Alessandro Zaccone took second in the first MotoE race at the Motul TT Assen, and went one better a few hours later to take the win in Race Two on Saturday at the fabled circuit.

Race One winner Hector Garzo dropped to third in Race Two, behind Oscar Gutierrez, who finished second. Gutierrez was third in Race One, behind Garzo and Zaccone.

Defending World Champion Francesco Bagnaia led the MotoGP Sprint race at Assen from start to finish, cutting into the Championship lead of tital rival Jorge Martin, who finished second. Eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez crashed out on the second lap after touching the curbing in the fast Turn Two. Maverick Vinales converted his front-row starting position into third, ahead of factory Ducati rider Enea Bastianini.

Fermin Aldeguer took pole position for the Moto2 race at the Motul TT Assen with a new outright lap record. Aldeguer headed home a Boscoscuro 1-2-3, with Ai Ogura and Sergio Garcia completing the front row. 

More, from a press release issued by Pirelli:

With Pirelli the Moto2™ and Moto3™ riders set new records in Assen as well

Pole position and all-time lap record for Aldeguer in Moto2™, Piqueras fastest in Moto3™ qualifiers but the lap record goes to hometown hero Veijer

In the qualifiers for the Dutch GP which is raced this weekend at the TT Assen Circuit, Fermín Aldeguer (Folladore SpeedUp/Boscoscuro) in Moto2™ and Ángel Piqueras (Leopard Racing/Honda) in Moto3™ took pole position, so they’ll be starting from the first spot on the grid for their respective races tomorrow.

In Moto2™, Spaniard Fermín Aldeguer took pole position as well as setting the new track record with a time of 1’35.269. Right behind him were team MT Helmets-MSI teammates, Japanese rider Ai Ogura and Spaniard Sergio Garcia.

In Moto3™, Piqueras snatched pole position in the finale of the qualifying session, whereas hometown hero Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP/Husqvarna) had to settle for third place after setting the new all-time lap record in the Practice 2 session on Saturday morning with a time of 1’39.703.

Outstanding performance by the tyres Pirelli chose for this GP, which are all standard and regularly sold to the general public on the market.

Giorgio Barbier

Motorcycle Racing Director

More lap records and once again with standard tyres
 
“Yet again, here in Assen, already on Friday, the riders set new track lap records with our tyres, only to improve today by almost a second and a half in Moto3™ and more than 7 tenths in Moto2™, so we’re talking about truly significant progress with asphalt temperatures around 50°C, so rather demanding conditions. These results take on even more significance if we consider that they were achieved with strictly standard tyres that any rider can purchase, so not prototypes intended only for a few riders. Among other things, this is not exactly a simple track either, because it is rather hard on the front tyres and this is the first time Pirelli is racing with these categories and in this period of the year, since we have always come here with the World Superbike Championship in April, with cooler temperatures. Therefore, the outcome of these first two days is undoubtedly positive. Tomorrow, the temperatures should be a bit lower than today, but that won’t influence tyre choice for the races. We expect the soft compounds to be the most popular for front and rear, with a possible prevalence of the medium SC2 just for the front in Moto3.”

Moto2™
 
· Fermín Aldeguer (Folladore SpeedUp/Boscoscuro) took pole position for the race tomorrow with a time of 1’35.269, a new all-time lap record. Already in the Practice 1 session Friday afternoon, the Spaniard had broken the all-time record set in 2023 by Ai Ogura using tyres in the soft SC0 compound at the rear and the soft SC1 compound at the front. Saturday morning in Practice 2, Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia/Kalex) further improved on Aldeguer’s record by 6 tenths, with a time of 1’35.341, later beaten in qualifying.
 
· In Practice 2, an astonishing 14 riders dropped below Ai Ogura’s 2023 track record, whereas in Q2, 9 riders did the same, in spite of asphalt temperatures around 50°C.
 
Moto3™
 
· Ángel Piqueras (Leopard Racing/Honda) took pole position in the finale of the qualifying session with a time of 1’39.746, just over the time of 1’39.703 and new all-time lap record set in Practice 2 on Saturday morning by hometown hero, Dutchman Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP/Husqvarna), who will start from the third spot on the grid tomorrow, just behind Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia/Honda), second.
 
· Moto3™ was super-fast straight away from Friday morning, with Iván Ortolá (MT Helmets-MSI/KTM) already setting the new track record in free practice with a time of 1’40.610, breaking the 2023 record set by David Muñoz by more than half a second. Collin Veijer then improved it further, first in the afternoon Practice 1 session with a time of 1’40.259 and then in the Saturday morning Practice 2 session with a time of 1’39.703, a new all-time track record for the category.
 
· Overall, in Q2, an amazing 17 out of 18 riders dropped below the 2023 track record time, whereas in Practice 2 on Saturday morning, with asphalt temperatures below 25°C, an astonishing 20 riders did laps faster than the old record.

Angel Piqueras took pole position for the Moto3 World Championship race after Dutch rider Collin Veijer, who was leading the final qualifying session, highsided on the main straight. Veijer was quickest at the time he crashed, but Piqueras and Taiyo Furusato put their Hondas first and second on the grid, pushing Veijer to third.

MotoGP World Champion Francesco Bagnaia shattered the existing lap record at Assen and took pole at the Motul TT Assen. After Championship leader Jorge Martin went fastest on the second lap, setting the first ever sub 1:31 lap at the circuit, Bagnaia calmly went back out onto a relatively empty track and dropped the time to a 1:30.540, smashing the outright record he had set the day before. The rest of the field waited until the last minute and then jockeyed for position like a pack of Moto3 riders, leaving all of them scrambling for clear track and Marc Marquez crashing out after diving under and colliding with Aleix Espargaro.

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Bagnaia denies Martin to take first pole of 2024, Marquez crashes in Q2

The reigning Champion plays it cool, the Championship leader runs him close, and Viñales grabs third as Marquez slides out on his Q2 charge

Saturday, 29 June 2024

On Thursday, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) predicted a 1:30.899 as the pole position time at the Motul TT Assen, and on Saturday he proved himself very, lap-record-smashed wrong. His actual time around the iconic TT Circuit Assen is stunning 1:30.540 to take his first pole of 2024, and even then it was only enough to deny key title rival Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) by 0.081s as the duo head the grid.

The two then have a little breathing space ahead of Maverick Viñales as the Aprilia Racing rider completes the front row, 0.330s further back, although the #12 was the only rider within Bagnaia’s postcode for much of the weekend until Q2. He’ll be looking to turn the duel into a group battle from the off.

Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), meanwhile, starts seventh after a crash in Q2 when going for a move on Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), going past the Aprilia and then sliding straight out. Rider ok.

Q1

Q1 had some big names looking for a way through, as ever, and at the end of the first runs it was Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) leading the way from Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) by just 0.034s, with Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) lurking in third. The Frenchman then took over on top, Acosta hit back, but finally Diggia found another little slice of time to slot into second behind Acosta. The rookie finished the session with a crash, rider ok, but remained quickest despite the final small twist of drama.

Q2

By five and a half minutes to go, Bagnaia was already looking back over his shoulder after completing his fastest lap. The reigning Champion unleashed his 1:30.5 by the conclusion of the first runs, and for him it was the conclusion of his running full stop. He went back to the box and watched the rest take aim at his benchmark on TV. Martin was second, over three tenths back, with a similar gap to Diggia holding third.

The second runs saw the track get busy, and Marquez was one who didn’t quite find the space he’d wanted. He was just behind Espargaro, trying to slice through on a fast one after the #41 had passed him earlier, and the #93 overcooked it and slid straight out once he was past the Aprilia. That left Marquez waiting to see who would be able to pip him further down the order from the P5 he held at the time. One of them would turn out to be… Espargaro.

Meanwhile, Viñales was on a flying lap. It wasn’t quite enough to be an assault on pole, but keeping it clean round the final sector saw him cross the line to take the final place on the front row.

Martin was then left to try and make his statement. And despite’s Bagnaia’s incredible dominance of the weekend so far, the #89 ran it close. Over the line the Championship leader came up just 0.081s short, but he starts right alongside his closest rival in the standings.

THE GRID

Behind Bagnaia, Martin and Viñales, Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) heads the second row as his impressive weekend continues, having taken P3 on Friday. Espargaro lines up P5, with Diggia next up on the outside of the second row despite coming through Q1.

That leaves Marc Marquez down in P7 after his crash, ahead of Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Acosta in P10. Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) complete the Q2 runners, with Quartararo next up from Q1. Can he move forward once the lights go out?

We could have a duel to remember, a masterclass, a shock twist, a huge group battle or many of the above on our hands with a tantalising grid at the Motul TT Assen. So make sure to tune in!

SATURDAY

TISSOT SPRINT: 15:00 (UTC +2)

SUNDAY

GRAND PRIX: 14:00 (UTC +2)

Defending MotoGP World Champion Francesco Bagnaia kept his perfect record over the weekend at the Motul TT Assen intact, leading a tight field in the third practice session. Bagnaia has led every session so far this weekend, although he was 0.330 seconds slower than he was on Friday. Maverick Vinales was second, as he was during practice on Friday, and Pedro Acosta finished the session third.

Somkiat Chantra took his IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia Kalex to the top in Saturday’s Moto2 practice, lowering the outright Moto2 lap record set by Fermin Aldeguer on Friday. Chantra’s time of 1:35.341 was more than a second faster than the race lap record and nearly six-tenths faster than Aldeguer’s time the day before.

American Racing Team’s Marcos Ramirez was 10th, 0.392 seconds back.

Collin Veijer continued to set the pace at his home Grand Prix, lowering his own outright lap record by more than half a second to lead the final Moto3 practice session at the Motul TT Assen. Veijer’s 1:39.703 was good enough to lead Angel Piqueras and Ivan Ortola in a session where the first 13 riders were under the outright lap record Veijer set on Friday.

Francesco Bagnaia topped both MotoGP practice sessions on Friday at the Motul TT Assen, continuing his dominance at a circuit where he has won the last two races, while a major change for the MotoGP 2025 season was finally confirmed.

The biggest news was the announcement that Prima Pramac Racing signed a multi-year deal with Yamaha to run a pair of factory-spec YZR-M1s in the MotoGP category. Yamaha’s downturn in competitiveness has been due, at least in part, to the fact that the company has only two bikes on the grid.

“The new partnership with Prima Pramac Racing will take a different form than we have used in the past,” said Lin Jarvis, managing director of Yamaha Motor Racing.

“Rather than a satellite team, with this new agreement Yamaha have put their trust in Pramac Racing, and we will be providing them with Factory bikes of the same specification used by the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team.”

In Moto2, American Joe Roberts broke his collarbone in a high-speed crash in Turn Seven. The break was not displaced, and Roberts hopes to race next weekend in Germany.

American based Trackhouse Racing’s Raul Fernandez continued his upturn in performance, finishing the first MotoGP practice session in third place. Fernandez, who recently underwent surgery on his right arm, showed up for his media interview with a bag of ice on a massive surgical scar on his arm.

Maverick Vinales said he decided to leave Aprilia for KTM because of the inconsistency of the machine’s performance. Vinales was on form on Friday, finishing the final practice session second.

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Bagnaia slams in new lap record to edge out Viñales at the Cathedral

The reigning Champion ends both sessions fastest, edging out Viñales by 0.065 as Alex Marquez heads the chasing pack

Friday, 28 June 2024

With rumours, tension, and excitement swirling around the paddock at the Motul TT Assen as we get back in gear, the battle for direct entry to Q2 did not disappoint in the hour-long Practice session on Friday afternoon. Ending the day at the top of the timesheets it’s Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), who completed a perfect day in the Netherlands. The #1 set a blistering time early on in Practice before improving later in the session, setting a brilliant 1:31.340. In a remarkable stat, Bagnaia going fastest in the first session on Friday was also the first time he’s ever done that in the premier class, despite two premier class World Championships and a full CV by nearly every metric.

Nevertheless, it was close at the top by the end of the all-important afternoon Practice session, with Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) claiming second after improving yet again on his final fast lap – ending the day only 0.065s shy of Bagnaia. Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) had a positive end to Friday after a magnificent lap allowed the #73 to round out the top three, leading the chasing pack but with a small deficit to the top duo… and one he’ll be looking to bridge on Saturday.

It was a dramatic session throughout which all came down to the final 15-minute time attack. Bagnaia was at the top as red sectors began to pop up everywhere, and it was Viñales who took over for the first time this weekend. Bagnaia soon responded on his next flying lap, however, securing that P1.

There would be drama heading into the final run elsewhere though, with Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) having a close moment with Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), but utlimately no hard done.

Further back, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) took fourth and showed great pace throughout the session – completing over 20 laps. However, the #41 suffered a crash in the closing minutes at the final corner, ending his session just before the flag came out. He’s been given the all clear and passed fit to race, but remains a little bruised. Behind the Spaniard was compatriot Martin, who rounded out the top five.

Sixth place went the way of Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), who had an incredible front-end save during the session – improving on his 22nd lap. Brad Binder was next up, flying the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing flag inside the top 10 with his teammate Miller down in 18th place at the end of Friday.

Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) held onto eighth place and a spot inside Q2 despite suffering from a crash of his own with three minutes to go. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) took ninth as his solid form continues to hold, with Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) taking the final spot inside the top 10 and the final direct entry spot into Q2.

Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) was the rider in P11 just missing out, ahead of Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and his teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio. They’ll be some of the first looking to attack in Q1 to move through. Join us on Saturday morning for that, before the Tissot Sprint lights up the TT Circuit Assen.

FP2: 10:10 (UTC +2)

Q1: 10:50

Q2: 11.15

Tissot Sprint: 15:00

 
More from Friday at the Motul TT Assen

Aside from the on-track action, there was one especially headline-making breaking news story on Friday at the Motul TT Assen: Yamaha’s new multi-year partnership with Prima Pramac Racing, set to begin in 2025.