Francesco Bagnaia wins a dramatic MotoGP race at Assen. The Ducati rider lands ahead of rookie Marco Bezzecchi and Maverick Viñales. Aleix Espargaró fought back after colliding with Fabio Quartararo.
At the 91st Dutch TT in Assen, Pecco Bagnaia made up for his mistake from the previous week at the Sachsenring. The Italian rode to a great race win on the 4.5km TT Circuit. It was the third win of the season for the Ducati factory rider.
Marco Bezzecchi achieved his first podium finish in the premier class in the 26-lap race. The Team Mooney VR46 rider finished just 0.444 seconds behind his compatriot. In third place, Aprilia driver Maverick Viñales can celebrate a podium for the first time since moving to the Italian manufacturer.
Yamaha star Fabio Quartararo caused a stir in the early stages. The Frenchman was looking to overtake Aleix Espargaró for second place, but at Turn 5 the Championship leader fell and his Spanish MotoGP colleague had to swerve through the gravel trap. Quartararo continued, later crashed again.
Aleix Espargaró dropped back to 15th place. But the Spanish veteran didn’t give up. He put on a great show and fought his way back into the top group. In the last chicane, he thrilled the 104,244 spectators with a double overtaking maneuver in which he snagged Jack Miller (Ducati) and Brad Binder (KTM). In the end he was fourth.
The entire course of the race can be read in the live ticker on SPEEDWEEK.com.
The voices of the top 3:
Pecco Bagnaia (1st/Ducati): «It was very long. After just two laps it was too long. I’m definitely very happy after two difficult races. We were always competitive, but the results didn’t come. It’s incredible. We worked well, but it wasn’t easy because during the race it started to rain a bit. I’m finally winning here, which means we’re very strong.”
Marco Bezzecci (2nd/Ducati): “I really don’t have the words. It’s fantastic that we made this race possible. We worked well, the team did something incredible. This is home for her, my family and my girlfriend. Now I can start my vacation happily.”
Maverick Viñales (3rd/Aprilia): «The hard work is finally paying off. It was a very tough race. I gave the maximum in every lap. I felt fantastic, the bike is great. We’re getting better and better. This great team deserves to be on the podium every weekend. Thanks to my family for always standing by me. I can’t wait to attack again at Silverstone. Thank you Aprilia.”
Die Highlights im Video:
MotoGP result, Assen (26 June):
1. Bagnaia, Ducati, 26 Rdn. in 40: 25.205 min
2. Bezzecchi, Ducati, + 0.444 sec
3. Viñales, Aprilia, + 1.209
4. Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, + 2,585
5. Brad Binder, KTM, + 2,721
6. Miller, Ducati, +3,045
7. Martin, Ducati, + 4,340
8. Mir, Suzuki, +8,185
9. Oliveira, KTM, + 8.325
10. Rins, Suzuki, +8,596
11. Bastianini, Ducati, + 9.783
12. Nakagami, Honda, +10,617
13. Zarco, Ducati, + 14.405
14. Di Giannantonio, Ducati, + 17.681
15. Alex Marquez, Honda, +25,866
16. Dovizioso, Yamaha, +29,711
17. Marini, Ducati, + 30,296
18. Bradl, Honda, +32,225
19. Gardner, KTM, + 34,947
20. Savadori, Aprilia, + 35,798
– Fernández, KTM, 8 laps down
– Quartararo, Yamaha, 15 laps back
– Darryn Binder, Yamaha, 18 laps back
– Morbidelli, Yamaha, 18 laps back
MotoGP Riders’ World Championship after 11 of 20 Grands Prix:
1. Quartararo 172 Punkte. 2. Aleix Espargaró 151. 3. Zarco 114. 4. Bagnaia 106. 5. Bastianini 105. 6. Brad Binder 93. 7. Miller 91. 8. Mir 77. 9. Rins 75. 10. Oliveira 71. 11. Martin 70. 12. Viñales 62. 13. Marc Márquez 60. 14. Bezzecchi 55. 15. Marini 52. 16. Nakagami 42. 17. Pol Espargaró 40. 18. Alex Márquez 27. 19. Morbidelli 25. 20. Di Giannantonio 18 21. Darryn Binder 10. 22. Dovizioso 10. 23. Gardner 9. 24. Raúl Fernández 5.
Constructors’ Championship:
1. Ducati 246 Punkte. 2. Yamaha 172. 3. Aprilia 155. 4. KTM 121. 5. Suzuki 101. 6. Honda 85.
Team World Cup:
1. Aprilia Racing 213 Punkte. 2. Monster Energy Yamaha 197. 3. Ducati Lenovo Team 197. 4. Prima Pramac Racing 184. 5. Red Bull KTM Factory 164. 6. Suzuki Ecstar 152. 7. Gresini Racing 123. 8. Mooney VR46 Racing 107. 9 Repsol Honda 100. 10. LCR Honda 69. 11. WithU Yamaha RNF 20. 12. Tech3 KTM Factory 14.