 12th but we’ll re-group and come back stronger in the next phase of the season.”

Danilo Petrucci – P13

“In the end we were able to score some points. It was a difficult race because at the beginning I had to recover many positions and I had a lot of fights. I maybe used the rear tyre too much and was not able to stick with Brad [Binder] in front of me. But anyway, regarding the fact that I had to start from P18, it was good to finish and get some points. I gave my best. For sure we have to improve Qualifying for the next races.”

Álex Márquez – P14

“I’m sad about the race today, I struggled a lot and didn’t enjoy it. It was a long race for me physically, when you don’t have the bike in hand and it’s not stable it’s very difficult. We made some changes in the warm-up that were maybe not the best solution, but in the warm-up I felt a bit better. The first time here on a MotoGP bike at Assen is difficult and maybe this is not the best track for our bike. Now, we have the summer break and it will be good for me and the team to rest, recharge batteries and come up with an action plan to improve in the second part of the season. We’ll be ready.”

Enea Bastianini – P15

“It was a good race, but I spent a lot of energy, and it was hard to get to the end. In the early stages I lost some time, but when I relaxed and let go, I felt more comfortable. We didn’t have a bad race, we probably need to improve a bit to find the limit of this bike. Now we have a few weeks to rest and to train because MotoGP is very tiring, both physically and mentally.”

Lorenzo Savadori – P16

“My race was conditioned primarily by the time lost at the beginning in the battle with Bastianini, where I was unable to maintain my lines and my pace. In the central part of the race, staying in the slipstream for a long time, the front pressure went up a bit and I was forced to slow my pace. In the finale I was back to lapping well, but it was too late by then and that is truly a pity.”

Garrett Gerloff – P17

“It had its difficulties for sure, like trying to remember the start procedure on the bike and understanding what the cold brakes would be like going into the first corner. I’m happy that I made it to the finish line, but I am a little disappointed with how far back I was. I was able to stay with Luca [Marini] at the start of the race, although I wish I could have passed him a little earlier as the others were just ahead and maybe I could have latched onto them. I am happy with today though and being able to finish my first MotoGP race. I just want to thank Petronas Yamaha SRT for the opportunity to ride their bike, to be here this weekend and I wish all the best to Franco in his recovery.”

Luca Marini – P18

“Today I struggled a lot. After free practice I chose the medium tire for the race, I felt confident, but with less grip it was not the best option. Like the other Ducatis, I had a lot of movement on the bike under acceleration that I had to manage. A shame and something to work on for the next races. In FP4 I didn’t feel comfortable on the hard, but with the medium I was able to ride as I wanted. Today with the wind it was more difficult. It’s time to enjoy a few days of relaxation and we’ll get back to work in Austria. I’m looking forward to it.”

Iker Lecuona – DNF

“I felt strong in the race. I overtook some riders but lost a lot of time fighting with another rider. There I lost the contact to the front group but my pace good enough to stay in P11. I was fighting with Pol Espargaro but then he started to push a lot and I couldn’t follow him anymore. At least I managed to defend my position and then I made a mistake. I touched the white line and lost the front. I need to say sorry: I had a very strong weekend but it was also important to finish the race before the summer break. I didn’t finish but, in general, I’m still happy about my improvements.”

Jorge Martín – DNF

“Unfortunately, for two races in a row, I have been restrained by my physical condition. I had a good race pace and could have made the top ten but I still haven’t completely recovered. The break we now have will help a great deal; I will be back in Austria in perfect health.”

Valentino Rossi – DNF

“The result today is a shame because my pace this weekend was not too bad and I could have had a decent race. Unfortunately I had a bad start and we had changed something in the strategy, which meant I did not feel at 100%. When you are behind it is hard because it creates problems with the front tyre, you lose some grip. I managed some overtakes and then pushed to join the group but I lost the front. I’m lucky though because it was a high-speed crash but I am fine. In this first half of the season we expected to be more competitive, have a bit more speed and be able to fight for better positions but there have been some races where I am not too bad.”

Jack Miller – DNF

“This is definitely not the easiest track for us, but I was hoping for a different ending to this weekend. Unfortunately, at turn five, there was a bit of confusion with Nakagami and Mir, and in an attempt to avoid a possible contact, I braked too early and lost control of the front, which caused me to crash. At that moment, I was maybe more focused on what was happening in front of me and not on my riding, and obviously, I am annoyed about this mistake. It’s a pity because it was important to get some points today, but it is what it is. We are not far behind in the Championship, so now we have to move on and try to get back to winning ways in the next two races scheduled in Austria after the summer break”.

Team Managers

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

“It‘s been a perfect weekend at the Assen track for us, and a perfect way to close the first half of the season. We thought it was going to be a fight between Maverick and Fabio, but in the end, it didn‘t quite come to that. Once Fabio made his move on Bagnaia stick, he saw the opportunity to break away and took it. His strategy was faultless, and he managed the race perfectly, so these 25 points were totally deserved. Maverick‘s start lost him some time and cost him the opportunity to fight for the win. But we can only admire his multitasking skills today. He was holding off Zarco and at the same time trying to find a way through on Nakagami. That‘s a difficult balancing act, and in the end his efforts were rewarded with a really positive second place. This 1-2 is great for Yamaha and is a direct result of everyone’s hard work over the first half of the season. It‘s Yamaha’s 750th and 751st premier class podium, and it’s like a gift to all of us because we can now start the summer break on a high note as we look forward to the second half of the season.”

Fabio Quartararo and Yamaha celebrate Yamaha 1-2 with Maverick Vinales

Shinichi Sahara – Suzuki Project Leader and Team Director

“Our riders started from the third and fourth rows today but they both recovered quickly at the beginning of the race. Unfortunately Alex was pushed out by another rider but luckily he was OK and he managed to make a good comeback and get some valuable points for the championship so we’re pleased. Joan was very consistent and he did a great job, especially from 10th on the grid. He achieved his third podium of the year, which is a really nice result to end the first half of the season. We know we still have room for improvement so we won’t rest in the break, but we’re happy with today’s efforts.”

Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager

“It was a very tough race today, but Joan did an incredible race from 10th on the grid and he got a podium which was a really good result. This means that we can restart after the summer break with a positive mindset. Alex was unlucky today, because for sure he had podium potential but the incident prevented this. He did very well to recover and bring home some points, he made the best of a bad situation. In the factory we will seize the summer break to work on some improvements for the second half of the season, and we will come back with strong attitude.”

Mike Leitner – Red Bull KTM Race Manager

“We knew this track would be tricky for us. We didn’t race here last year and then FP2 was wet so we lost some valuable track time. When you cannot achieve all your goals but also score 5th position we have to be happy. Miguel was strong in that group and Brad suffered from qualifying. He was a rookie here on the KTM RC16 but was making good lap-times by the end. It was some more experience for him. Iker was having such a good weekend and his crash was a shame. We feel sorry for him because it had been a good performance. Danilo was just behind Brad and, overall, we need to think about what we can do better. Now we have the summer break and it’s good for everybody because it has been a demanding season so far with the travel restrictions. We have two riders in the top ten in the championship and Miguel has been one of the top points scorers from the last four races. We’ve made good progress and it’s a nice situation to be in when we next come together for two home GPs.”

Razlan Razali – Petronas SRT Team Principal

“It was a good effort from Garrett, who is filling in for Franco this weekend, to end the race 17th, in his first experience of a full MotoGP weekend. We wish Franco a speedy recovery and hope to have him back stronger soon. It is a shame that Rossi had his crash, because his pace this weekend has been good.”

Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 KTM Team Manager

“Not the way we expected to finish the first part of the championship here in Assen. We’ve been quite competitive all though practices and even Qualifying. We knew the lap times were going to be very close and it’s going to be a long and tough race, but nevertheless, I think both, Iker and Danilo got a pretty good start, gained some positions and we were really pleased to see Iker fighting with what we can call the front group. Until he lost the front in the last chicane, he was holding a strong 11th position behind Pol Espargaro, opening the gap on the guys behind him and we were quite happy. The lap times have been impressive, but unfortunately, we couldn’t see the chequered flag, so that’s no points.”

“On the other side Danilo put his head down with a tough grid position. He managed to do a few overtakes and had a strong rhythm, but that couldn’t be any better than 13th, which is right behind Brad Binder, who is a kind of reference for us. I think he gave all he had. He was pretty exhausted at the end of the race. This is a very tough track to pass, we could see that. Still, I think it’s a lot better than a few races to go for our two guys.”

“Now it’s time to have a rest for the two riders and the team. We will restart in Austria, which is KTM home territory, where we have an incredible memory of last year – the first ever win for Tech3 in the MotoGP class and the first ever win for Miguel Oliveira in MotoGP class. I don’t want to say we aim to repeat that, but we go there with high hopes, knowing that the bike is competitive there and there is no reason we shouldn’t be fighting in the top 10 again with our two guys. I wish some good holidays to the whole team!”

2021 Assen MotoGP Race Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	Fabio QUARTARARO	Yamaha	40m35.031
2	Maverick VIÑALES	Yamaha	+2.757
3	Joan MIR	Suzuki	+5.76
4	Johann ZARCO	Ducati	+6.13
5	Miguel OLIVEIRA	KTM	+8.402
6	Francesco BAGNAIA	Ducati	+10.035
7	Marc MARQUEZ	Honda	+10.11
8	Aleix ESPARGARO	Aprilia	+10.346
9	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	Honda	+12.225
10	Pol ESPARGARO	Honda	+18.565
11	Alex RINS	Suzuki	+21.372
12	Brad BINDER	KTM	+21.676
13	Danilo PETRUCCI	KTM	+27.783
14	Alex MARQUEZ	Honda	+29.772
15	Enea BASTIANINI	Ducati	+32.785
16	Lorenzo SAVADORI	Aprilia	+37.573
17	Garrett GERLOFF	Yamaha	+53.213
18	Luca MARINI	Ducati	+1m06.791
Not Classified
DNF	Iker LECUONA	KTM	8 Laps
DNF	Jack MILLER	Ducati	8 Laps
DNF	Jorge MARTIN	Ducati	12 Laps
DNF	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	19 Laps

2021 MotoGP Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Bike	Points
1	Fabio QUARTARARO	Yamaha	FRA	156
2	Johann ZARCO	Ducati	FRA	122
3	Francesco BAGNAIA	Ducati	ITA	109
4	Joan MIR	Suzuki	SPA	101
5	Jack MILLER	Ducati	AUS	100
6	Maverick VIÑALES	Yamaha	SPA	95
7	Miguel OLIVEIRA	KTM	POR	85
8	Aleix ESPARGARO	Aprilia	SPA	61
9	Brad BINDER	KTM	RSA	60
10	Marc MARQUEZ	Honda	SPA	50
11	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	Honda	JPN	41
12	Pol ESPARGARO	Honda	SPA	41
13	Franco MORBIDELLI	Yamaha	ITA	40
14	Alex RINS	Suzuki	SPA	33
15	Alex MARQUEZ	Honda	SPA	27
16	Enea BASTIANINI	Ducati	ITA	27
17	Danilo PETRUCCI	KTM	ITA	26
18	Jorge MARTIN	Ducati	SPA	23
19	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	ITA	17
20	Luca MARINI	Ducati	ITA	14
21	Iker LECUONA	KTM	SPA	13
22	Stefan BRADL	Honda	GER	11
23	Lorenzo SAVADORI	Aprilia	ITA	4
24	Michele PIRRO	Ducati	ITA	3
25	Tito RABAT	Ducati	SPA	1

2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar
June 23 Update

Round	Date	Location
~~Round~~ 1	~~Mar-28~~	~~Qatar, Losail (night race)~~
~~Round 2~~	~~Apr-04~~	~~Doha, Losail (night race)~~
~~Round 3~~	~~Apr-18~~	~~Portugal, Portimao~~
~~Round 4~~	~~May-02~~	~~Spain, Jerez~~
~~Round 5~~	~~May-16~~	~~France, Le Mans~~
~~Round 6~~	~~May-30~~	~~Italy- Mugello~~
~~Round 7~~	~~Jun-06~~	~~Catalunya, Barcelona~~
~~Round 8~~	~~Jun-20~~	~~Germany, Sachsenring~~
~~Round 9~~	~~Jun-27~~	~~Netherlands, Assen~~
Round 10	Aug-8	Styria, Red Bull Ring
Round 11	Aug-15	Austria, Red Bull Ring
Round 12	Aug-29	Great Britain, Silverstone
Round 13	Sep-12	Aragon, Motorland Aragon
Round 14	Sep-19	San Marino, Misano
Round 15	Oct-03	Americas, Circuit of the Americas
Round 16	Oct-17	Thailand, Chang International Circuit
Round 17	Oct-24	Australia, Phillip Island
Round 18	Oct-31	Malaysia, Sepang
Round 19	Nov-14	Valencia, Circuit Ricardo Tormo

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, News

Yamaha celebrate emphatic 1-2 at Assen | All class coverage

June 27, 2021 mcnews Leave a comment

2021 MotoGP Round Nine Assen

Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) pitched the tactics to perfection in the Motul TT Assen to come out on top, heading a Yamaha 1-2 ahead of teammate Maverick Viñales as the two Iwata marque machines pulled the pin once again on Sunday. The duo also push the factory past the milestone of 750 podiums, with Yamaha now counting on 751 with two riders on the rostrum at Assen. Reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) completed the podium, slicing through from 10th on the grid.

Assen GP Race Report

Quartararo took the holeshot from second, but the Frenchman wasn’t allowed to escape early as fellow front row starter as Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) went for a Lap 1 leap at Turn 8. It was close between Quartararo and Pecco, their exits compromised, with that allowing Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) up alongside the pair as Quartararo ran hot into Turn 9. Bagnaia said thank you very much, the Italian through to lead and holding station – for now.

Quartararo went for a move at the final chicane to answer back but was wide, and Bagnaia got his GP21 stood up and blasted back past. That happened again on Lap 6, before Lap 7 saw Quartararo grab P1 through Turns 12 and 13. How crucial was that going to prove? Meanwhile, Nakagami was still holding Viñales at bay, with Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing), Mir and Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) line astern right behind.

Two 1:32.8s saw Quartararo stretch a 1.2 lead to Bagnaia on Lap 9, hammer down. On Lap 11, that gap was up to 2.5 as Bagnaia had to switch focus to keeping Nakagami behind him. The Japanese rider passed the Ducati rider on Lap 11 through the rapid kinks, but Bagnaia grabbed P2 back down the front straight. Viñales, Zarco, Mir and Oliveira were all waiting in the wings and there was a copy paste of Nakagami vs Bagnaia a couple of laps later. Drama hit then though as the number 63 was handed a long-lap penalty for exceeding track limits.

On Lap 15, there was plenty of action. Bagnaia dived into the long-lap penalty loop, and then team-mate Jack Miller crashed unhurt at Turn 5. Nakagami was sat up by Mir at the same corner and it was now Viñales in second place, four seconds behind runaway leader Quartararo. Mir was then up past Zarco at Turn 5 with eight laps to go into third, with Oliveira around half a second away back on the Pramac rider, in fifth.

At the front, the gap came down to 2.5 with two laps to go between Quartararo and Viñales as the latter seemed quicker, but after too much lost ground no one had an answer to El Diablo at Assen. A fourth 25-point haul of the season extends his Championship advantage to 34 points heading into the summer break. Viñales delivered impressive late-race pace on the front soft tyre, but it wasn’t enough to reel in Quartararo. Nevertheless, after finishing last at the Sachsenring, P2 for the Spaniard is a splendid effort as the number 12 returns to the podium for the first time since his Qatar GP win. Mir kept his powder dry ahead of Zarco to secure third, the podium also his third of the season.

Zarco was forced to settle for fourth ahead of Oliveira in fifth, with a real battle deciding sixth just behind. Marc Marquez made a stunning start from 20th on the grid to gain ten places in what seemed like the blink of an eye, and he hustled on to the back of Bagnaia after the Italian’s Long Lap penalty. The eight-time World Champion couldn’t quite find a way past, although he was within 0.075 over the line as Bagnaia held on for sixth. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) took eighth, with Nakagami disappointed with ninth after an early podium challenge and Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) completing the top ten.

11th went to Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) despite a run off for the number 42 following contact early in the race with Johann Zarco, with the Suzuki holding off Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as the South African got his first taste of Assen on a MotoGP bike. Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) took 13th, ahead of Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) – another debuting at the track in the premier class – as was rookie Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama), who completed the points.

Jack Miller’s race ended with a black flag as he was forced out with a machine problem after his crash

Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) crashed out fast at Turn 7 but rider ok, Miller went down at Turn 5. He rejoined but then had to stop with a mechanical problem. Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) also crashed, and Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) was forced back into pitlane with an issue.

2021 Assen MotoGP Race Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	Fabio QUARTARARO	Yamaha	40m35.031
2	Maverick VIÑALES	Yamaha	+2.757
3	Joan MIR	Suzuki	+5.76
4	Johann ZARCO	Ducati	+6.13
5	Miguel OLIVEIRA	KTM	+8.402
6	Francesco BAGNAIA	Ducati	+10.035
7	Marc MARQUEZ	Honda	+10.11
8	Aleix ESPARGARO	Aprilia	+10.346
9	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	Honda	+12.225
10	Pol ESPARGARO	Honda	+18.565
11	Alex RINS	Suzuki	+21.372
12	Brad BINDER	KTM	+21.676
13	Danilo PETRUCCI	KTM	+27.783
14	Alex MARQUEZ	Honda	+29.772
15	Enea BASTIANINI	Ducati	+32.785
16	Lorenzo SAVADORI	Aprilia	+37.573
17	Garrett GERLOFF	Yamaha	+53.213
18	Luca MARINI	Ducati	+1m06.791
Not Classified
DNF	Iker LECUONA	KTM	8 Laps
DNF	Jack MILLER	Ducati	8 Laps
DNF	Jorge MARTIN	Ducati	12 Laps
DNF	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	19 Laps

2021 MotoGP Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Bike	Points
1	Fabio QUARTARARO	Yamaha	FRA	156
2	Johann ZARCO	Ducati	FRA	122
3	Francesco BAGNAIA	Ducati	ITA	109
4	Joan MIR	Suzuki	SPA	101
5	Jack MILLER	Ducati	AUS	100
6	Maverick VIÑALES	Yamaha	SPA	95
7	Miguel OLIVEIRA	KTM	POR	85
8	Aleix ESPARGARO	Aprilia	SPA	61
9	Brad BINDER	KTM	RSA	60
10	Marc MARQUEZ	Honda	SPA	50
11	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	Honda	JPN	41
12	Pol ESPARGARO	Honda	SPA	41
13	Franco MORBIDELLI	Yamaha	ITA	40
14	Alex RINS	Suzuki	SPA	33
15	Alex MARQUEZ	Honda	SPA	27
16	Enea BASTIANINI	Ducati	ITA	27
17	Danilo PETRUCCI	KTM	ITA	26
18	Jorge MARTIN	Ducati	SPA	23
19	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	ITA	17
20	Luca MARINI	Ducati	ITA	14
21	Iker LECUONA	KTM	SPA	13
22	Stefan BRADL	Honda	GER	11
23	Lorenzo SAVADORI	Aprilia	ITA	4
24	Michele PIRRO	Ducati	ITA	3
25	Tito RABAT	Ducati	SPA	1

Moto2

Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) heads into the summer break on a high after a hard-fought win at the Motul TT Assen, the Spaniard recovering from the latter half of the top ten to get back to the front and then pull away from the fight to complete the podium. That fight was won by his teammate Remy Gardner as the Australian did some good damage control to hold off Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team). With third place, the Spaniard nevertheless took his first podium since 2019 after a weekend of great form.

Aron Canet (Aspar Team Moto2) took the holeshot ahead of Raul Fernandez, but Gardner muscled through on his teammate too as the number 25 got shuffled back. Lowes made quick work of moving back forward as he got up into second behind Canet, striking for the lead not long after but the Spaniard taking it back. Gardner was next on the charge as he picked his way through into the lead and Lowes followed, with Raul Fernandez then running off and dropping all the way back to ninth…

That left Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) making his presence felt at the front in fourth as Augusto Fernandez found himself looking for a way past the Japanese rider, but soon enough the number 37 was able to start pulling away with Gardner and Lowes, as Raul Fernandez started his fight back towards the podium battle.

The number 25 was on a charge and once in some clear air on the chase, his was reeling them in on his mission back to the front. Once there, he sliced back through past Gardner and the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team duo back into the lead and soon, the number 25 had the hammer down to pull away.

That left a Gardner-Lowes-Augusto Fernandez showdown to decide the podium, with Lowes still heading the train with four to go. But over the line next time around his teammate pulled alongside and made his move, with Gardner leaving it two apexes longer before picking the Brit’s pocket too.

Onto the penultimate lap, Gardner was lining up a move for second and he struck at the end of the lap. Slicing through at the Geert Timmer chicane, the move was super clean as the Australian lost little momentum, then shutting the door as he withstood the pressure from Augusto Fernandez the remainder of the lap. The number 37 couldn’t make it through, however, with Gardner able to have enough in hand to head through the final chicane unbothered, taking second place and another 20 points. Augusto Fernandez got back on the podium in third after a tough start to the season, with Lowes forced to settle for fourth as the Brit just dropped off the back of the duo on the latter half of the final lap.

Fernandez clawed a few points back on series leader Gardner

Raul Fernandez, however, made it another masterclass on Sunday for another 25 points. Over a second and a half clear once he’d escaped the squabble, the Spaniard continues to impress and pulled in five points on Gardner.

Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46) took fifth after an impressive ride back from P17 on the grid, ahead of Ogura as the Japanese rider took P6 and another impressive rookie result. Jorge Navarro (+Ego Speed Up) took seventh.

Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) just beat Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) to eighth by 0.042, with Celestino Vietti (Sky Racing Team VR46) completing the top ten for his second top ten finish of his rookie season. Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), Albert Arenas (Aspar Team Moto2), Stefano Manzi (Flexbox HP 40), Tom Lüthi (Pertamina Mandalika SAG Team) and his teammate and home hero Bo Bendsneyder completed the points, the latter despite two Long Laps for a jump start.

Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) crashed out, as did teammate Lorenzo Dalla Porta and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2).

2021 Assen Moto2 Race Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	Raul FERNANDEZ	Kalex	39’01.832
2	Remy GARDNER	Kalex	+1.066
3	Augusto FERNANDEZ	Kalex	+1.265
4	Sam LOWES	Kalex	+1.879
5	Marco BEZZECCHI	Kalex	+8.329
6	Ai OGURA	Kalex	+10.96
7	Jorge NAVARRO	Boscoscuro	+13.993
8	Xavi VIERGE	Kalex	+16.052
9	Marcel SCHROTTER	Kalex	+16.094
10	Celestino VIETTI	Kalex	+17.585
11	Somkiat CHANTRA	Kalex	+18.286
12	Albert ARENAS	Boscoscuro	+18.812
13	Stefano MANZI	Kalex	+19.273
14	Thomas LUTHI	Kalex	+19.649
15	Bo BENDSNEYDER	Kalex	+22.162
16	Cameron BEAUBIER	Kalex	+22.223
17	Alonso LOPEZ	Boscoscuro	+25.569
18	Jake DIXON	Kalex	+26.245
19	Nicolò BULEGA	Kalex	+27.323
20	Marcos RAMIREZ	Kalex	+27.463
21	Simone CORSI	MV Agusta	+27.638
22	Manuel GONZALEZ	MV Agusta	+35.908
23	Hafizh SYAHRIN	NTS	+38.517
24	Barry BALTUS	NTS	+46.728
Not Classified
DNF	Aron CANET	Boscoscuro	5 Laps
DNF	Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO	Kalex	9 Laps
DNF	Joe ROBERTS	Kalex	17 Laps
Not Finished 1st Lap
DNF	Lorenzo DALLA PORTA	Kalex	0 Lap
DNF	Tony ARBOLINO	Kalex	0 Lap

Moto2 Championship Points Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Nation	Points
1	Fabio QUARTARARO	Yamaha	FRA	156
2	Johann ZARCO	Ducati	FRA	122
3	Francesco BAGNAIA	Ducati	ITA	109
4	Joan MIR	Suzuki	SPA	101
5	Jack MILLER	Ducati	AUS	100
6	Maverick VIÑALES	Yamaha	SPA	95
7	Miguel OLIVEIRA	KTM	POR	85
8	Aleix ESPARGARO	Aprilia	SPA	61
9	Brad BINDER	KTM	RSA	60
10	Marc MARQUEZ	Honda	SPA	50
11	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	Honda	JPN	41
12	Pol ESPARGARO	Honda	SPA	41
13	Franco MORBIDELLI	Yamaha	ITA	40
14	Alex RINS	Suzuki	SPA	33
15	Alex MARQUEZ	Honda	SPA	27
16	Enea BASTIANINI	Ducati	ITA	27
17	Danilo PETRUCCI	KTM	ITA	26
18	Jorge MARTIN	Ducati	SPA	23
19	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	ITA	17
20	Luca MARINI	Ducati	ITA	14
21	Iker LECUONA	KTM	SPA	13
22	Stefan BRADL	Honda	GER	11
23	Lorenzo SAVADORI	Aprilia	ITA	4
24	Michele PIRRO	Ducati	ITA	3
25	Tito RABAT	Ducati	SPA	1

Moto3

Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) took his second win of the season in style at the Motul TT Assen, leading from the front for much of the race and taking another 25 points to move himself into third in the standings. Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) took second to consolidate second in the Championship and makes some gains on leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo), with Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) completing the podium, impressively despite two Long Lap penalties.

Dennis Foggia – P1

“I’m happy! It was an incredible race, a hard race, but first of all congratulations to Romano Fenati because P3 with a double long lap penalty…so strong. For me, I’m really happy, the bike was perfect, but also the street so fast, so I’m really happy. I think I am third in the Championship so today was important to take points, because many riders took a penalty…my goal today was to win, and in the end I won so I’m really happy, I’d like to thank my team. Also, my goal was to go on the holidays calm and so, I’m really happy and see you in one month.”

2021 Assen Moto3 podium
1 Dennis Foggia – Leopard Racing – Honda – 37:35.287
2 Sergio Garcia – Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team – GASGAS – +0.078
3 Romano Fenati – Sterilgarda Max Racing Team – Husqvarna – +0.207

Fenati got the best start from second on the grid, the Italian pipping Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) to the holeshot. Soon the Italian would initially drop back with two Long Lap penalties to take, however, and Lorenzo Fellon (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Andi Izdihar (Honda Team Asia), Joel Kelso (CIP Green Power), Yuki Kunii (Honda Team Asia), Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Takuma Matsuyama (Honda Team Asia) had to head through pitlane for their ride throughs.

That left second in the standings Garcia, Foggia, his teammate Xavier Artigas, Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing), Alcoba, his teammate Gabriel Rodrigo and Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) in the front group, although Fenati was able to get back in the mix and Pedro Acosta was soon on the scene from 18th on the grid. The Spaniard was declared fit to race on Sunday after missing qualifying.

The rhythm was fast at the front and the lead did change, but Foggia was a key presence throughout as he stuck to his style of hitting the lead and trying to stay there. That saw those on the chase lose more and more touch with the lead group, with only six riders set to prove able to stick it out to the end in the podium fight.

Coming onto the last lap, Foggia still led that podium fight, and the Italian had the hammer down ahead of Fenati and Garcia. It looked like the Leopard rider would be hard to catch, but Garcia was on the charge against Fenati and dispatched the Italian quickly, then closing and closing on Foggia in the lead.

As the final chicane dawned, the Spaniard wasn’t quite close enough and Foggia crossed the line with a tenth in hand for his second win of the season, in what’s fast becoming ‘Foggia’ style. Garcia takes second by just 0.078 but crucially was ahead of Championship leader Pedro Acosta, with Acosta taking fourth in the end. Fenati held onto third and thought better of a final chicane move, 0.129 off Garcia over the line.

Acosta’s fourth was awarded after the flag after Binder, who had passed him at the final chicane, was docked three positions for exceeding track limits earlier on the final lap so the South African is classified seventh. Tatsuki Suzuki takes fifth, ahead of McPhee by just 0.065, with Binder next up.

Rodrigo dropped off the back of the front fight in the end, taking eighth at the flag and some solid points after a tougher weekend ahead of the race. Artigas was close on his tail, the two split by just 0.045. Jeremy Alcoba completed the top ten from pole, the Spaniard riding at the track for the first time. Setafno Nepa (BOE Owlride), rookie Izan Guevara (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team), Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power), Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3) and Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) completed the points, Antonelli despite a crash with Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) after which the latter was forced to pull back into the pits.

Joel Kelso continued to learn the category throughout the three days. The Australian was penalized with a ride through during the race, but still managed to finish in 22nd.

Joel Kelso – P22

“We found out this morning that I had a penalty, which was a disappointment. I was feeling pretty good. I felt like I could have followed the leading group to learn as much as possible. At the end, there was a group of five riders within 30 seconds off the leaders. I stayed with the pack and waited until the last lap and finished second in that group. Overall, I’m happy with the experience I gained over these two weekends. I’m looking forward to what the future holds. I am very grateful to the CIP Green Power team for giving me this opportunity. I am very happy with the way everyone worked. We continued to make progress in each session. I want to thank the whole team. ”

Alain Bronec – CIP-Green Power Team Owner

“Joel had a great race. He was leading his group and finished 22nd, a very good result. He was making his debut in Assen and it’s positive for a rider who had never ridden here before. ”

2021 Assen Moto3 Race Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	Dennis FOGGIA	Honda	37m35.287
2	Sergio GARCIA	GASGAS	+0.078
3	Romano FENATI	Husqvarna	+0.207
4	Pedro ACOSTA	KTM	+1.352
5	Tatsuki SUZUKI	Honda	+1.445
6	John MCPHEE	Honda	+1.51
7	Darryn BINDER	Honda	+1.338
8	Gabriel RODRIGO	Honda	+9.095
9	Xavier ARTIGAS	Honda	+9.14
10	Jeremy ALCOBA	Honda	+10.383
11	Stefano NEPA	KTM	+13.503
12	Izan GUEVARA	GASGAS	+13.555
13	Kaito TOBA	KTM	+21.057
14	Niccolò ANTONELLI	KTM	+22.09
15	Deniz ÖNCÜ	KTM	+27.036
16	Elia BARTOLINI	KTM	+35.745
17	Ryusei YAMANAKA	KTM	+35.801
18	Riccardo ROSSI	KTM	+35.811
19	Alberto SURRA	Honda	+35.879
20	Jaume MASIA	KTM	+45.67
21	Lorenzo FELLON	Honda	+1m03.492
22	Joel KELSO	KTM	+1m03.552
23	Yuki KUNII	Honda	+1m03.769
24	Andi Farid IZDIHAR	Honda	+1m03.979
25	Takuma MATSUYAMA	Honda	+1m04.137
Not Classified
DNF	Adrian FERNANDEZ	Husqvarna	9 Laps
DNF	Andrea MIGNO	Honda	12 Laps

Moto3 Championship Points Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Nation	Points
1	Pedro ACOSTA	KTM	SPA	158
2	Sergio GARCIA	GASGAS	SPA	110
3	Dennis FOGGIA	Honda	ITA	86
4	Romano FENATI	Husqvarna	ITA	80
5	Jaume MASIA	KTM	SPA	72
6	Darryn BINDER	Honda	RSA	69
7	Niccolò ANTONELLI	KTM	ITA	67
8	Gabriel RODRIGO	Honda	ARG	59
9	Jeremy ALCOBA	Honda	SPA	58
10	Andrea MIGNO	Honda	ITA	58
11	Ayumu SASAKI	KTM	JPN	57
12	Kaito TOBA	KTM	JPN	52
13	John MCPHEE	Honda	GBR	37
14	Tatsuki SUZUKI	Honda	JPN	37
15	Izan GUEVARA	GASGAS	SPA	36
16	Filip SALAC	Honda	CZE	35
17	Xavier ARTIGAS	Honda	SPA	30
18	Ryusei YAMANAKA	KTM	JPN	28
19	Jason DUPASQUIER	KTM	SWI	27
20	Deniz ÖNCÜ	KTM	TUR	25
21	Stefano NEPA	KTM	ITA	19
22	Riccardo ROSSI	KTM	ITA	16
23	Carlos TATAY	KTM	SPA	14
24	Adrian FERNANDEZ	Husqvarna	SPA	10
25	Elia BARTOLINI	KTM	ITA	7
26	Yuki KUNII	Honda	JPN	7
27	Maximilian KOFLER	KTM	AUT	3
28	Andi Farid IZDIHAR	Honda	INA	2
29	Daniel HOLGADO	KTM	SPA	1

MotoE

Eric Granado (One Energy Racing) remains the king of bouncing back in the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup, with the Brazilian putting in another stunner on Sunday to take win number 2 of the season and gain some serious ground in the standings, now up to third. Jordi Torres (HP Pons 40) took second and fought off points leader Alessandro Zaccone (Octo Pramac MotoE) as the two duelled to the limit, although with drama for Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP), Zaccone extends his overall lead at the top.

From the middle of the front row, it was Lukas Tulovic (Tech3 E-Racing) who out-dragged polesitter Granado into Turn 1 to snatch the holeshot, with World Cup points leader Zaccone holding station in third. The key drama then unfolded at the end of the opening lap as Aegerter, the rider second in the standings heading to Assen, was down at the chicane – rider ok, but front washing away.

Lap 2 saw Zaccone take the lead, with Tulovic getting a bit beaten up after the perfect getaway. The German was shoved down to P5 as the riders ventured onto Lap 3, and Granado then put in the fastest lap of the race to take the lead at the beginning of Lap 4. There was an eight-rider freight train split by just 1.6s with three laps to go, but the Brazilian had half a second advantage as Torres made a Turn 1 move past Zaccone into second.

Granado was in the groove though. With two laps to go he was still half a second clear, and Torres and Zaccone had gapped fourth place Matteo Ferrari (Indonesian E-Racing Gresini MotoE). Just 0.6 covered the leading trio with just one more lap to go, but Granado held firm.

Torres was pushing but the number 51 wasn’t to be caught, staying just about out of reach as the HP Pons 40 rider then had to switch his attention to Zaccone. The Italian went for a move – as expected – but this time Torres really did get his elbows out, firing straight back and some contact between the two. Zaccone then had a moment to compound it further, but the number 61 nevertheless completed the podium behind Torres. Granado, over the line, kept the gap at eight tenths.

2019 World Cup winner Ferrari claims his best finish of the season so far in fourth, 1.1 clear of fifth place Tulovic by the flag. Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) was just 0.036 behind the German, meanwhile, with Fermin Aldeguer (Openbank Aspar Team) only another 0.050 off in seventh. Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE) made a great start and was up to P4 at one point but the Japanese rider was forced to settle for P8 in the end, with Yonny Hernandez (Octo Pramac MotoE) and Barcelona winner Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) rounding out the top 10.

Heading into the summer break, 17 points split Zaccone, Torres, Granado and Aegerter in the title race. Zaccone leads by seven points, Torres gains and Granado too, with Aegerter now fourth but equal on points with Granado. After another classic at the Cathedral, make sure to stay tuned with more of the same coming up in Austria next time out!

2021 Assen MotoE Race Results

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	Eric GRANADO	Energica	12m10.143
2	Jordi TORRES	Energica	+0.844
3	Alessandro ZACCONE	Energica	+0.925
4	Matteo FERRARI	Energica	+1.518
5	Lukas TULOVIC	Energica	+2.656
6	Mattia CASADEI	Energica	+2.692
7	Fermín ALDEGUER	Energica	+2.742
8	Hikari OKUBO	Energica	+4.728
9	Yonny HERNANDEZ	Energica	+4.715
10	Miquel PONS	Energica	+6.652
11	Corentin PEROLARI	Energica	+6.836
12	Xavi CARDELUS	Energica	+8.095
13	Kevin ZANNONI	Energica	+8.208
14	Andrea MANTOVANI	Energica	+9.155
15	Maria HERRERA	Energica	+10.27
16	Jasper IWEMA	Energica	+23.227
17	Andre PIRES	Energica	+29.349
18	Dominique AEGERTER	Energica	+50.109

MotoE Championship Points Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Nation	Points
1	Alessandro ZACCONE	Energica	ITA	54
2	Dominique AEGERTER	Energica	SWI	53
3	Jordi TORRES	Energica	SPA	43
4	Miquel PONS	Energica	SPA	36
5	Mattia CASADEI	Energica	ITA	33
6	Eric GRANADO	Energica	BRA	28
7	Yonny HERNANDEZ	Energica	COL	27
8	Matteo FERRARI	Energica	ITA	27
9	Maria HERRERA	Energica	SPA	18
10	Lukas TULOVIC	Energica	GER	17
11	Hikari OKUBO	Energica	JPN	16
12	Corentin PEROLARI	Energica	FRA	13
13	Fermín ALDEGUER	Energica	SPA	11
14	Kevin ZANNONI	Energica	ITA	11
15	Andre PIRES	Energica	POR	11
16	Andrea MANTOVANI	Energica	ITA	10
17	Jasper IWEMA	Energica	NED	7
18	Xavi CARDELUS	Energica	AND	3

2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar
June 23 Update

Round	Date	Location
~~Round~~ 1	~~Mar-28~~	~~Qatar, Losail (night race)~~
~~Round 2~~	~~Apr-04~~	~~Doha, Losail (night race)~~
~~Round 3~~	~~Apr-18~~	~~Portugal, Portimao~~
~~Round 4~~	~~May-02~~	~~Spain, Jerez~~
~~Round 5~~	~~May-16~~	~~France, Le Mans~~
~~Round 6~~	~~May-30~~	~~Italy- Mugello~~
~~Round 7~~	~~Jun-06~~	~~Catalunya, Barcelona~~
~~Round 8~~	~~Jun-20~~	~~Germany, Sachsenring~~
~~Round 9~~	~~Jun-27~~	~~Netherlands, Assen~~
Round 10	Aug-8	Styria, Red Bull Ring
Round 11	Aug-15	Austria, Red Bull Ring
Round 12	Aug-29	Great Britain, Silverstone
Round 13	Sep-12	Aragon, Motorland Aragon
Round 14	Sep-19	San Marino, Misano
Round 15	Oct-03	Americas, Circuit of the Americas
Round 16	Oct-17	Thailand, Chang International Circuit
Round 17	Oct-24	Australia, Phillip Island
Round 18	Oct-31	Malaysia, Sepang
Round 19	Nov-14	Valencia, Circuit Ricardo Tormo

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, News

Assen TT Qualifying Notes, Quotes, Results

June 26, 2021 mcnews Leave a comment

MotoGP 2021 – Round Nine
Motul TT Assen

Maverick Viñales’ (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) stellar weekend at the Motul TT Assen only continued on Saturday, the 2019 winner at the track once again flexing his speed to top the timesheets and this time for pole position – with a new all-time lap record to boot. Just 0.071 kept Top Gun ahead of teammate Fabio Quartararo in a close-fought Yamaha 1-2- at the Cathedral, with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) completing the front row via Q1.

Maverick Vinales – P1

“We worked hard since FP1 and there was great grip on the bike, so I could be competitive and fast. Overall, this weekend has been good. I‘m very happy, honestly. The bike is working fantastic. I‘m really happy with all the work we did during the weekend. In the first three practices I was first, and I think that tomorrow we will have a good opportunity to fight for the podium.”

Fabio Quartararo – P2

“I’m not complaining about being in second place. I’m feeling happy. I know that we have the pace to fight for the victory tomorrow, so that is the most important. I got a front row, even though I didn’t have a great feeling with the soft rear tyre all weekend, and I feel like this was a great lap time. For me, I did the best I could on that tyre, and we achieved a great result, but our work in FP4 was more important, because we achieved a really great race pace. I feel good and I feel confident, so I can’t wait for tomorrow, honestly. I’m full of adrenaline, I think we can do super well.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P3

“I’m thrilled because today we were able to make big steps forward compared to yesterday. Since this morning’s FP3, we have consistently improved our pace, and we have achieved our goal of starting from the front row tomorrow. Quartararo and Viñales are still on another level right now, with incredible race pace, but we’re also working to take another step forward for the race, and I’m sure we’ll be able to do it”.

Takaaki Nakagami – P4

“It’s a great result for us and personally I want to say thanks to my team, because it was difficult for a long time and now we’re back in Parc Ferme and it’s a nice feeling. The most important thing this weekend is that we have a good feeling on the bike and the confidence is there. P4 is a great result and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s race. Hopefully I’ll bring home a great result.”

Johann Zarco – P5

“I am happy enough. This morning I only just missed out on Q2 and I was a little disappointed. In the afternoon I was able to make the most of the tires, in Q1 as well as in Q2, and I will be starting from the second row which is good.”

Miguel Oliveira – P6

“A tough qualifying. We have done a lot of work with the bike and tried a lot of ideas to help me go faster. We found a good compromise for agility and the grip but it’s not easy. We knew this would be a hard track for us but so far it has been quite positive. A second-row position is quite nice, and we have a long race ahead of us tomorrow. We’re looking forward to doing a good job.”

Alex Rins – P7

“Luckily I’m fine after the crash, it was a small off and my arm didn’t take any more damage. It was a shame because I was aiming for the second row and I was very close to it when I went down, but the sessions have been good today, especially FP3 & FP4, and I’ve enjoyed the feeling with the bike. I’ve tried the different tyre options and worked quite a lot towards tomorrow, but so far we’re still not sure what we’ll use for the race. The Yamahas are very strong, but I think I’m able to fight in the lead group if all goes well.”

Jack Miller – P8

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take advantage of my last lap with the soft tyre because of the yellow flags, and that will force me to start from the third row tomorrow. This is definitely not a track where I feel particularly comfortable, but I will try to do my best in the race as always. The last sector doesn’t really suit my riding style, but we have a better idea of how to deal with it in the race after the qualifying. Tomorrow it will be important to get a good start to disrupt the pace of the frontrunners in the early stages and thus have a chance to attack in the final laps”.

Aleix Espargaro – P9

“I wasn’t particularly brilliant in qualifying. I am unable to make the difference with the soft rear, but we are very competitive in terms of pace. I was fast and consistent in both FP3 and FP4. I don’t see a lot of riders wit a better pace, although things could shift in the race tomorrow. Starting from the ninth spot is never simple, but I expect a rather compact group, where it will be possible to battle for an important result. A good start will be fundamental in order to make up some positions straight away, whereas I’ll have to save my energy a bit over race distance. These bikes are rather physical to ride with a lot of load, especially on a track with this type of layout.”

Joan Mir – P10

“Overall the day has been positive, but I’m a bit disappointed about the qualifying as usual, because that’s the lowest position I’ve been in all weekend and my time in Q2 was better than my time in FP3 where I was Top 5. But it’s like this, and now we need to focus on improving on our qualifying performance because the bike has good potential and this track could be good for us because our race pace is decent. I will need to fight hard tomorrow from this grid position to get myself in a good place and finish as high as possible. I’ve done it before so I know I can do it again, but it’s always tougher and more unpredictable when you have to come through the pack, so it will be difficult.”

Pol Espargaro – P11

“Today we did not deliver in Qualifying, we should have been on the front two rows at least. I made a mistake with the front tyre, I used the soft front twice and this was not the right things to do. This is what happens when we have such a short pre-season and we aren’t able to make these mistakes during a test, we have to make them during a race weekend and put ourselves in this difficult situation. We have been flying all weekend, but now starting so far back it will be difficult tomorrow. Anyway, let’s see what happens on Sunday.”

Valentino Rossi – P12

“Today was quite positive for us because I have had a good pace from the beginning of this morning and I have felt good with the bike. We have continued to work on the settings, because we don’t feel that they are 100%, but in the end I did a very good lap in FP3 and went straight to Q2. FP4 was also a positive session, as I did some good lap times at the end of it with the hard rear and had good pace. I was hoping to improve my time slightly in Q2 by two or three tenths but, alone on track, I was unable to do so. Now we have to wait to see what the conditions are tomorrow to understand which tyre to use, but I hope it is dry. We will need to get a good start, be strong in the opening laps and stay with the group, hopefully this way we can have a good race.”

Iker Lecuona – P13

“I felt quite strong, especially on my fastest lap. On the first run I made a mistake in sector one and without this I think I could have done a high 1:32 again. The bike was working very well, we have a lot of potential. I’m quite happy, thanks to the team as well, because we all have been working very well this weekend. I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

Jorge Martín – P14

“It’s been a good day, we worked substantially in FP3 and FP4 on the race-pace and I am satisfied. My physical condition still is not 100% and I lack some experience but I am happy with how we are working and I am seeing improvements day by day.”

Lorenzo Savadori – P15

“Qualifying didn’t go too badly, although we are not as incisive as I’d like to be on the first sector. On the rest of the track, on the other hand, I’m able to be pretty competitive, but with such narrow gaps, we need to get close to perfection. The crash in FP4 was similar in dynamics to the one on the Sachsenring. In fact, we were trying the same change to the bike’s geometry. For the race, we’ll obviously take a step back in this regard, also trying to recover a bit on T1 because we have the potential to finish in the points.”

Álex Márquez – P16

“Second day here and for qualifying we made some good improvements on yesterday. In race pace we’re still missing a bit and it was not the best qualifying, although I gave it my everything. Again, I made a few mistakes and need to improve on the one lap, but we are not bad and are trying step by step to be there. If we can improve the grip tomorrow we can have a good race, I’ll give 100 percent and we’ll have to see what the rain forecast is. In general, I’m quite happy with the bike, we need to improve the rear grip, but I’m looking forward to tomorrow and being aggressive from the beginning.”

Luca Marini – P17

“Overall it has been a good qualifying and we are doing well, we always try to make the most of our potential. We are still working in this direction, we are missing something in the fast parts, all the Ducatis are struggling, and we hope that some of them will find a modification to have more stability. We are growing, I am happy, the level is extremely high, the bikes are constantly evolving, but step by step we are there. I am very happy with the relationship with the team and I feel good.”

Danilo Petrucci – P18

“Unfortunately, I touched the green out of the last corner on what was a really strong lap. A lap later, I missed the chequered flag and another try by just a second. Unluckily this means we have another P18 on the grid, which is not a great place to start. Anyway, we know that we have a good pace and will try to recover as many positions as possible tomorrow.”

Enea Bastianini – P19

“It has been a difficult day. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as we expected, so we will have to work for tomorrow because there is something wrong and we have to understand why. Tomorrow I will start 19th and I will do my best to get a good result.”

Marc Marquez – P20

“My body was feeling the crash of yesterday and it just made everything more difficult in the end. The morning started well, I felt good in FP3 and FP4 and then in Qualifying the feeling with the first tyre wasn’t so good, but I felt better with the second. I couldn’t finish the lap, this can happen in Qualifying when you are pushing, I lost the front and I fell. I wasn’t really riding how I wanted today. Tomorrow will be difficult; 20th is not our place at all. Starting this far back will be tricky but we will do what we can and learn as much as possible. I also have to thank Honda for their fast work, after yesterday they brought a solution to our Traction Control concerns today and it has helped – this is Honda.”

Brad Binder – P21

“A really difficult FP4 and qualifying, even if we did do a lot of laps and worked hard to find our way. I had an issue with the softer tire and some stability after a few laps but when we put in the harder tire the feeling was quite OK. In qualifying I couldn’t even complete one good lap and that’s why we’re 21st. It will have to be a hell of a fightback tomorrow.”

Garrett Gerloff – P22

“I’m a little frustrated because I think I could have put my sectors together better across one lap and I didn’t do that, but it’s not too bad. Every time I go out I’m trying to learn something new and get used to the bike more. The team has been amazing, we’ve been making really good progress every time I’m out on track and the bike is feeling even more comfortable than it did. In the beginning it was very different from what I was expecting but we’re working in a good way. It would have been nice to be higher on the grid, but I’m doing the best that I can. My goal was to keep improving and so far I’ve done that. Tomorrow I’m hoping I can ride with someone and see their lines, learn some things and maybe make a couple of passes – that would be really good.”

Q1 Notes

Q1 had some big names including the aforementioned Bagnaia, Sachsenring winner and eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and second in the standings Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing). It was a chaotic session at times but Bagnaia kept it pinned to move through, pipped late on by Zarco after the Frenchman had some issues early on. The two Borgo Panigale machines proved the graduating duo though, denying Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) by a tenth.

Marc Marquez crashed out of the session, rider ok, with only half a minute left on the clock as he lost the chance to move to Q2. Consequently, the number 93 suffered his worst qualifying ever in the premier class as he gets ready to start from 20th, and has another surprisingly tough day at the the office alongside him: Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).

Q2 Notes

Free Practice 1, 2, and 3 pacesetter Viñales set the initial time to beat, a 1:32.413, but it was beaten on Quartararo’s first fast lap by 0.077. However, El Diablo’s next flying lap was nothing short of stunning: through Sector 3, Quartararo was over three tenths faster than his own time and was on course to set the first-ever sub-1:32 lap time at the Cathedral of Speed. Sure enough, hecrossed the line to lay down Assen’s fastest-ever two-wheel lap – a 1:31.922.

At the end of the first runs, the number 20 was a stunning 0.491 clear of Viñales in second place, with three tenths then separating third-place Zarco from ninth-fastest Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar). It would take an almighty effort to beat Quartararo’s time, but that’s exactly what Viñales was about to pull out the hat. His first lap went astray after a moment at Turn 9, but his sixth lap of the session saw Viñales set a blockbuster 1:31.814 to beat his teammate by 0.071, a scorcher from Top Gun.

Bagnaia then shot up to P3 before Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) hit back, but Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) decided it was his turn to sit on the provisional front row and the Japanese rider took over in third.

As the end of the session approached, all eyes turned to Quartararo. Up by nearly two tenths in Sector 1, the Frenchman was 0.135 under at the end of Sector 2. A small mistake at Turn 10 cost the number 20 time, however, and crossing the line, he couldn’t improve… leaving Viñales unthreatened at the top as the number 12 took pole for the first time in 2021. Bagnaia then shot into third, demoting Nakagami right at the flag.

The Grid

Viñales, Quartararo and Bagnaia lock out the top, with Nakagami leading Row 2 in P4 after his best qualifying of the season. He’s joined on the second row by Zarco and Oliveira. Rins suffered a late crash at Turn 8 but is unhurt and will start from P8 as the leading Suzuki, with Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) on the third row in 8th and 9th respectively. Just over three tenths covers Bagnaia to Aleix Espargaro.

Reigning World Champion Joan Mir’s (Team Suzuki Ecstar) qualifying struggles continue as the Spaniard starts P10, but the number 36 has very good race pace. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) is the second fastest Honda rider in P11, and the Spaniard sits just 0.089 ahead of 12th place Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) after the Doctor made it through to Q2.

MotoGP Assen Combined Qualifying

Pos	Rider	Bike	Q	Time/Gap
1	Maverick VIÑALES	YAMAHA	Q2	1m31.814
2	Fabio QUARTARARO	YAMAHA	Q2	+0.071
3	Francesco BAGNAIA	DUCATI	Q2	+0.302
4	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	HONDA	Q2	+0.500
5	Johann ZARCO	DUCATI	Q2	+0.580
6	Miguel OLIVEIRA	KTM	Q2	+0.636
7	Alex RINS	SUZUKI	Q2	+0.783
8	Jack MILLER	DUCATI	Q2	+0.795
9	Aleix ESPARGARO	APRILIA	Q2	+0.852
10	Joan MIR	SUZUKI	Q2	+0.934
11	Pol ESPARGARO	HONDA	Q2	+1.016
12	Valentino ROSSI	YAMAHA	Q2	+1.105
13	Iker LECUONA	KTM	Q1	(*) 0.183
14	Jorge MARTIN	DUCATI	Q1	(*) 0.309
15	Lorenzo SAVADORI	APRILIA	Q1	(*) 0.717
16	Alex MARQUEZ	HONDA	Q1	(*) 0.747
17	Luca MARINI	DUCATI	Q1	(*) 0.780
18	Danilo PETRUCCI	KTM	Q1	(*) 0.837
19	Enea BASTIANINI	DUCATI	Q1	(*) 0.863
20	Marc MARQUEZ	HONDA	Q1	(*) 0.936
21	Brad BINDER	KTM	Q1	(*) 1.056
22	Garrett GERLOFF	YAMAHA	Q1	(*) 1.198

2021 MotoGP Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	Fabio QUARTARARO	Yamaha	131
2	Johann ZARCO	Ducati	109
3	Jack MILLER	Ducati	100
4	Francesco BAGNAIA	Ducati	99
5	Joan MIR	Suzuki	85
6	Maverick VIÑALES	Yamaha	75
7	Miguel OLIVEIRA	KTM	74
8	Brad BINDER	KTM	56
9	Aleix ESPARGARO	Aprilia	53
10	Marc MARQUEZ	Honda	41
11	Franco MORBIDELLI	Yamaha	40
12	Pol ESPARGARO	Honda	35
13	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	Honda	34
14	Alex RINS	Suzuki	28
15	Enea BASTIANINI	Ducati	26
16	Alex MARQUEZ	Honda	25
17	Jorge MARTIN	Ducati	23
18	Danilo PETRUCCI	KTM	23
19	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	17
20	Luca MARINI	Ducati	14
21	Iker LECUONA	KTM	13
22	Stefan BRADL	Honda	11
23	Lorenzo SAVADORI	Aprilia	4
24	Michele PIRRO	Ducati	3
25	Tito RABAT	Ducati	1

Moto2

Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took his fourth pole of his rookie Moto2 season at the Motul TT Assen, the Spaniard edging out teammate Remy Gardner in another Red Bull KTM Ajo 1-2. Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) took third, the Brit back on the front row as he looks to gain back some ground.

Moto2 Assen Combined Qualifying Times

Pos	Rider	Motorcycle	Q	Time/Gap
1	Raul FERNANDEZ	KALEX	Q2	1m36.356
2	Remy GARDNER	KALEX	Q2	+0.186
3	Sam LOWES	KALEX	Q2	+0.330
4	Aron CANET	BOSCOSCURO	Q2	+0.409
5	Hector GARZO	KALEX	Q2	+0.446
6	Ai OGURA	KALEX	Q2	+0.448
7	Jorge NAVARRO	BOSCOSCURO	Q2	+0.460
8	Augusto FERNANDEZ	KALEX	Q2	+0.528
9	Lorenzo DALLA PORTA	KALEX	Q2	+0.595
10	Tony ARBOLINO	KALEX	Q2	+0.651
11	Celestino VIETTI	KALEX	Q2	+0.667
12	Thomas LUTHI	KALEX	Q2	+0.723
13	Bo BENDSNEYDER	KALEX	Q2	+0.762
14	Marcel SCHROTTER	KALEX	Q2	+0.791
15	Fabio DI GIANNANTONI	KALEX	Q2	+0.874
16	Albert ARENAS	BOSCOSCURO	Q2	+0.879
17	Marco BEZZECCHI	KALEX	Q2	+0.893
18	Somkiat CHANTRA	KALEX	Q2	+1.017
19	Joe ROBERTS	KALEX	Q1	(*) 0.266
20	Marcos RAMIREZ	KALEX	Q1	(*) 0.279
21	Simone CORSI	MV AGUSTA	Q1	(*) 0.288
22	Jake DIXON	KALEX	Q1	(*) 0.396
23	Stefano MANZI	KALEX	Q1	(*) 0.406
24	Xavi VIERGE	KALEX	Q1	(*) 0.461
25	Cameron BEAUBIER	KALEX	Q1	(*) 0.486
26	Nicolò BULEGA	KALEX	Q1	(*) 0.506
27	Alonso LOPEZ	BOSCOSCURO	Q1	(*) 0.524
28	Barry BALTUS	NTS	Q1	(*) 1.151
29	Manuel GONZALEZ	MV AGUSTA	Q1	(*) 1.366
30	Hafizh SYAHRIN	NTS	Q1	(*) 1.740

Moto2 Championship Points Standing

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	Remy GARDNER	Kalex	164
2	Raul FERNANDEZ	Kalex	128
3	Marco BEZZECCHI	Kalex	117
4	Sam LOWES	Kalex	86
5	Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO	Kalex	73
6	Marcel SCHROTTER	Kalex	59
7	Aron CANET	Boscoscuro	55
8	Joe ROBERTS	Kalex	50
9	Xavi VIERGE	Kalex	42
10	Ai OGURA	Kalex	39
11	Bo BENDSNEYDER	Kalex	38
12	Augusto FERNANDEZ	Kalex	34
13	Jorge NAVARRO	Boscoscuro	33
14	Tony ARBOLINO	Kalex	30
15	Cameron BEAUBIER	Kalex	26
16	Albert ARENAS	Boscoscuro	18
17	Stefano MANZI	Kalex	17
18	Celestino VIETTI	Kalex	16
19	Marcos RAMIREZ	Kalex	16
20	Jake DIXON	Kalex	11
21	Hector GARZO	Kalex	11
22	Somkiat CHANTRA	Kalex	11
23	Nicolò BULEGA	Kalex	10
24	Hafizh SYAHRIN	NTS	8
25	Simone CORSI	MV Agusta	7
26	Lorenzo DALLA PORTA	Kalex	6
27	Alonso LOPEZ	Kalex	4
28	Fermín ALDEGUER	Boscoscuro	4
29	Lorenzo BALDASSARRI	MV Agusta	3
30	Barry BALTUS	NTS	2
31	Thomas LUTHI	Kalex	2
32	Yari MONTELLA	Boscoscuro	0
33	Tommaso MARCON	MV Agusta	0
34	Miquel PONS	MV Agusta	0
35	Fraser ROGERS	NTS	0
36	Taiga HADA	NTS	0
37	Piotr BIESIEKIRSKI	Kalex	0
38	Keminth KUBO	Kalex	0

Moto3

Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) took his maiden pole position at the Motul TT Assen, the Spaniard mastering the track on his first try as he makes his racing debut at the Drenthe venue this weekend. His new lap record, a 1:41.194, gives him two tenths in hand ahead of Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), with Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) completing the front row.

Some drama hit for Moto3 ahead of qualifying too, with Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) involved in a multi-rider incident in FP3 and subsequently taken to Groningen hospital for a check up, alongside BOE Owlride’s Stefano Nepa and Riccardo Rossi, who were also involved – as was Ryusei Yamanaka (CarXpert PrüstelGP).

Acosta was declared unfit for upper back and chest trauma on Saturday as a precaution, which ruled him out of Q2. If he is able to start on Sunday, he will line up 18th.

Moto3 Assen Combined Qualifying Times

Pos	Rider	Motorcycle	Q	Time/Gap
1	Jeremy ALCOBA	HONDA	Q2	1m41.194
2	Romano FENATI	HUSQVARNA	Q2	+0.212
3	Dennis FOGGIA	HONDA	Q2	+0.278
4	Sergio GARCIA	GASGAS	Q2	+0.279
5	Kaito TOBA	KTM	Q2	+0.285
6	Gabriel RODRIGO	HONDA	Q2	+0.340
7	Niccolò ANTONELLI	KTM	Q2	+0.473
8	Darryn BINDER	HONDA	Q2	+0.561
9	Xavier ARTIGAS	HONDA	Q2	+0.684
10	Jaume MASIA	KTM	Q2	+0.809
11	John MCPHEE	HONDA	Q2	+0.849
12	Tatsuki SUZUKI	HONDA	Q2	+0.862
13	Izan GUEVARA	GASGAS	Q2	+1.000
14	Lorenzo FELLON	HONDA	Q2	+1.194
15	Deniz ÖNCÜ	KTM	Q2	+1.198
16	Elia BARTOLINI	KTM	Q2	+1.332
17	Andrea MIGNO	HONDA	Q2	+1.345
18	Pedro ACOSTA	KTM	FP1	+0.609
19	Joel KELSO	KTM	Q1	(*) 1.009
20	Yuki KUNII	HONDA	Q1	(*) 1.079
21	Adrian FERNANDEZ	HUSQVARNA	Q1	(*) 1.230
22	Ryusei YAMANAKA	KTM	Q1	(*) 1.254
23	Takuma MATSUYAMA	HONDA	Q1	(*) 1.326
24	Andi Farid IZDIHAR	HONDA	Q1	(*) 2.388
25	Stefano NEPA	KTM	FP1	0.738
26	Riccardo ROSSI	KTM	FP3	1.002
27	Alberto SURRA	HONDA	FP1	1.862

Moto3 Championship Points Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	Pedro ACOSTA	KTM	145
2	Sergio GARCIA	GASGAS	90
3	Jaume MASIA	KTM	72
4	Niccolò ANTONELLI	KTM	65
5	Romano FENATI	Husqvarna	64
6	Dennis FOGGIA	Honda	61
7	Darryn BINDER	Honda	60
8	Andrea MIGNO	Honda	58
9	Ayumu SASAKI	KTM	57
10	Jeremy ALCOBA	Honda	52
11	Gabriel RODRIGO	Honda	51
12	Kaito TOBA	KTM	49
13	Filip SALAC	Honda	35
14	Izan GUEVARA	GASGAS	32
15	Ryusei YAMANAKA	KTM	28
16	John MCPHEE	Honda	27
17	Jason DUPASQUIER	KTM	27
18	Tatsuki SUZUKI	Honda	26
19	Deniz ÖNCÜ	KTM	24
20	Xavier ARTIGAS	Honda	23
21	Riccardo ROSSI	KTM	16
22	Carlos TATAY	KTM	14
23	Stefano NEPA	KTM	14
24	Adrian FERNANDEZ	Husqvarna	10
25	Elia BARTOLINI	KTM	7
26	Yuki KUNII	Honda	7
27	Maximilian KOFLER	KTM	3
28	Andi Farid IZDIHAR	Honda	2
29	Daniel HOLGADO	KTM	1
30	Lorenzo FELLON	Honda	0
31	Joel KELSO	KTM	0
32	Takuma MATSUYAMA	Honda	0

MotoE

Eric Granado (One Energy Racing) remains unbeaten in FIM Enel MotoE World Cup E-Pole this season after the Brazilian was fastest once again in Round 4. It was close, however, with Lukas Tulovic (Tech3 E-Racing) just 0.074 off Granado’s best of a 1:43.114. Points leader and Free Practice pacesetter Alessandro Zaccone (Octo Pramac MotoE) completes the front row, with the session concluding right as rain began at the TT Circuit Assen and the Italian the last one out.

Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) was the first rider to set a sub-1:44 lap, a 1:43.968 putting him a sizeable 0.736 faster than the competition up to that point. Corentin Perolari (Tech3 E-Racing) cut Casadei’s advantage to 0.294 to go second, before Barcelona winner Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) then lit up his Energica Ego Corsa’s rear wheel on the exit of Turn 5 – a mistake that cost the Spaniard, whose lap would then get chalked off again after exiting pitlane too late anyway.

Rookie Fermin Aldeguer (Openbank Aspar Team) then went fastest overall with a 1:43.923, a new benchmark for the following riders to try and better. And that’s exactly what Matteo Ferrari (Indonesian E-Racing Gresini MotoE) did as the 2019 World Cup winner beat Aldeguer’s time by 0.047 to sit on provisional pole, but the Italian would immediately get shoved down to P2.

By whom? Reigning World Cup winner Jordi Torres (HP Pons 40) – smoking his rear tyre out of Turn 11 – moved the goalposts in a big way as he went 0.398 clear at the summit to set a new benchmark. Tulovic was up for the challenge though and despite a rear-end twitch at Turn 5, the German rider took over at the top after an impressive 1:43.188. Second in the standings Dominque Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) was next up, but the Swiss rider will be looking for more on Sunday after slotting himself into third at the time, leaving just two riders left to set a lap: Granado and Zaccone.

Granado was up first, the second fastest man on the combined times, and the Brazilian recovered from a bit of a moment to nevertheless take provisional pole by 0.074 and deny Tulovic for sure. Could Zaccone take over at the top? All eyes panned to the Italian, who was a tenth and a half down in Sector 1, but he’d pulled it back by the end of Sector 3 to be heading into the final split 0.121 up. With the rain flag out but Race Direction judging the conditions to not yet be affecting track conditions, the lap was able to be finished but, crossing the line, the Italian couldn’t hold his advantage and instead slotted into third.

That leaves Granado on pole ahead of Tulovic and Zaccone, pushing Torres down to fourth at the head of the second row. He’s joined by Aegerter and Ferrari, who were fifth and sixth respectively.

Seventh place Aldeguer and eighth fastest Casadei are the only other riders to get within a second of polesitter Granado at Assen, with Corentin Perolari and Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE) completing the top 10.

MotoE Assen Combined Qualifying Times

Pos	Rider	Bike	Time/Gap
1	Eric GRANADO	ENERGICA	1m43.114
2	Lukas TULOVIC	ENERGICA	+0.074
3	Alessandro ZACCONE	ENERGICA	+0.124
4	Jordi TORRES	ENERGICA	+0.364
5	77 Dominique AEGERTER	ENERGICA	+0.444
6	Matteo FERRARI	ENERGICA	+0.762
7	Fermín ALDEGUER	ENERGICA	+0.809
8	Mattia CASADEI	ENERGICA	+0.854
9	Corentin PEROLARI	ENERGICA	+1.148
10	Hikari OKUBO	ENERGICA	+1.250
11	Kevin ZANNONI	ENERGICA	+1.590
12	Maria HERRERA	ENERGICA	+1.837
13	Andrea MANTOVANI	ENERGICA	+2.270
14	Jasper IWEMA	ENERGICA	+3.765
15	14 Andre PIRES	ENERGICA	+5.685
Not Classified
/	Xavi CARDELUS	ENERGICA	/
/	Yonny HERNANDEZ	ENERGICA	/
/	Miquel PONS	ENERGICA	/

MotoE Championship Points Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	Alessandro ZACCONE	Energica	54
2	Dominique AEGERTER	Energica	53
3	Jordi TORRES	Energica	43
4	Miquel PONS	Energica	36
5	Mattia CASADEI	Energica	33
6	Eric GRANADO	Energica	28
7	Yonny HERNANDEZ	Energica	27
8	Matteo FERRARI	Energica	27
9	Maria HERRERA	Energica	18
10	Lukas TULOVIC	Energica	17
11	Hikari OKUBO	Energica	16
12	Corentin PEROLARI	Energica	13
13	Fermín ALDEGUER	Energica	11
14	Kevin ZANNONI	Energica	11
15	Andre PIRES	Energica	11
16	Andrea MANTOVANI	Energica	10
17	Jasper IWEMA	Energica	7
18	Xavi CARDELUS	Energica	3

2021

Motul TT Assen Schedule

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, News

Assen awaits MotoGP with a resurfaced track and a wet forecast

June 24, 2021 mcnews Leave a comment

MotoGP 2021 – Round Nine
Motul TT Assen – Preview

After a year off the calendar the Cathedral is back to gives us more history-making close racing. History is a real buzzword too as it’s the 90th TT this season and the 72nd time the event has counted towards the World Championship. Quite a record, but then it’s quite a track. Fast, flowing and with a final chicane whose reputation precedes it, Assen rarely disappoints… and maybe we’re biased, but neither does MotoGP.

During 2020, the circuit was resurfaced and due to not being able to test before the race Michelin will bring a larger allocation than usual, four front and four rear Michelin Power Slicks.

The TT Assen Circuit has had many changes to its layout through the years, but the current 4,542m (2.822 miles) configuration with its short 487m (0.303 miles) straight and mix of six left-hand and twelve right-hand corners, is still one of the most revered and loved circuits in the world. It is held in such high regard that it is known as ‘The Cathedral’ of motorcycle racing and it has a history of producing very exciting and close racing.

It is a traditional track in terms of its layout, in that it still includes high-speed curves and banked corners, whilst incorporating all the safety requirements of a more modern circuit. It is this configuration of 18 corners that places greater demands on the rear tyres compared to those on the front. This means that the rear allocation of Soft, Medium and two Hard Michelin Power Slicks, with their asymmetric design featuring a harder right-hand-side, will be able to cope with the increased temperatures and stresses that the tyres will endure through the fast right corners, which are one of the key features of the track. While the front tyres have a less stressful time, the demands placed upon them are equally important, so the Soft, Medium and two Hard options with a symmetric finish, have been selected to work at their optimum with their rear counterparts.

With the cancellation of the race in Finland, Assen is still currently the most northerly track on the calendar and this geographic location has brought its share of wet weather to the event in the past. In the event of wet conditions, the Michelin Power Rain tyres in Soft and Medium with a symmetric design will be available for the front, with the rear options comprising asymmetric Soft and Medium options – both with a harder right-hand-side.

Heading in, it’s Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) still ahead of the game in the standings, and the Frenchman took a podium with a late charge in Germany. The last time MotoGP raced in Drenthe it was a Yamaha on the top step, too and their recent record at the track is a good one. Can Quartararo take back a little momentum? He’s the only rider to score points in every race, but he’ll want to get back on the top step.

Fabio Quartararo

“In MotoGP you need speed and consistency, and this year we have both. Finishing third at the Sachsenring was good, considering we were struggling a bit that weekend. Being on the podium after a ’bad weekend‘ makes us feel even more positive about the future. This weekend we‘re riding at TT Circuit Assen, which is one of my favourite circuits, and it suits the Yamaha well. I wish it was Friday already!”

Someone also in need of some momentum is the man who took that Yamaha win at Assen in 2019: Quartararo’s team-mate Maverick Viñales. After his stunner in Qatar to open the season it’s been up ad down at times, but nowhere more down than his worst MotoGP finish ever last time out. Can he start to find a way back to the top? In 2019 he left Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) five seconds in the dust for that victory, and Quartararo was another five seconds back… so there’s a solid CV to fall back on.

Maverick Viñales

“Assen is a circuit that I really like, so I‘m looking forward to riding there. I really want to get back on the M1 as soon as possible, so we can start working on the bike again. After a disappointing weekend we always want to keep working and find a way to improve. We clearly have a lot of work ahead of us, but that‘s okay. I won the Dutch GP in 2019, before the pandemic, so at least we know that a similar set-up to the one we used then should be a good starting point.”

MotoGP Rnd Assen Race Podium Vinales Marquez Quartararo — 2019 Assen TT Race results:
1 – Maverick Viñales (SPA – Yamaha) 40’55.415
2 – Marc Marquez (SPA – Honda) +4.854
3 – Fabio Quartararo* (FRA – Yamaha) +9.738

Speaking of solid CVs… no one has a better one than Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) at the Cathedral. It may be a difficult season so far for the number 46, but Assen should or could be a venue that helps him take a step forward.

Valentino Rossi

“We need to figure out what happened in Germany and work well to make some improvements before we are back on track this weekend. Assen is a great track for me though and I like the layout a lot, it is very flowing. It is somewhere I really enjoy and you always feel some great emotion when riding there. So we need to stay positive, concentrate on the final round before the summer break and achieve a good result in Assen.”

With Franco Morbidelli missing the event after injuring his knee in training, there will be plenty of eyes on the other side of the garage too as American Garrett Gerloff comes in on replacement duty. The GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team rider already impressed in the premier class of Grand Prix racing in practice in Valencia last year, and now he’ll make his race debut.

Garrett Gerloff

“I’m excited for the opportunity ahead, I’m not someone who runs away from a challenge, so I’m ready to get to the track. It’ll be a new circuit for me, I like trying new tracks, it looks fun, fast and flowing, and really suits my riding style. I’m looking forward to jumping on the Yamaha M1 again and twisting the throttle. We’ll see how things go, but I feel good and would like to thank Yamaha and the team for considering me. It won’t be easy, but I’m going to give it my best shot!”

Next – notwithstanding the incredible comeback win for Marc Marquez – KTM are a key recent headline stealer. 2021 started with the Austrian factory struggling to gain traction – figuratively and, at times, literally – but it’s been an incredible turnaround of late. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) is now the first KTM rider to take three podiums in a row, one of which was a win and the most recent of which saw the Portuguese rider able to push Marc Marquez at the Sachsenring. Even with this number 93 on the comeback, that’s something to write home about. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) made it two KTMs in the top four for the first time this year in Germany too, which made the Austrian factory team the top performers as a duo… and that was despite the South African never having ridden the track before in the premier class. How well can they attack Assen?

Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 KTM Team Manager

“The next round for the MotoGP grid is Assen – a very special race, which is this year the end of the first part of the season. We’ve got a long summer break afterwards, so everybody wants to go on holidays with a positive result under their belts. Although the results of the German Grand Prix were not what we expected for Tech3 KTM Factory Racing, as we could see we were a lot closer to the front guys than we used to be before.”

“Assen is a track, where we should also be quite good and fast. Danilo has got a very positive feeling about Assen and he also feels a lot more comfortable with the bike, so altogether I think this could be a nice way to end the first part of the championship, that was not so easy for the Tech3 KTM Factory Racing team. We also know that the second seat is not confirmed yet and clearly, it will be interesting to monitor what is going on during the Dutch Grand Prix in order to be closer to the final decision of who will be the team-mate for Remy Gardner in 2022.”

And now, Marquez. It was an incredible performance from the eight-time World Champion to get back onto the top step 581 days after last doing so, and after not only his injury struggles but also a difficult run of DNFs. One of the all-time greats – the race win and the rider – was history truly in the making. But with 11 in a row at the Sachnsenring now, can he stay with the front group at Assen? It’s certainly a bigger ask, and it was a big ask to manage what he did in Germany. But Marc Marquez is Marc Marquez…

Marc Marquez

“We have enjoyed our moment after the Sachsenring, with the team, with my family and with those who helped me. But now we focus again and get ready for Assen, in the past we have had good results there but of course our situation is different now. The weather is looking very cold and wet, especially after what we’ve seen in Germany. So we will keep working to improve our situation and see what’s possible.”

For the other Hondas, however, the tough times continued in Germany, although the losing streak is over after Marc Marquez’ win. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) took tenth and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) 13th, but they’ll want more, as will Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) after he made it through to Q2 for the first time this year and then crashed out.

Pol Espargaro

“It’s great to return to Assen after one year away, it’s a historic track and it’s always great to ride these tracks. Our weekend in Germany was not perfect but we arrive with a clear mind and ready to go again. For sure it looks like the weather will complicate things a bit, but no matter what we keep working to achieve our best. The objective is to have a weekend without problems to put all the pieces together.”

More is also something Ducati will be looking for. After some impressive speed in qualifying and then in the early stages on race day, somehow it was Francesco Bagnaia (Ducato Lenovo Team) finished the race as the top Borgo Panigale machine – after having been mired down the field early on. Polesitter Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) faded to eighth and Jack Miller was pipped to fifth by Bagnaia, so they’ll definitely be two men looking for a lot more this Sunday. For Miller the venue does hold some incredible memories though, with the Australian having taken his first premier class win at the track in that dramatic and emotional 2016 race. There are some good CVs elsewhere in the Ducati camp too, and both man and machine, for the most part, have been serious threats at the front so far in 2021 – so that seems unlikely to change based on solely the Sachsenring…

Jack Miller

“After the German GP, this weekend we’ll be racing at a track that, at least on paper, isn’t the most favourable for the characteristics of our bike. I’m optimistic because even at Sachsenring, where we weren’t one of the favourites, we managed to be competitive in practice and qualifying, even if we missed something in the race. In Holland, the weather conditions will play an important role, and it was here in the wet in 2016 that I took my first MotoGP win. It will be the last race before the summer break, so I’ll do my best to get closer to the top of the standings and end this first part of the season well.”

Francesco Bagnaia

“I’m pleased to be back racing at Assen, a track where I won in both Moto3 and Moto2, and that I like so much so that I’ve even got it tattooed on my arm! It is a particular track, and the weather conditions here will definitely be a deciding factor this weekend. On paper, we are not favourites, but we weren’t last weekend in Germany either. If I hadn’t started so far back in the race at Sachsenring, I could have been fighting for the podium for sure. We will try again this weekend! We are halfway through the Championship, so it is important to get another good result before the summer break“.

Suzuki will also be interesting to watch. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) made some quick progress in Germany after a tough qualifying but then couldn’t move much further forward, and Alex Rins remains on the comeback from injury. Last time MotoGP raced at Assen though, Rins was on the podium in second, which could be a good sign for the GSX-RR. Can the reigning team Champions move forward and get back to the front?

Joan Mir

“I’m looking forward to this weekend! Germany was quite tough and I’m keen to get back on track and get better results. Assen is a good place for me to do that because, although I’ve never had really top results here, it’s somewhere I enjoy riding and I’ll be trying to be as fast as possible. This place is somewhere really special, it’s an old track and it has seen racing for many, many years, so it has an iconic feeling about it. In the past the races were super long on the TT circuit, and now it’s one of the shortest on the calendar but it’s one that everybody knows.”

Alex Rins

“This is a good track for me and also for my bike. I’m still not at 100% with my injury, but I’ve been having some physio since Sachsenring and it’s getting better, although obviously it’s always tough with back-to-back races. Anyway, I’m really motivated to come here, this is a historic circuit and it has a really special atmosphere; I always remember how the races used to be held on Saturdays, and that was something really different in itself. I also have some great personal memories from here, with one of my favourites being 2018, where I got second after a race with a lot of fighting and a big group of riders.”

Finally, for Aprilia, it must be mixed feelings after the Sachsenring. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) took their best MotoGP qualifying and led the way early on Lap 1 after taking the holeshot, and they were right in the battle. But that fifth place or a place in the top five escaped in an incredibly tight fight just off the podium. Can the TT Circuit Assen deliver? Their best to date in MotoGP at the track is seventh, and their best ever anywhere is sixth. The field is closer than ever, but the RS-GP is better than ever…

90 years of history seems like a lot to live up to, but with the classics we’ve seen staged at Assen it’s a solid bet that we’ll get another chapter. Who will come out swinging and head into summer break on top of the world?

2021 MotoGP Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	Fabio QUARTARARO	Yamaha	131
2	Johann ZARCO	Ducati	109
3	Jack MILLER	Ducati	100
4	Francesco BAGNAIA	Ducati	99
5	Joan MIR	Suzuki	85
6	Maverick VIÑALES	Yamaha	75
7	Miguel OLIVEIRA	KTM	74
8	Brad BINDER	KTM	56
9	Aleix ESPARGARO	Aprilia	53
10	Marc MARQUEZ	Honda	41
11	Franco MORBIDELLI	Yamaha	40
12	Pol ESPARGARO	Honda	35
13	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	Honda	34
14	Alex RINS	Suzuki	28
15	Enea BASTIANINI	Ducati	26
16	Alex MARQUEZ	Honda	25
17	Jorge MARTIN	Ducati	23
18	Danilo PETRUCCI	KTM	23
19	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	17
20	Luca MARINI	Ducati	14
21	Iker LECUONA	KTM	13
22	Stefan BRADL	Honda	11
23	Lorenzo SAVADORI	Aprilia	4
24	Michele PIRRO	Ducati	3
25	Tito RABAT	Ducati	1

Moto2

Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) may have been beaten to a first win of the year by his rookie team-mate Raul Fernandez, but since then the Australian has put the pedal to the metal. Now it’s three victories in a row and he’s the first Australian to do that in the intermediate class, gaining some good ground in the standings. Not only that, but his teammate crashed out in Germany – a first error of what’s nevertheless an incredibly impressive debut year – and it’s now a 36-point cushion for Gardner at the top. So will he play it safe?

Unfortunately for the rest of the field watching the number 87 enjoy a somewhat solo track day at the Sachsenring, his calling card in 2021 is already balancing risk and reward better than the rest – as well as staying just as devastatingly quick. So why would it change now? The pressure of taking a win is off, some pressure is off in the standings and he’s already made a little history. The speed the Australian has often shown before has now been paired with consistency, and it’s proving a problem for the rest of the field.

For Raul Fernandez on the other side of the garage, the pressure is on a little more after his crash – certainly in the standings. But then, as a rookie winning races, his performance remains one of the biggest standouts of the season so far in any class, and the season remains long. Can he fight back at Assen? And will we get a rerun of the incredible speed he and Gardner showed as they disappeared at the front in Germany early on?

Marco Bezzecchi (Sky Racing Team VR46), meanwhile, remains on the hunt for more than a podium, but the Italian did do a sterling job at the Sachsenring to go from a difficult Friday to the podium on Sunday. So too did Aron Canet (Aspar Team Moto2), who took his second rostrum of the season in second on a great day for the Boscoscuro chassis, with three in the top nine for the first time. Can that form continue at Assen?

Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) will be looking for a bit more after ending up off the podium, and so too will Sam Lowes (El Marc VDS Racing Team) and his teammate Augusto Fernandez, the most recent winner at Assen in Moto2. Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) and Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing) both crashed late and will want some redemption too, and Jake Dixon (Petronas Sprinta Racing) had an incident with Augusto Fernandez. To complicate their lives a little more, both Roberts and Dixon have Long Lap penalties for Assen as well… the former for crashing under yellows, the latter for the aforementioned incident. Dixon does, however, have a fair bit of experience at Assen from the BSB paddock.

There are some shoutouts from a little further down the order too: Albert Arenas (Aspar Team Moto2) was top rookie and took his best Moto2 result yet by far, and injury replacement Alonso Lopez – then at Flexbox HP 40, this weekend back at +Ego Speed Up – equalled his European Moto2™ Championship teammate Fermin Aldeguer’s best stand in ride of P12 from Mugello. Their rivalry won’t continue at Assen as Aldeguer heads back to MotoE, but Lopez will be gaining more track time on the Triumph back on a Boscocuro chassis.

Gardner heads the field on the way in, and he will most definitely do the same on the way out with 36 points in his pocket. But can he make it four in a row? Can Fernandez strike back? Or can those on the chase close down the Red Bull KTM Ajo duo just before we head into the summer break?

Moto2 Championship Points Standing

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	Remy GARDNER	Kalex	164
2	Raul FERNANDEZ	Kalex	128
3	Marco BEZZECCHI	Kalex	117
4	Sam LOWES	Kalex	86
5	Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO	Kalex	73
6	Marcel SCHROTTER	Kalex	59
7	Aron CANET	Boscoscuro	55
8	Joe ROBERTS	Kalex	50
9	Xavi VIERGE	Kalex	42
10	Ai OGURA	Kalex	39
11	Bo BENDSNEYDER	Kalex	38
12	Augusto FERNANDEZ	Kalex	34
13	Jorge NAVARRO	Boscoscuro	33
14	Tony ARBOLINO	Kalex	30
15	Cameron BEAUBIER	Kalex	26
16	Albert ARENAS	Boscoscuro	18
17	Stefano MANZI	Kalex	17
18	Celestino VIETTI	Kalex	16
19	Marcos RAMIREZ	Kalex	16
20	Jake DIXON	Kalex	11
21	Hector GARZO	Kalex	11
22	Somkiat CHANTRA	Kalex	11
23	Nicolò BULEGA	Kalex	10
24	Hafizh SYAHRIN	NTS	8
25	Simone CORSI	MV Agusta	7
26	Lorenzo DALLA PORTA	Kalex	6
27	Alonso LOPEZ	Kalex	4
28	Fermín ALDEGUER	Boscoscuro	4
29	Lorenzo BALDASSARRI	MV Agusta	3
30	Barry BALTUS	NTS	2
31	Thomas LUTHI	Kalex	2
32	Yari MONTELLA	Boscoscuro	0
33	Tommaso MARCON	MV Agusta	0
34	Miquel PONS	MV Agusta	0
35	Fraser ROGERS	NTS	0
36	Taiga HADA	NTS	0
37	Piotr BIESIEKIRSKI	Kalex	0
38	Keminth KUBO	Kalex	0

Moto3

After a stunning start to the season for rookie sensation Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo), the Spaniard then spent a few races taking home some good points but not really seeming able to challenge for the win. He brought that run to a convincing end in Germany, however, returning to the top step in style to take the momentum back from closest challenger Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team). So can he keep it rolling?

MotoGP Rnd Assen Race Moto Crash Fernandez — Moto3 also had its share of spills and thrills at Assen last time we visited, 2019

If he can, it’ll likely be through another tactical coup. The final chicane at Assen stages some amazing showdowns throughout the classes, but in Moto3 it can shuffle the podium in one change of direction. Planning that out can be key… and Acosta said one of the things he’s learned and put into practice in Germany is that last lap battle.

Assen is also a track where many of those on Acosta’s tail have a little more experience – not that it made too much difference at the Sachsenring – but for Garcia he’s only raced there once, so he’ll be pushing to come out swinging and get reacquainted. The more veteran crew of Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3), Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing), teammate John McPhee, Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) and Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), meanwhile, will be gunning to get back nearer the front after some misadventures for most in Germany, and they do know Assen pretty well: McPhee, Migno and Fenati all have podiums at the track, and Antonelli is the only rider in the field to have qualified on pole there.

The likes of Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) and Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) will arrive high on confidence from the podium too, and Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) will know he was almost there in Germany before that penalty, despite having never ridden the Sachsenring before, at all. Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was in the front group again too. Jaume Masia (Red Bull KTM Ajo), meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back although he remains up there in the standings, and Gabriel Rodrigo (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) needs a little luck to convert his pace into points.

Four and a half kilometres of a truly classic venue, all leading up to that final chicane, who will lead them to the flag?

Moto3 Championship Points Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	Pedro ACOSTA	KTM	145
2	Sergio GARCIA	GASGAS	90
3	Jaume MASIA	KTM	72
4	Niccolò ANTONELLI	KTM	65
5	Romano FENATI	Husqvarna	64
6	Dennis FOGGIA	Honda	61
7	Darryn BINDER	Honda	60
8	Andrea MIGNO	Honda	58
9	Ayumu SASAKI	KTM	57
10	Jeremy ALCOBA	Honda	52
11	Gabriel RODRIGO	Honda	51
12	Kaito TOBA	KTM	49
13	Filip SALAC	Honda	35
14	Izan GUEVARA	GASGAS	32
15	Ryusei YAMANAKA	KTM	28
16	John MCPHEE	Honda	27
17	Jason DUPASQUIER	KTM	27
18	Tatsuki SUZUKI	Honda	26
19	Deniz ÖNCÜ	KTM	24
20	Xavier ARTIGAS	Honda	23
21	Riccardo ROSSI	KTM	16
22	Carlos TATAY	KTM	14
23	Stefano NEPA	KTM	14
24	Adrian FERNANDEZ	Husqvarna	10
25	Elia BARTOLINI	KTM	7
26	Yuki KUNII	Honda	7
27	Maximilian KOFLER	KTM	3
28	Andi Farid IZDIHAR	Honda	2
29	Daniel HOLGADO	KTM	1
30	Lorenzo FELLON	Honda	0
31	Joel KELSO	KTM	0
32	Takuma MATSUYAMA	Honda	0

MotoE

Alessandro Zaccone (Octo Pramac MotoE) arrives with the Cup lead still intact, but it’s now just a single point by which the Italian heads the table. Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) is close on the chase after another podium in Barcelona, with a ten-point gap back to Jordi Torres (Pons Racing 40) after the Spaniard likewise took another podium at Catalunya. All three will be gunning for more big points near the front, and there are some interesting and varying levels of experience for the field at the TT Circuit Assen.

Zaccone has STK600 and WorldSSP experience at the venue, Aegerter has a long history in the Grand Prix paddock on 125s and in Moto2, and Torres too has done a few laps round Assen on, most notably, intermediate class machinery. A little further back from those right at the front, Lukas Tulovic (Tech3 E-Racing) took his best Moto2 World Championship result in the Netherlands too. Barcelona winner Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team), meanwhile, arrives with no experience of the venue – so a few of his rivals will be hoping that shuffles the rookie back a little after an impressive display last time out. He could be looking for consistency too, with a lack of points in France putting a dent in his otherwise exemplary debut season in MotoE.

Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) will also want more consistency arriving from his first DNF of the season, but that can’t be more true than for Eric Granado (ONE Energy Racing). After a crash in Jerez and then a stunner in France, the Brazilian was set to start from pole for MotoE’s debut race in Barcelona before a technical problem ahead of lights out forced him into a pitlane start, and with a six-lap race to make up the ground it was risk the limit or ride round for little reward. Granado chose the former and was absolutely flying, half a second faster than the rest and able to claw his way back into the points. Sadly not right to the flag, however, as he went down late on after his charge. Can he pull off another reset like he did at Le Mans?

MotoE Championship Points Standings

Pos	Rider	Bike	Points
1	Alessandro ZACCONE	Energica	54
2	Dominique AEGERTER	Energica	53
3	Jordi TORRES	Energica	43
4	Miquel PONS	Energica	36
5	Mattia CASADEI	Energica	33
6	Eric GRANADO	Energica	28
7	Yonny HERNANDEZ	Energica	27
8	Matteo FERRARI	Energica	27
9	Maria HERRERA	Energica	18
10	Lukas TULOVIC	Energica	17
11	Hikari OKUBO	Energica	16
12	Corentin PEROLARI	Energica	13
13	Fermín ALDEGUER	Energica	11
14	Kevin ZANNONI	Energica	11
15	Andre PIRES	Energica	11
16	Andrea MANTOVANI	Energica	10
17	Jasper IWEMA	Energica	7
18	Xavi CARDELUS	Energica	3

2021

Motul TT Assen Schedule (AEST)

Source: MCNews.com.au

MotoGP, Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

MotoGP Stats update heading to Assen

June 27, 2019 mcnews Leave a comment

Round Eight – Assen

MotoGP Facts and Stats

At the Catalan GP, Marc Marquez won for the 44th time in MotoGP after qualifying within the top three.

Marc Marquez’ win at the Catalan GP was the 160th for a Spanish rider in the premier class of Grand Prix racing. Spain is second on the list of nations with the most GP wins in the class behind Italy, which has 243.

MotoGP Rnd Catalunya Marc Marquez Celebrate — Marc Marquez

Marc Marquez has failed to score points only three times since the Catalan GP last year (Australia and Valencia in 2018, and Austin this season). Over the last 16 races he has finished, he has always been on the podium and finished third only once, in Brno.

Fabio Quartararo crossed the line in second at the Catalan GP as the top rookie and the highest-placed Independent team rider. He is still leading the fight for the Rookie of the Year with 51 points ahead Joan Mir (22 points), Miguel Oliveira (12) and Francesco Bagnaia (9).

In addition, Fabio Quartararo moved up to second place in the Independent Team rider classification, two points behind Jack Miller (53 points). That second placed finish made him the fifth youngest rider of all time (including 500 GP), to have stood on a MotoGP podium. Randy Mamola was the youngest when he stood on the podium for the first time in Finland, 1979.

MotoGP Rnd Catalunya Podium Marquez Quartararo Petrucci — 2019 Catalunya MotoGP Results
1 – Marc Marquez (SPA – Honda) 40’31.175
2 – Fabio Quartararo* (FRA – Yamaha) +2.660
3 – Danilo Petrucci (ITA – Ducati) +4.537

Alex Rins finished in fourth place at the Catalan GP and he has now scored points in the last 16 successive races. The last time he failed to score any points was in Germany last year when he crashed on the opening lap.

Following the Catalan GP, Suzuki have scored 101 points, which is the most points accumulated after the opening seven races by Suzuki since 2000 when they had 128 points at this stage of the season.

Davide Brivio
Suzuki Team Manager looks to assen

“The test we did in Catalunya last week gave us important information and also interesting feedback. We are now evaluating if some of the solutions should be used already in Assen, or if we need some further investigation. In any case, we start Assen with positivity, especially following the good race that Alex put together here in 2018. The circuit layout may suit our machine characteristics, so we will work with our usual program to prepare for the race in the best way possible. Joan is also on good form, he found more feeling with his bike and his confidence is getting better and better, we hope this will see him achieve the results he deserves.”

MotoGP Qatar Rnd Rins — Alex Rins – Qatar MotoGP 2019

Neither of the two Yamaha factory riders have won at least one of the seven opening races for the second successive year. The last time the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team did not have a win in any of the first seven races of the year in two successive seasons was in 2002 and 2003.

Following the Catalan GP, Yamaha have scored 108 points in the Constructor’s World Championship classification, which is the lowest points accumulated after the opening seven races by Yamaha since 2003 when the Japanese manufacturer had 83 points after the Dutch TT.

Massimo Meregalli
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

“After an important and successful test in Catalunya, we come to Assen with some optimism and also quite a bit of fire in our bellies. The way things ended at the previous round was a real shame and had serious consequences for our outlook on the championship. However, we are determined to make a strong comeback here this weekend and we‘re using the unfortunate incident in Catalunya to fuel our motivation even more. We want to be on the podium, and to do so we need to be at the front at every session, so that will be our focus. Vale and Mack both like riding in Assen, so we’re feeling confident that we can do well this weekend.”

MotoGP Rnd COTA Rossi GP AN — Valentino Rossi

With Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and KTM within the top 10 in Catalunya, this is the sixth time this year there have been at least five different manufacturers within the top 10. The last time there were at least five different manufacturers within the top 10 in six (or more) of the first seven races of the year was in 1993.

Johann Zarco crossed the line in 10th place at the Catalan GP, which is his best result since he joined KTM this year. With Pol Espargaro in seventh and Johann Zarco in 10th, this is the third time there were two KTM riders within the top 10 in MotoGP along with Australia 2017 and Valencia last year. This is the sixth top 10 finish for KTM this year, one more than last year and one less than their first season in the premier class in 2017.

MotoGP KTM Pol Espargaro — KTM RC16 MotoGP – Pol Espargaro

Valentino Rossi is the most successful rider across all Grand Prix classes in Assen with 10 victories (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc and 8 x MotoGP). The next most successful on the current grid, with five
wins, is Marc Marquez (1 x 125cc, 2 x Moto2, 2 x MotoGP).

Valentino Rossi crashed out of the race at the Catalan GP, although through no fault of his own, making it the first time he failed to score any points in two successive races he competed in since Japan and Australia back in 2011, riding a Ducati.

With Andrea Dovizioso crashing out in Barcelona, only three riders have scored points in all seven of the MotoGP races in 2019: Alex Rins, Danilo Petrucci and Pol Espargaro.

Andrea Dovizioso

“There’s no time to linger on the points lost at Barcelona, we need to tackle each race working as hard as we’ve done until now. I believe we are showing great competitiveness and, even though there are always areas to improve, we have proven our speed. Assen isn’t the most favorable track for our bike and weather conditions always play a fundamental role there, but at any rate we’ve shown we’re capable of progressively improving during the course of a weekend even on tricky circuits. We need to stay calm and focused, taking it one race at a time. The Championship has still a long way to go.”

MotoGP Rnd Catalunya Start Dovizioso Marquez — Catalunya MotoGP

With Sylvain Guintoli finishing the race in 13th place at Catalunya, all riders who finished scored points at Barcelona, which is the first time this has happened in dry weather conditions since the Catalan GP last year. In addition, this is the first time there were 13 riders across the line since the French GP back in 2013 (13 finishers).

With Fabio Quartararo, Johann Zarco and Sylvain Guintoli, this is the first time three French riders have scored at least one point in the same premier class race since the French GP in 2017 with Johann Zarco, Loris Baz and Sylvain Guintoli.

The only two of the four rookies in the MotoGP class this year to have previously won at the Dutch TT in any of the smaller classes are Francesco Bagnaia, in Moto3 back in 2016 and in Moto2 last
year, and Miguel Oliveira in Moto3 back in 2015.

MotoGP 2016 - Round Eight - Assen - Moto2 Podium - Francesco Bagnaia — MotoGP 2016 – Round Eight – Assen – Moto2 Podium – Francesco Bagnaia

Motorcycle Grand Prix Racing at Assen

Assen is the only venue that has hosted a Grand Prix event every year since the motorcycle World Championship Grand Prix series started back in 1949.

The Dutch TT became part of the World Championship series when it was first created in 1949 and Assen is the only circuit to have been part of the series every year since, making this the 71st Dutch TT that has counted towards the world championship classification.

In 2016, the Dutch TT was held on Sunday for the first time; all previous Dutch TT events had taken place on Saturday. Last year, the races were held in July for the first since 1955.

MotoGP Assen Race Marquez Podium — The average age of the three riders on the 2018 MotoGP podium in Assen was 23 years 292 days, making it the youngest podium of the MotoGP era since Assen 2016 when Jack Miller won from Marc Márquez and Scott Redding. Then, the average age of the three riders was 22 years 277 days.

The original Assen circuit, that was used up to 1954, measured 16.54 km. This was reduced to 7.7 km in 1955 and then in 1984 further modifications to the circuit reduced the length to 6.1 km. The current layout has been used since 2006, with a few minor adjustments.

A total of 268 Grand Prix races for solo motorcycles have been held at the TT Circuit Assen since 1949 as follows: MotoGP –17, 500cc–53, 350cc–33, Moto2 –9, 250cc–58, Moto3 –7, 125cc–63, 80cc–6, 50cc–22.

The 500cc race at the 1975 Dutch TT is the only premier class Grand Prix race where the first two riders across the line have been credited with the same race time. Barry Sheene and Giacomo Agostini finished so close that the timekeepers of the day, using manual timing accurate to 0.1 sec, were unable to split them.

Yamaha are the most successful manufacturer at the Dutch TT since the start of the four-stroke MotoGP era, with nine wins with three different riders: Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies, who took his one and only win in the premier class back in 2011.

Ben Spies at Assen in 2011 — Ben Spies won at Assen in 2011 ahead of Casey Stoner and Andrea Dovizioso

Honda have had seven MotoGP wins at the Dutch TT with six different riders: Valentino Rossi, Sete Gibernau, Nicky Hayden, Casey Stoner, Marc Marquez and Jack Miller.

MotoGP 2016 - Round Eight - Assen - MotoGP Podium - Jack Miller, Marc Marquez- Scott Redding — MotoGP 2016 – Round Eight – Assen – MotoGP Podium – Jack Miller, Marc Marquez- Scott Redding

Ducati have won only once in MotoGP at the Dutch TT with Casey Stoner back in 2008. Ducati has had three podium finishes at Assen in the past eight years: Andrea Dovizioso was second in 2014, Scott Redding third in 2016 and Danilo Petrucci second in 2017.

MotoGP 2008 - Image by AJRN - Casey Stoner won the race from Dani Pedrosa and Colin Edwards — MotoGP 2008 – Image by AJRN – Casey Stoner won the race from Dani Pedrosa and Colin Edwards at Assen in 2008

The last win for a Suzuki rider at the Dutch TT was in the 500cc race in 1993 with Kevin Schwantz. The best result by Suzuki in the MotoGP class at the Dutch TT is a second-place finish by Alex Rins last year.

The last rider to win the MotoGP race at the Dutch TT in successive years is Valentino Rossi, in 2004 and 2005.

In the 500cc class, Giacomo Agostini and Mick Doohan both won the Dutch TT five years in a row.

The most successful rider at Assen is Angel Nieto with 15 wins in the 125cc and 50cc classes, followed by Giacomo Agostini who had 14 wins riding 500cc and 350cc machines.

Among the current riders, Valentino Rossi is the most successful at Assen with a total of 10 wins, eight in MotoGP (seven with Yamaha, one with Honda) and one each in the 250cc and 125cc classes.

podium motogp — Assen MotoGP Podium – 2005 – Rossi, Melandri, Edwards

The top 15 in the MotoGP race at the Dutch GP in 2018 was closest in the premier class of Grand Prix racing at the time, with 16.043 seconds between Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa. The record was beaten in Qatar earlier this season.

Four Dutch riders have won a Grand Prix race at the TT Circuit Assen: Paul Lodewijkx (50cc–1968), Wil Hartog (500cc–1977), Jack Middelburg (500cc–1980) and Hans Spaan (125cc–1989).

The nine Moto2 races that have taken place at the TT Circuit Assen have been won by eighth different riders: Andrea Iannone, Marc Marquez, Pol Espargaro, Anthony West, Johann Zarco, Takaaki Nakagami, Franco Morbidelli and Francesco Bagnaia. The only rider who has more than a single Moto2 win at this circuit is Marc Márquez who won in both 2011 and 2012.

The seven Moto3 races that have taken place at the TT Circuit Assen circuit have been won by seven different riders: Maverick Viñales, Luis Salom, Alex Marquez, Miguel Oliveira, Francesco Bagnaia, Aron Canet and Jorge Martin.

MotoGP Standings

Pos.	Rider	Bike	Points
1	Marc Marquez	Honda	140
2	Andrea Dovizioso	Ducati	103
3	Alex Rins	Suzuki	101
4	Danilo Petrucci	Ducati	98
5	Valentino Rossi	Yamaha	72
6	Jack Miller	Ducati	53
7	Fabio Quartararo	Yamaha	51
8	Takaaki Nakagami	Honda	48
9	Pol Espargaro	KTM	47
10	Cal Crutchlow	Honda	42
11	Maverick Viñales	Yamaha	40
12	Franco Morbidelli	Yamaha	34
13	Aleix Espargaro	Aprilia	27
14	Joan Mir	Suzuki	22
15	Jorge Lorenzo	Honda	19
16	Johann Zarco	KTM	16
17	Miguel Oliveira	KTM	12
18	Andrea Iannone	Aprilia	12
19	Michele Pirro	Ducati	9
20	Francesco Bagnaia	Ducati	9
21	Tito Rabat	Ducati	9
22	Stefan Bradl	Honda	6
23	Sylvain Guintoli	Suzuki	3
24	Karel Abraham	Ducati	2
25	Hafizh Syahrin	KTM	2
26	Bradley Smith	Aprilia	0

Source: MCNews.com.au

2021 MotoGP Round Nine Assen Quotes

Fabio Quartararo – P1

Maverick Vinales – P2

Joan Mir – P3

Johann Zarco – P4

Miguel Oliveira – P5

Francesco Bagnaia – P6

Marc Marquez – P7

Aleix Espargaro – P8

Takaaki Nakagami – P9

Pol Espargaro – P10

Alex Rins – P11

Brad Binder – P12

Danilo Petrucci – P13

Álex Márquez – P14

Enea Bastianini – P15

Lorenzo Savadori – P16

Garrett Gerloff – P17

Luca Marini – P18

Iker Lecuona – DNF

Jorge Martín – DNF

Valentino Rossi – DNF

Jack Miller – DNF

Team Managers

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

Shinichi Sahara – Suzuki Project Leader and Team Director

Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager

Mike Leitner – Red Bull KTM Race Manager

Razlan Razali – Petronas SRT Team Principal

Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 KTM Team Manager

2021 Assen MotoGP Race Results

2021 MotoGP Standings

2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendarJune 23 Update

2021 MotoGP Round Nine Assen

Assen GP Race Report

2021 Assen MotoGP Race Results

2021 MotoGP Standings

Moto2

2021 Assen Moto2 Race Results

Moto2 Championship Points Standings

Moto3

Dennis Foggia – P1

Joel Kelso – P22

Alain Bronec – CIP-Green Power Team Owner

2021 Assen Moto3 Race Results

Moto3 Championship Points Standings

MotoE

2021 Assen MotoE Race Results

MotoE Championship Points Standings

2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendarJune 23 Update

MotoGP 2021 – Round NineMotul TT Assen

Maverick Vinales – P1

Fabio Quartararo – P2

Francesco Bagnaia – P3

Takaaki Nakagami – P4

Johann Zarco – P5

Miguel Oliveira – P6

Alex Rins – P7

Jack Miller – P8

Aleix Espargaro – P9

Joan Mir – P10

Pol Espargaro – P11

Valentino Rossi – P12

Iker Lecuona – P13

Jorge Martín – P14

Lorenzo Savadori – P15

Álex Márquez – P16

Luca Marini – P17

Danilo Petrucci – P18

Enea Bastianini – P19

Marc Marquez – P20

Brad Binder – P21

Garrett Gerloff – P22

Q1 Notes

Q2 Notes

The Grid

MotoGP Assen Combined Qualifying

2021 MotoGP Standings

Moto2

Moto2 Assen Combined Qualifying Times

2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar
June 23 Update

2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship calendar
June 23 Update

MotoGP 2021 – Round Nine
Motul TT Assen

MotoGP 2021 – Round Nine
Motul TT Assen – Preview

Davide Brivio
Suzuki Team Manager looks to assen

Massimo Meregalli
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director