Raul Fernandez won the MotoGP Tissot Sprint race Saturday afternoon at TT Assen Circuit, in the Netherlands. Riding his SuperFile Trackhouse Aprilia RS-GP26 on Michelin control tires, the Spaniard won the 13-lap race by 0.362 second.
His teammate, Ai Ogura was the runner-up.
Fabio Di Giannantonio finished third on his Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Ducati Desmosedici GP26.
Marco Bezzecchi took fourth on his Aprilia Racing RS-GP26, and his teammate, Jorge Martin crossed the finish line fifth.
Marco Bezzecchi leads the championship with 186 points, 9 ahead of Jorge Martin who has 177 points. Fabio Di Giannantonio is third with 164 points.
More from a press release issued by MotoGP:
Fernandez flies to Sprint gold as SuperFile Trackhouse take a 1-2 at Assen. The American team rule on Saturday afternoon, with Diggia completing the podium as the squabble behind lights up.
Raul Fernandez (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) took an awesome Tissot Sprint win at Assen, launching from fourth on the grid to make his way to the lead and hold on to deny teammate Ai Ogura. Behind them, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) completed the Saturday podium after fighting his way past polesitter Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) and Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing).
Ogura took the holeshot from second on the grid, but Martin struck back immediately to seize the lead, forcing the Japanese rider back into second through the opening corners. Behind them, Fernandez was running third, while Bezzecchi ran wide after starting fourth and lost out to Diggia, after the #49 had also got past a fast-starting Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team). Just behind them came Marc’s Ducati Lenovo teammate Francesco Bagnaia, forming a powerful lead group.
Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was running eighth behind the leading pack, while Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) launched an early attack before running wide, dropping outside the top 10 and leaving Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) pressuring the Yamaha in search of a way through.
On Lap 2, Fernandez overtook his teammate at exactly the same spot where Ogura had lost the lead one lap earlier. At the end of Lap 3, the final chicane became the scene of intense action. Fernandez attacked Martin to take the lead, while Di Giannantonio passed Ogura for third, with all four riders fanning out across the main straight.
Martin ran slightly wide on Lap 4 and lost out to Diggia, with Ogura also taking advantage to move past the #89. Martin responded at the final chicane but was denied once again, as Fernandez and Di Giannantonio began to pull away at the front.
Ogura turned up the pace in pursuit of the leading duo, while the Aprilia Racing machines began battling each other, with Bezzecchi eventually making the move stick. Behind them, Marc Marquez, Bagnaia and Bastianini were also locked in a fierce fight as Ogura started to close the gap to the leaders.
With five laps to go, Fernandez had built a gap of his own while Ogura closed in on Diggia. The Japanese rider then produced a textbook move at the final chicane to take second, setting up a Trackhouse versus Trackhouse battle for victory with only a handful of laps remaining.
Bezzecchi was also charging forward, cutting the gap to Diggia in the fight for third. Martin, Bagnaia, Marc Marquez and Bastianini remained locked together battling over fifth, while Acosta had climbed back to ninth after rejoining in 15th following his off-track moment, putting himself back in contention for the final point.
On the final lap, the gap came down as Ogura pushed all the way to the flag, but it wasn’t enough. Fernandez still held a six-tenth advantage. Di Giannantonio also managed to create a small cushion over Bezzecchi, while the closest fight was between 2024 title rivals Bagnaia and Martin.
The #63 tried to make a move but couldn’t find a way through, forcing him to rely on a drag race to the line, only to fall just short. Up front, however, it was a dream Sprint for the SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team, securing a stunning 1-2 finish. Fernandez held on to take a brilliant victory from fourth on the grid, with Ogura crossing the line in second. Di Giannantonio completed the Sprint podium, leaving Championship leader Bezzecchi just off the Saturday rostrum.
Martin held off Bagnaia by just 0.061s in the sprint to the finish to secure fifth, with the Italian crossing the line in sixth. Marc Marquez finished another tenth back in seventh, while Bastianini came home eighth. Acosta completed the points-paying positions in ninth after an outstanding recovery from 15th.
Aprilia still holds the advantage on Saturday, but it’s SuperFile Trackhouse that ends the day on top. Will the same happen on Sunday? Tune in on race day to find out!
