MotoGP Round Eight | Bagnaia completes perfect Assen

Francesco Bagnaia’s Motul TT Assen couldn’t have been better. The Ducati Lenovo Team rider did the double from pole, with his Sunday masterclass cutting the Championship deficit to Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) to just 10 points Report: Ed Stratmann/MotoGP

Friday Practice and Saturday Qualifying
MotoGP
The #1 set a blistering time early on in Practice before improving later in the session to bank 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.

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 wrong. His actual time around the iconic TT Circuit Assen was a stunning lap record breaking 1:30.540 to take his first pole of 2024. And even then it was only enough to deny title rival Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) by 0.081s as the duo headed the grid.

The two then had a little breathing space ahead of Maverick Viñales as the Aprilia Racing ace completed the front row, 0.330s further back.

Full Practice results here and Qualifying results here…

Moto2
Friday’s Motul TT Assen Moto2™ honours went the way of Fermin Aldeguer (Folladore SpeedUp Racing) as the Spaniard set a new intermediate class lap record – a 1:35.912 – to lead Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) and Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing). However, the latter endured a Turn 7 highside, which resulted in the American suffering a right collarbone fracture, thus ruling him unfit for Saturday and Sunday’s action.

For the first time since the Spanish GP, Fermin Aldeguer (Folladore SpeedUp) will launch from pole position as the #54 beat Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) to pole position by 0.230s at the Motul TT Assen. The Japanese star earned his first front row of the season and started alongside Championship leader and teammate Sergio Garcia at the Dutch TT, as Boscoscuro riders locked out the front row.

Moto3
Home hero Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) bagged top spot on Day 1 at Assen as the Dutchman set a 1:40.259 to top the lightweight class field by 0.294s. Ryusei Yamanaka and his MT Helmets – MSI teammate Ivan Ortola enjoyed fruitful Fridays as the Japanese and Spaniard headed into Saturday’s action in P2 and P3 respectively.

A late Q2 charge from Angel Piqueras (Leopard Racing) saw the rookie claim a debut Moto3™ pole position, with Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) clinching a P2 grid slot after lapping just 0.074s slower than Piqueras’ 1:39.746. Home hero Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) also earned a spot on the front row in P3.

Saturday
Tissot Sprint
Francesco Bagnaia’s (Ducati Lenovo Team) statement weekend at the Motul TT Assen continued on Saturday afternoon as the reigning Champion took the Tissot Sprint win – making it back-to-back victories on Saturday afternoon for the first time in his career.

Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) followed him home in second to limit the damage in the standings. The pressure amped up further at the end of Saturday’s action too, with Martin handed a 3-place grid penalty for Sunday after being deemed to have been slow on line and disturbed Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) in qualifying.

As the lights went out, Bagnaia held on to the holeshot from pole, with Martin keeping second, ahead of Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), who edged beyond Vinales. That put Viñales on the attack to take it back, and by the end of Lap 2, the Aprilia had homed back in and shot past at the chicane.

Meanwhile, drama hit for Marc Marquez. On the tail of that duel, the #93 overcooked it and suddenly slid out, forcing him to watch the Sprint from the sidelines.

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had been on the tail of Alex Marquez since Viñales got back past the #73, but by half distance the two had some company: a queue of Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team), Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) had arrived on the scene.

Once there, Bastianini struck quickly, passing Binder and then immediately glued himself to the rear of Alex Marquez. The ‘Beast’ stalked him round the rest of the lap and then attacked at the chicane, taking over in fourth and pulling away. The #73 was then given a Long Lap for track limits, and soon after there was another key move in the group, also at the chicane, with Diggia attacking Binder. The VR46 rider headed a little wide, but kept it pinned, just as Alex Marquez had suffered his own little wobble. Into Turn 1 for the final lap, the net result was Diggia leading Espargaro and Binder, with the #73 dropping to the back of the gaggle and still with that Long Lap to serve.

Up ahead, there were no dramas for the top three. No one had an answer for Bagnaia as the reigning Champion won his second Sprint in a row for the first time ever, as Martin took second and Vinales third. Bastianini took that P4 after his charge up from outside the top ten on the grid, and in the grand battle behind, Diggia completed the top five ahead of Binder.

“At this track, it is important to stay extremely focused while riding in a smooth and precise way and without overdoing, as this circuit is quite an unforgiving one,” Bagnaia insisted.

Tissot Sprint Race Results

Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo
Jorge Martin Pramac Ducati (+2.355s)
Maverick Viñales Aprilia Racing (+4.103s)
Enea Bastianini Ducati Lenovo (+6.377s)
Fabio Di Giannantonio VR46 Ducati (+8.869s)

Sunday
MotoGP
Bagnaia became the first rider to win three successive MotoGP Grand Prix races in a single season since he did it in 2022 with four in a row from Assen to Misano. This victory also marked his third win in a row at the TT Circuit Assen as he equalled Casey Stoner’s 23 wins with Ducati to tie the MotoGP Legend as the two most successful riders with the Borgo Panigale factory.

As the lights went out, Bagnaia nailed the start to take the holeshot, with Viñales just holding second to deny Martin. Still, the #89 launched it to near perfection from his P5 after that three-place penalty, and soon enough he did get it done to take over in second. Marc Marquez, meanwhile, was on the march and soon put his own moves on Viñales to slot into third.

That duo stayed together as the battle behind heated up. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) had shot up past front-row starter Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), but soon it was Di Giannantonio on the move, and he made it past Acosta at Turn 1, caught the Marquez-Viñales duo and then pounced on the Aprilia at the final chicane. Next up: #MM93.

By 19 to go, the yellow flash of the VR46 machine went past, but with Marquez also seeming to gesture at the Italian and make it a little easier for him too. The two Ducatis stayed nearby, with Viñales on their tail and Acosta on his. Lap by lap, however, Bastianini was cutting the deficit to the podium battle.

He made it past the rookie by nine to go, and a lap later the group shuffled again. Diggia was wide, but Marc Marquez didn’t seem to want to take advantage, so Viñales shot past both. Bastianini was then right on that trio once again, and, by seven to go, was past Diggia. A lap later he did a near carbon copy on Marquez to take over in fourth.

The hungry ‘Beast’ kept pushing and admirably got past Viñales with four full laps remaining, and from there the group couldn’t quite stay with him. By the penultimate lap it then looked like a Viñales-Marquez duel for the podium, but there was still drama to come.

On the final lap, Acosta slid out at Turn 7, and then Viñales headed just wide enough to allow Marquez through, leaving it an Aprilia-VR46 drag to the line for fifth instead. But when all was judged and confirmed, Viñales was forced to drop one position due to exceeding track limits at the chicane, promoting Diggia to fifth, and then the tyre pressure penalty for Marquez saw the #93 drop to P10.

When the dust settled, Bagnaia’s masterclass put the cherry on top of a weekend that saw him top every session bar Warm Up. Martin took a valuable second while Bastianini secured back-to-back podiums to recover from a P10 qualifying. It was then Diggia classified fourth ahead of Viñales.

Unfortunately, one piece of tougher news on the grid was for Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), who suffered a big crash at Turn 1 and was declared unfit due to a right wrist fracture.

“In terms of result, this is the best one I think in MotoGP. I was leading all the sessions, which is something that doesn’t happen all the time. To win in this way was incredible,” a delighted Bagnaia explained.

MotoGP Race Results

Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo
Jorge Martin Pramac Ducati (+3.676s)
Enea Bastianini Ducati Lenovo (+7.073s)
Fabio Di Giannantonio VR46 Ducati (+8.299s)
Maverick Viñales Aprilia Racing (+8.258s)

Check out the full MotoGP race results here…

MotoGP Championship Points

Jorge Martin Pramac Ducati – 200
Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo – 190
Marc Marquez Gresini Ducati – 142
Enea Bastianini Ducati Lenovo – 136
Maverick Viñales Aprilia Racing – 118

Moto2
In Triumph’s 100th race powering Moto2™, Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) claimed a second victory of 2024 as a tense fight for victory played out between the Japanese star, second place Fermin Aldeguer (Folladore SpeedUp) and Sergio Garcia (MT Helmets – MSI) at the Motul TT Assen.

Ogura grabbed the holeshot from his first front row start of the season, but by Turn 5, Aldeguer pounced into the race lead. The #54 clicked into his groove immediately and was a second clear of the chasers by Lap 5, as Garcia – having dropped to P5 – then carved his way up to P2.

For the next few laps, the gap stabilised at just over a second, with Garcia and Ogura edging clear of Alonso Lopez (Folladore SpeedUp), who in turn had a train of Kalex riders in tow, including Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team), Manuel Gonzalez (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) and Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team).

With 11 to go, Ogura passed teammate Garcia for P2 following a small mistake from the latter, with Aldeguer’s lead now up to 1.6s. Then, with nine laps left, Aldeguer was handed a Long Lap penalty for exceeding track limits. Once completed, Aldeguer dropped behind Ogura and Garcia, with the top three now split by 0.8s with six laps to go.

With four to go, a blanket could cover the top trio. It was Ogura vs Garcia and Aldeguer for victory, but Garcia then made a mistake at the start of Lap 20 of 22 to see him drop 1.5s off the 25-point haul fight. Heading onto the last lap, it was Ogura vs Aldeguer. The Japanese rider unearthed a stellar last lap to pull clear of the Spaniard to win for the second time in three races, with Aldeguer settling for P2 and Garcia crossing the line in a lonely P3.

Dixon led the Kalex charge with a solid P4, with Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) completing the top five.

Moto2 Race Results

Ai Ogura MT Helmets – MSI
Fermin Aldeguer Folladore Speed Up (+0.571s)
Sergio Garcia MT Helmets – MSI (+4.252s)
Jake Dixon CFMoto Inde Aspar Team (+8.985s)
Somkiat Chantra IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia (+9.949s)

Check out the full Moto2 race results here…

Moto2 Championship Points

Sergio Garcia MT Helmets – MSI – 138
Ai Ogura MT Helmets – MSI – 124
Joe Roberts OnlyFans American Racing Team – 115
Alonso Lopez Beta Tools Speed Up – 87
Fermin Aldeguer Beta Tools Speed Up – 83

Moto3
Until the final time into the final chicane, Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Intact Husqvarna GP) looked set to take home glory at the Motul TT Assen, but Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI) had other ideas. The Spaniard led the early stages and the Dutchman the latter, but by the final lap it was a duel for Dutch TT honours – and Ortola went round the outside into the chicane to grab the glory by just 0.012.

After Ortola and Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) led the way in the initial stages, Veijer brought the group back onto the duo. By nine to go it was a true Moto3™ battle, with Veijer moving through to the lead, as the Dutchman got the hammer down to make a gap. But as the pack shuffled, Ortola picked his way back into second and was able to claw back the deficit to Veijer, setting the stage for a thrilling duel.

As the final lap began, Ortola was right on the rear wheel of the home hero, and the two were in a battle with a second in hand on the rest. The move came at the final chicane as the Spaniard went round the outside to steal it. Veijer valiantly tried to get him back on the sprint to the line. He almost did as they crossed the line side-by-side, but Ortola took it by just 0.012.

The masterclass is the #48’s first win of the year, while Veijer posted his fourth podium of 2024. For both, it’s points gained in the title fight too. After Alonso came home fifth and fellow frontrunner Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) took P12, Alonso’s lead is now down to 39 points ahead of Veijer.

Moto3 Race Results

Ivan Ortola MT Helmets – MSI
Collin Veijer Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP (+0.012s)
David Munoz BOE Motorsports (+2.197s)
Jose Antonio Rueda Red Bull KTM Ajo (+2.430s)
David Alonso CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team (+2.460s)

Check out the full Moto3 race results here…

Moto3 Championship Points

David Alonso CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team – 154
Collin Veijer Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP – 115
Daniel Holgado Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 – 111
Ivan Ortola MT Helmets – MSI – 105
David Munoz BOE Motorsports – 76

MotoE
Race 1
Race 1 for the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship at the Motul TT Assen was unbelievable with drama around every corner in yet another twist in the Championship, with Hector Garzo (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE™) stealing the victory on the last lap. The #4 pulled off a fantastic move on the final lap to overtake Alessandro Zaccone (Tech3 E-Racing), who led the majority of Race 1. Zaccone crossed the line to finish in second before later being disqualified due to a tyre pressure infringement. This handed Oscar Gutierrez (Axxis-MSI) second place after a brave last lap from the #99. Meanwhile, Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team) took the final spot on the podium in the amended result.

Race 2
The Assen final race of the weekend for the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Championship at the Motul TT Assen delivered a spectacular show with Alessandro Zaccone (Tech3 E-Racing) hitting the front with seven laps remaining before charging to victory by 1.909s.

The #61’s closest challenge came from Oscar Gutierrez (Axxis-MSI), who put in an outstanding ride and battled hard at the front of a huge group of riders. The #99 was able to extend his advantage on the last lap as Hector Garzo made a move on his teammate to steal the final spot on the podium on the last lap of the race.