All change: Viñales leads Iannone and Petrucci at Assen

2018-06-29 13:20
Yamaha strike back on Friday at the Motul TT Assen, with the Spaniard leading Iannone’s Suzuki after FP2

After two weekends ruled by one man, the timesheets have had a shake up once again at the Motul TT Assen – with Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) taking to the top late in FP2 to go fastest on Friday, 0.121 seconds ahead of Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar). After reigning Champion and Championship leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) went quickest in FP1, it was all change in the afternoon as the number 93 was eighth fastest.

Under sunny – and scorching – skies at the TT Circuit Assen, the two men who fought for the 2017 win dueled it out for third, with Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) just 0.015 ahead of compatriot Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) by the end of action. ‘Petrux’ was also top Independent Team rider on Day 1 on his Ducati, with fastest Honda and fellow Independent Team rider Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) locking out the top five.

After the swing of momentum of late in the Ducati Team, Andrea Dovizioso will be happy to have edged out teammate Jorge Lorenzo on the combined timesheets, with ‘DesmoDovi’ taking P6 and Lorenzo just behind in P7 – despite a rare crash for the ‘Spartan’ sustained in FP1. The two were split by almost nothing, with a difference of only 0.011 and both just ahead of Marquez in eighth. Marquez also suffered a few moments and twitches in FP2 but no crash, not focusing on a fast lap.

Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was back on song on Friday at the Dutch GP after a more difficult home race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, making it two Hamamatsu factory machines on for provisional Q2 graduation as the Spaniard took ninth – and only 0.006 off reigning Champion Marquez. Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), who crashed in the afternoon – rider ok, locked out the top ten as the Frenchman continues his search for his earlier season momentum.

Hafizh Syahrin (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was top rookie in P12 overall after initially making it into the top ten, only just behind Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team).

Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) was another big name who, like Pedrosa, stands to lose out on automatic graduation to Q2 if he can’t improve in FP3, with the Australian having been P4 in FP1 before only going thousandths faster in the afternoon. He ended the day in P16.

Lucky for the likes of Miller and Pedrosa, Friday was a sunny one and it doesn’t look set to change despite the reputation of the TT Circuit Assen for rain. Tune in on Saturday as the grid is decided, with practice from 9:55am (GMT +2) and qualifying from 14:10.
Back on top: perfect Friday for Bagnaia

Back in the saddle: 'Pecco' stamped some authority on Day 1 after two tougher races
The Italian was quickest in both Free Practice sessions on Friday to beat Mir and Sky VR46 teammate Marini

Francesco Bagnaia’s (Sky Racing Team VR46) Motul TT Assen got off to the perfect start as the Championship leader topped both FP1 and FP2 on Friday, with Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) second on the combined timesheets and Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) third on the opening day at Assen.

Bagnaia improved his time by over a tenth of a second in the afternoon, setting a 1:38.019 to finish 0.100 ahead of rookie sensation Mir, who in turn improved his time by seven tenths from FP1 to jump up to P2 from P10 this morning. Marini made it two VR46 bikes in the top three in the Netherlands after finishing 16th in FP1, an impressive afternoon session from the Italian.
After finishing third in FP1, Barcelona race winner Fabio Quartararo (Lightech – Speed Up Racing) confirmed he’s in the hunt for another podium fight after ending the day fourth on the combined timesheets, just 0.010 behind Marini and 0.165 off Bagnaia’s time. Just behind the Frenchman and rounding out the top five in the intermediate class was Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40), cementing his P5 from FP1 – 0.280 off the top at the close of play.

Fellow Italian Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) was sixth quickest on the opening day, jumping up two positions from his eighth-place finish in the morning, with teammate Andrea Locatelli the only rider in the top ten who failed to improve his time from FP1 – slipping from P2 to P7 in the afternoon.

After a crash in the morning session, Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) had no such trouble in FP2, ending the day eighth fastest overall to finish 0.434 behind Bagnaia’s time. Marcel Schroetter (Dynavolt Intact GP) consolidated ninth place on the combined timesheets after finishing just inside the top ten in both sessions, with Romano Fenati’s (Marinelli Snipers Team) time of 1:38.988 just 0.039 behind the German – the rookie climbing five positions from his P15 in FP1 to end Friday as the tenth quickest rider.

Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo), who sits second in the Championship, ended Friday 12th on the combined timesheets, 0.488 off the quickest time set by title rival Bagnaia and 0.008 behind teammate Brad Binder – the South African ended the day 11th overall.

Stefano Manzi (Forward Racing Team) crashed twice in the session, with Federico Fuligni (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) also crashing – riders ok. Tetsuta Nagashima (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) then crashed heavily at Turn 15 towards the end of the session, with the Japanese rider taken to hospital for further checks to his left hand.

Bagnaia was the man to beat on Friday, but with a second covering the top 18 riders, Saturday’s Moto2™ action looks set to be unmissable. Tune in for FP3 at 10:55 local time, with the battle for pole igniting at 15:05 local time (GMT +2).

Canet leads Martin on opening day

2017 winner Canet was quickest out the blocks
The two Spaniards top the timesheets at Assen in the lightweight class, but Martin also suffered a heavy crash late in FP2

Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) was the quickest rider in Moto3™ FP2 at the Motul TT Assen to top the combined timesheets on the opening day, after finishing fourth in the morning. The Spaniard leads compatriot Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) overall, but FP1’s pace setter suffered a heavy crash at the end of FP2 at Turn 4 and needed to be stretchered off.

On his final run, Canet set a flurry of quick times to confirm his speed at Assen, a venue he was victorious at last season. Thankfully, Martin was declared fit after a checkup in the medical centre and will be ready to battle on Saturday. Meanwhile, after earning his first Grand Prix podium at the Catalan GP, Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Skull Rider) enjoyed a great Friday at the Dutch GP, finishing the day third fastest overall after ending FP1 in P10. The Argentine was one of three riders to set a time in the 1:42.8 bracket, with John McPhee (CIP – Green Power) firing in an impressive final run of the day to finish fourth quickest on the combined timesheets, 0.155 off Canet after the Scotsman was third in the morning.
Jerez race winner Philipp Oettl (Sudmetal Schedl GP Racing) set a 1:42.856 to end the day fifth quickest, jumping up the timesheets late in FP2 after ending FP1 in ninth place. 0.086 behind the German was the resurgent Nicolo Bulega (SKY Racing Team VR46) in sixth, upping his time by over a second in the afternoon to leap up from 11th place finish in FP1.

Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PrüstelGP) was second in the morning and lead for the majority of the afternoon session, but the Italian eventually ended the day seventh fastest – 0.288 behind Canet’s benchmark. Teammate Jakub Kornfeil consolidated a top ten place in the afternoon after ending FP1 sixth, the Czech rider was a slender 0.022 off Bezzecchi’s time in eighth.

Japan’s Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) was ninth on the combined times, impressively jumping up from 24th in FP1. Rounding out the top ten in the lightweight class was second in the Championship Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3), the Italian was P14 in the morning but ended the day less than half a second behind Canet in 10th on the combined timesheets.

It’s looking tight at the top in the lightweight class after the opening day at Assen, with a second covering the top 18. Don’t miss the Moto3™ riders out on track for FP3 on Saturday morning, with qualifying getting underway at 12:35 local time (GMT +2).

Source: MotoGP

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