The #93 beats his chief title rival by 0.3s as Bezzecchi earns his first Saturday podium of the year
Tissot Sprint victory number nine of the season is in the books for Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) after the #93 got to the front early doors on Saturday at the Motul Grand Prix of the Netherlands, and then he managed to keep Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) behind. The latter claims another silver medal on Saturday as the brothers cross the line just 0.351s apart, and joining them on the Sprint rostrum was Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing).
STORY OF THE SPRINT
It was a brilliant start from pole for Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) as Marc Marquez got away just as he’d have hoped. The Yamaha and factory Ducati went into Turn 1 side by side, it was tight, and because he was on the outside, Marquez was slightly wide and had to come back onto the track over the curb. That then meant it was tight between Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), but the former stayed in P2.
And then, by the end of Lap 1 at the GT Chicane, the title race leader was the Sprint leader after carving up the inside of Quartararo. Alex Marquez quickly followed his brother through and then Bezzecchi was also past the polesitter.
At the start of Lap 5, the Sprint had settled down a tad, but Alex Marquez was looking eager to pass the #93. Bezzecchi was 0.3s away in P3, Quartararo was a further 0.5s away from the RS-GP and had Pecco and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) for close company. And the latter, who had not long set the fastest lap of the Sprint, attacked Pecco at Turn 5 on Lap 6. It wasn’t a move that stuck, but it was a warning shot for the recent king of Assen.
Half a lap later, Di Giannantonio was through on Pecco at the GT Chicane. The top six were split by 1.5s on Lap 7 of 13, but it was still Marc Marquez leading the chase. It was as you were at the front with four laps to go, but Pecco had now lost touch on the top five.
Then, Quartararo was down. Turn 10 was the place as the YZR-M1’s front end washed away from underneath the Frenchman after he’d just fired in his fastest lap of the Sprint. That gave Bezzecchi some breathing space in P3, the Italian was 0.8s clear of Di Giannantonio with three laps to go.
Last lap time. 0.2s split the top two, with Bezzecchi 0.7s further down. Could Alex find a way through on Marc? There was no way through in the first three sectors, so it was all coming down to the GT Chicane. And boasting enough of a gap, there was no getting by the six-time MotoGP World Champion. A ninth Sprint win of the season came the way of the #93 in what has been the most difficult weekend of his year so far.
THE POINTS SCORERS ON SATURDAY
Di Giannantonio finished just over a second away from Bezzecchi in P4, with Bagnaia having to settle for a low-key P5 on Saturday – the Italian will be hunting more on Sunday afternoon. Top KTM honours went the way of Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) in P6, as Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) collected P7 despite having to take a Long Lap penalty on the final lap for exceeding track limits. The final two points-paying positions belonged to Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) in P8 and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in P9.
NEXT: GRAND PRIX SUNDAY
Another Saturday, another gold medal for Marc Marquez. But with 1.2s covering the podium and the likes of Quartararo and Bagnaia hungry for much, Sunday is well worth tuning in for – as always. You can find full Sprint results HERE!
Moreira stuns again to grab third pole in a row
Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) has taken a third pole position in a row thanks to a stunning new lap record at the Motul GP of the Netherlands, so the question is asked anew: can he convert it into a first Moto2™ win? So far he’s just come up short. Trying to stop him on the front row will be Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR – FRINSA – MSI), the rookie impressing late on to get within 0.072s of pole, with Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) completing the front row.
Moreira was on top before being pipped by Mugello duelling partner Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) to knock him off provisional pole, but the Brazilian hit back late on in the session. Canet was pushed off the front row by the flag, and had also got caught up in the headline drama of the Q2 session. He was right behind an incident between Alonso Lopez (Folladore SpeedRS Team) and Filip Salač (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) that saw the Czech rider head to the medical centre and Lopez head off into the gravel, staying upright at least. He also headed for a check up after and both need to be passed fit on review on Sunday.
Behind Moreira, Ortola, Gonzalez and Canet, the latter heading up Row 2, Mugello podium finisher Albert Arenas (Italjet Gresini Moto2) lines up P5 ahead of Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego), with Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP), Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing) and Dani Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) next up.
Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completes the top ten, denying Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) as the Brit looks for more on Sunday.
For full results, click HERE – and tune in for more Moto2 on Sunday!
0.066 covers Moto3™ front row as Rueda snatches pole from Carpe
Red Bull KTM Ajo take a 1-2 on the grid at Assen, with Championship leader Jose Antonio Rueda ahead of teammate Alvaro Carpe and David Almansa (Leopard Racing) taking a third place still within a stunning 0.066s of pole. Moto3 rarely disappoints and it really did live up to the billing for qualifying at Assen – despite dark clouds overhead, it remained dry throughout both Q1 and Q2.
Moving through from Q1, Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) led Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI), Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) and Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo). Track space was at a premium and track position vital as always in Moto3 in Q1. Down in P10 after the opening flying laps, Championship leader Rueda needed a lap time and he found one, going provisional pole – so quick that he missed his braking point for Turn 1 and ran on.
There was a crash with two minutes to go for Guido Pini (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP), meaning yellow flags were out in the third sector – a lap later, Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse) also fell. Rueda held onto pole ahead of teammate Carpe and Almansa who completed the front row. Furusato improved with a late lap to bag a personal best of the year in P4 with fellow countryman Yamanaka next up in fifth – three of the top 5 coming via Q1.
The second-row features Quiles in sixth whilst Pini, despite crashing, heads up the third row. Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA) clinched eighth to keep his top ten streak going, ahead of Dennis Foggia (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) and Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) tenth. Down field, Fernandez ended up 13th, one place ahead of Muñoz, whilst Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) has a lot of work on Sunday, coming from 16th on the grid.
Find full qualifying results HERE and tune in for the Moto3 showdown at Mugello!
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