Rennie Scaysbrook | June 26, 2021
MotoGP
Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) pitched the tactics to perfection in the Motul TT Assen to come out on top, heading a Yamaha 1-2 ahead of teammate Maverick Viñales as the two Iwata marque machines pulled the pin once again on Sunday. The duo also push the factory past the milestone of 750 podiums, with Yamaha now counting on 751 with two riders on the rostrum at Assen. Reigning Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) completed the podium, slicing through from 10th on the grid.
Quartararo took the holeshot from second, but the Frenchman wasn’t allowed to escape early as fellow front row starter as Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) went for a Lap 1 leap at Turn 8. It was close between Quartararo and Pecco, their exits compromised, with that allowing Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) up alongside the pair as Quartararo ran hot into Turn 9. Bagnaia said thank you very much, the Italian through to lead and holding station – for now.
Quartararo went for a move at the final chicane to answer back but was wide, and Bagnaia got his GP21 stood up and blasted back past. That happened again on Lap 6, before Lap 7 saw Quartararo grab P1 through Turns 12 and 13. How crucial was that going to prove? Meanwhile, Nakagami was still holding Viñales at bay, with Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing), Mir and Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) line astern right behind.
Two 1:32.8s saw Quartararo stretch a 1.2 lead to Bagnaia on Lap 9, hammer down. On Lap 11, that gap was up to 2.5 as Bagnaia had to switch focus to keeping Nakagami behind him. The Japanese rider passed the Ducati rider on Lap 11 through the rapid kinks, but Bagnaia grabbed P2 back down the front straight. Viñales, Zarco, Mir and Oliveira were all waiting in the wings and there was a copy paste of Nakagami vs Bagnaia a couple of laps later. Drama hit then though as the number 63 was handed a long-lap penalty for exceeding track limits.
Once Quartararo was clear of Bagnaia, it was game over.
On Lap 15, there was plenty of action. Bagnaia dived into the long-lap penalty loop, and then teammate Jack Miller crashed unhurt at Turn 5. Nakagami was sat up by Mir at the same corner and it was now Viñales in second place, four seconds behind runaway leader Quartararo. Mir was then up past Zarco at Turn 5 with eight laps to go into third, with Oliveira around half a second away back on the Pramac rider, in fifth.
At the front, the gap came down to 2.5 with two laps to go between Quartararo and Viñales as the latter seemed quicker, but after too much lost ground no one had an answer to El Diablo at Assen. A fourth 25-point haul of the season extends his Championship advantage to 34 points heading into the summer break. Viñales delivered impressive late-race pace on the front soft tyre, but it wasn’t enough to reel in Quartararo. Nevertheless, after finishing last at the Sachsenring, P2 for the Spaniard is a splendid effort as the number 12 returns to the podium for the first time since his Qatar GP win. Mir kept his powder dry ahead of Zarco to secure third, the podium also his third of the season.
Zarco was forced to settle for fourth ahead of Oliveira in fifth, with a real battle deciding sixth just behind. Marc Marquez made a stunning start from 20th on the grid to gain ten places in what seemed like the blink of an eye, and he hustled on to the back of Bagnaia after the Italian’s Long Lap penalty. The eight-time World Champion couldn’t quite find a way past, although he was within 0.075 over the line as Bagnaia held on for sixth. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) took eighth, with Nakagami disappointed with ninth after an early podium challenge and Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) completing the top ten.
11th went to Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) despite a run off for the number 42 following contact early in the race with Johann Zarco, with the Suzuki holding off Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as the South African got his first taste of Assen on a MotoGP™ bike. Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) took 13th, ahead of Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) – another debuting at the track in the premier class – as was rookie Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama), who completed the points.
Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) crashed out fast at Turn 7 but rider ok, Miller went down at Turn 5. He rejoined but then had to stop with a mechanical problem. Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) also crashed, and Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) was forced back into pitlane with an issue.
2021 Dutch MotoGP Results
| 1 |
Fabio Quartararo |
(Yam) |
|
| 2 |
Maverick Vinales |
(Yam) |
+ 2.757 |
| 3 |
Joan Mir |
(Suz) |
+ 5.760 |
| 4 |
Johann Zarco |
(Duc) |
+ 6.130 |
| 5 |
Miguel Oliveira |
(KTM) |
+ 8.402 |
| 6 |
Francesco Bagnaia |
(Duc) |
+ 10.035 |
| 7 |
Marc Marquez |
(Hon) |
+ 10.110 |
| 8 |
Aleix Espargaro |
(Apr) |
+ 10.346 |
| 9 |
Takaaki Nakagami |
(Hon) |
+ 12.225 |
| 10 |
Pol Espargaro |
(Hon) |
+ 18.565 |
Moto2
After the disappointment of crashing out of the German GP, star rookie Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) picked up a phenomenal third Moto2™ victory of the season at the Motul TT Assen after a classy comeback ride. World Championship leader Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) claims P2 for his fifth podium in a row, as Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) bags his first podium since 2019.
Raul Fernandez produced a beautiful ride to win at Assen.
2021 Dutch Moto2 Results
| 1 |
Raul Fernandez |
(Kal) |
|
| 2 |
Remy Gardner |
(Kal) |
+ 1.066 |
| 3 |
Augusto Fernandez |
(Kal) |
+ 1.265 |
| 4 |
Sam Lowes |
(Kal) |
+ 1.879 |
| 5 |
Marco Bezzecchi |
(Kal) |
+ 8.329 |
| 6 |
Ai Ogura |
(Kal) |
+ 10.960 |
| 7 |
Jorge Navarro |
(Bos) |
+ 13.993 |
| 8 |
Xavi Vierge |
(Kal) |
+ 16.052 |
| 9 |
Marcel Schrötter |
(Kal) |
+ 16.094 |
| 10 |
Celestino Vietti |
(Kal) |
+ 17.585 |
Moto3
Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) is a winner for the second time in 2021 after emerging victorious in the Moto3™ Motul TT Assen, handing Leopard Racing their 30th 25-point haul on the Grand Prix stage. The Italian fended off second place Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) by just 0.078s, as Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) returns to the podium for the first time since Jerez despite taking two long-lap penalties.
Foggia outfoxed everyone to take the Moto3 win.
2021 Dutch Moto3 Results
| 1 |
Denis Foggia |
(Hon) |
|
| 2 |
Sergio Garcia |
(GasGas) |
+ 0.078 |
| 3 |
Romano Fenati |
(Hus) |
+ 0.207 |
| 4 |
Pedro Acosta |
(KTM) |
+ 1.352 |
| 5 |
Tatsuki Suzuki |
(Hon) |
+ 1.445 |
| 6 |
John McPhee |
(Hon) |
+ 1.510 |
| 7 |
Darryn Binder |
(Hon) |
+ 1.338 |
| 8 |
Gabriel Rodrigo |
(Hon) |
+ 9.095 |
| 9 |
Xavier Artigas |
(Hon) |
+ 9.140 |
| 10 |
Jeremy Alcoba |
(Hon) |
+ 10.383 |
2021 Dutch MotoGP News—Saturday
Maverick Viñales – from zero to hero
What a turnaround. Having finished last just six days ago in the German Grand Prix, the mercurial Maverick Viñales was transformed in Holland, topping each session at the TT Circuit Assen before scorching to pole position on Saturday.
Maverick Vinales is back in the good books.
According to the Catalan, the reason was simple. “I have grip so I can be fast,” he explained. “If I have grip, I can turn. Without it, I can’t. no one knows the answer. I just wait to have this kind of thing. This bike is great with grip. When you’re on pole and have good feelings, it’s a fantastic bike. The thing is it (a bad race) happened four times this year. But I think we can do a good race.”
Viñales to quit Yamaha, join Aprilia?
On Saturday evening the paddock was rocked by a story in the Spanish media stating Viñales has asked Yamaha to end his 2-year deal with the factory at the end of 2021 one year early.
The Catalan signed a two-year extension to stay with Yamaha’s factory team until the end of 2022 at the beginning of last year. But he has grown increasingly dissatisfied with life in that garage. The first sign was when Yamaha replaced his crew chief Esteban Garcia with Silvano Galbusera ahead of the Barcelona GP.
Could Vinales be leaving?
Then his dismal showing in Germany preceded a public outcry, in which Viñales claimed his job was nothing more than “collecting data” as his frustrations at being asked to ride with team-mate Fabio Quartararo’s settings and attempt to replicate the Frenchman’s riding style boiled over.
Despite Andrea Dovizioso enjoying a fruitful two-day test with Aprilia at Misano this week, the Italian factory has made it known it hopes to have confirmation of its second rider for 2022 before July. Could Aprilia be Viñales’ eventual destination?
Fenati, Fernandez penalized for fisticuffs
There was a Moto3 penalty with a difference handed out on Friday. Max Racing Husqvarna team-mates Romano Fenati and Adrian Fernandez were handed two Long Lap Penalties for Sunday’s race after the pair came to blows in the team garage after FP1.
Fenati was incensed with Fernandez’s riding at the close of the session, and began gesticulating in his direction once they took the checkered flag. He was further angered by Fernandez brake-checking him when the pair stopped for a practice start on the back straight. It’s then believed the pair had to be separated when they returned to their garage.
Fenati was not happy with Fernandez.
The FIM Stewards’ decision to punish them both stated they were “found to be riding in an irresponsible manner and after arriving at the pit box displaying aggressive behaviour with another rider.” And all of this happened one day before team owner Max Biaggi’s 50th birthday…
Saturday
MotoGP
In an incredible turnaround of form, Monster Energy’s Maverick Vinales will start from pole position for the 2021 Dutch MotoGP after posting a new Assen circuit lap record of 1:31.814.
Vinales, who finished a career-worst last at the recent German MotoGP, bested teammate Fabio Quartararo for the number one grid slot and Q1 graduate Francesco Bagnaia (Lenovo Ducati).
Maverick Vinales stuck it in P1 to stick it up to the doubters in Holland.
Fourth went to Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami from Q1 graduate Johann Zarco (Pramac Ducati), Catalan MotoGP race winner Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM), Suzuki’s Alex Rins, Ducati’s Jack Miller, with Aleix Espargaro (Gresini Aprilia) and World Champion Joan Mir rounding out the top 10.
Marc Marquez did not break through into Q2 after suffering a fall late in the Q1 session, the German MotoGP race winner emerging unscathed but he will start from a lowly 20th on the grid.
America’s Garrett Gerloff acquitted himself well to the task of handling the Petronas Yamaha in place of the injured Franco Morbidelli. Although qualifying last of the 22 riders, Gerloff finished 1.9 seconds off pole-sitter Vinales at a track he’s never ridden at before.
2021 Dutch MotoGP Results—Qualifying
| 1 |
Maverick Vinales |
(Yam) |
1:31.814 |
| 2 |
Fabio Quartararo |
(Yam) |
+ 0.071 |
| 3 |
Francesco Bagnaia |
(Duc) |
+ 0.302 |
| 4 |
Takaaki Nakagami |
(Hon) |
+ 0.500 |
| 5 |
Johann Zarco |
(Duc) |
+ 0.580 |
| 6 |
Miguel Oliveira |
(KTM) |
+ 0.636 |
| 7 |
Alex Rins |
(Suz) |
+ 0.783 |
| 8 |
Jack Miller |
(Duc) |
+ 0.795 |
| 9 |
Aleix Espargaro |
(Apr) |
+ 0.852 |
| 10 |
Joan Mir |
(Suz) |
+ 0.934 |
| 11 |
Pol Espargaro |
(Hon) |
+ 1.016 |
| 12 |
Valentino Rossi |
(Yam) |
+ 1.105 |
Moto2
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Raul Fernandez bagged his fourth pole position of the season at the Motul TT Assen thanks to a 1:36.356, a lap time good enough to fend off teammate and main title rival Remy Gardner by 0.186s. Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) will start Sunday’s battle from the outside of the front row in third, the British rider 0.330s back from pole.
It was a fourth pole of the year for Fernandez in Holland.
American Joe Roberts will start from 19th and compatriot Cameron Beaubier will start from 26th.
2021 Dutch Moto2 Results—Qualifying
| 1 |
Raul Fernandez |
(Kal) |
1:36.356 |
| 2 |
Remy Gardner |
(Kal) |
+ 0.186 |
| 3 |
Sam Lowes |
(Kal) |
+ 0.330 |
| 4 |
Aron Canet |
(Bos) |
+ 0.409 |
| 5 |
Hector Garzo |
(Kal) |
+ 0.446 |
| 6 |
Ai Ogura |
(Kal) |
+ 0.448 |
| 7 |
Jorge Navarro |
(Bos) |
+ 0.460 |
| 8 |
Augusto Fernandez |
(Kal) |
+ 0.528 |
| 9 |
Lorenzo Dalla Porta |
(Kal) |
+ 0.595 |
| 10 |
Tony Arbolino |
(Kal) |
+ 0.651 |
Moto3
For the first time in his Moto3 career, Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) will start from pole position after setting a new lap record in Q2 at the Motul TT Assen. The Spaniard’s 1:41.194 was 0.212s faster than second-place Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) completes the lightweight class front row.
Jeremy Alcoba took a career-first Moto3 pole at Assen.
2021 Dutch Moto3 Results—Qualifying
| 1 |
Jeremy Alcoba |
(Hon) |
1:41.194 |
| 2 |
Romano Fenati |
(Hus) |
+ 0.212 |
| 3 |
Dennis Foggia |
(Hon) |
+ 0.278 |
| 4 |
Sergio Garcia |
(GasGas) |
+ 0.279 |
| 5 |
Kaito Toba |
(KTM) |
+ 0.285 |
| 6 |
Gabriel Rodrigo |
(Hon) |
+ 0.340 |
| 7 |
Niccolo Antonelli |
(KTM) |
+ 0.473 |
| 8 |
Darryn Binder |
(Hon) |
+ 0.561 |
| 9 |
Xavier Artigas |
(Hon) |
+ 0.684 |
| 10 |
Jaume Masia |
(KTM) |
+ 0.809 |
MotoE
Eric Granado (One Energy Racing) remains unbeaten in FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup E-Pole this season after beating Lukas Tulovic (Tech3 E-Racing) by 0.074s at the Motul TT Assen. Granado’s 1:43.114 couldn’t be beaten by World Cup leader and Free Practice pacesetter Alessandro Zaccone (Octo Pramac MotoE).
Granado is the man right now in qualifying for MotoE.
2021 Dutch MotoE Results—Qualifying
| 1 |
Eric Granado |
(Ene) |
1:43.114 |
| 2 |
Lukas Tulovic |
(Ene) |
+ 0.074 |
| 3 |
Alessandro Zaccone |
(Ene) |
+ 0.124 |
| 4 |
Jordi Torres |
(Ene) |
+ 0.364 |
| 5 |
Dominique Aegerter |
(Ene) |
+ 0.444 |
| 6 |
Matteo Ferrari |
(Ene) |
+ 0.762 |
2021 Dutch MotoGP News—Friday
VR46 Ducati confirmed – with Rossi as rider?
The paddock’s worst-kept secret was confirmed on Thursday, with the Aramco VR46 team confirming it will use Ducati machinery in the MotoGP class 2022. Interestingly, the official press release mentioned the equipment, but not the rider line-up. It also included a line from Saudi Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Saud, the figure behind Aramco’s involvement, saying “It would be fantastic for me if Valentino Rossi could compete in the next few years as a rider in our team together with his brother Luca Marini.”
Rossi acknowledged the Prince’s desire to bring him to his own team as a rider next year but gave his strongest indication yet that he will retire at the close of 2021. “I still not decide. I also have to speak with Yamaha and the team. The start of the season until this moment was not fantastic. I think it will be very difficult that I race next year. Always the Prince push me for race next year with my team and Ducati. But at the moment I think it will be very difficult.”
Moto2 contender Marco Bezzecchi is expected to join Luca Marini in the squad next year.
Morbidelli KO’d, Gerloff in
Garrett Gerloff will fill in for the injured Franco Morbidelli. (Photo: Gold & Goose)
Franco Morbidelli’s season has gone from bad to worse with news the Italian reinjured the left knee that has caused him problems since mid-May. The problem first came to light at the French Grand Prix, when the 26-year old collapsed during a bike swap at the close of a free practice session.
A training accident on the Tuesday of this week injured the knee further, forcing him to undergo surgery on Friday and miss the Dutch TT. The procedure at the Casa di Cura Madre Fortunata Toniolo hospital in Bologna, Italy by Professor Maurilio Maracci was deemed a success, with the rehabilitation program thought to last eight weeks.
In Morbidelli’s place, World Superbike rider Garrett Gerloff made his second MotoGP appearance. The American had never seen Assen and accepted the offer when finishing up a test at the Navarra circuit in Spain. “I face this challenge just one step at a time, one lap at a time because it is a challenge,” he said. “But I’m not somebody to say no to a challenge. Everything was a bit last minute, but I’m really excited to be here.”
Marquez’s call Honda to action
Marc Marquez had called Honda to act immediately to resolve an electronic issue at turn ten that caused a monumental high-side in FP2. The Catalan recognized he was fortunate in the extreme to walk away from the afternoon fall and later pointed to an issue with the set-up of the RC213V’s electronics package which needs to be remedied as soon as possible.
“We cannot have these kinds of crashes. The electronics are there to avoid this type of crashes. The thing is only Honda riders have these kinds of highsides. In Portimao Alex (Marquez) and Pol (Espargaro had similar crashes). Here me. It was a similar crash in 2020 in Jerez. I checked the data if I did something wrong. This time I was riding in the same way as the previous lap. But just the TC didn’t keep the slide. It’s something there we must understand for the future. And the future doesn’t mean next year. It means this year. To be safer, because if not, it’s impossible to take confidence and be fast again.”
Friday
MotoGP
Bouncing back from a rock bottom moment in his career where he finished last in Germany, Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha) put on a smoke show at Assen for day one of the 2021 Dutch MotoGP, taking the fastest time on FP1 and FP2.
The Spaniard is using this weekend to try out teammate Fabio Quartararo’s settings after admitting he and his team were lost with their settings, culminating in the German MotoGP low point in which he finished last and Quartararo was third.
Vinales is looking to bury the demons after the German disaster and went top on Friday at Assen.
A 1:33.072 sees 2019 Dutch TT race winner Vinales finish 0.111s clear heading into Saturday. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) is second with Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) third on a rain-affected afternoon in the Netherlands.
Plenty of time improvements were slammed in during the opening exchanges of a busy FP2, as the riders pushed to get a fast banker lap in the books with rain threatening. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Oliveira, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) all went faster than they did in FP1, before drama struck for Sachsenring winner Marquez.
In the middle of Turn 11, Marc Marquez’s RC213V ferociously spat him off. A brutal highside was endured by the eight-time World Champion who was able to walk away—but it was a big one. Marquez went back to his box and debrief with his team, however, he didn’t head back out for the remainder of the session. Moments after, Repsol Honda Team teammate Pol Espargaro was down at turn five, also unhurt.
After a frantic opening 15 minutes of FP2, the rain started to fall again at the TT Circuit Assen. Vinales was still quickest from Pol Espargaro, with Oliveira now P3 ahead of Quartararo. The rain did then fall heavier and the riders – who chose to go out – were able to get a handful of laps in the adverse conditions. As such, the final order from the day remained unchanged.
Garrett Gerloff (Petronas Yamaha) is filling in for the injured Franco Morbidelli and ended the day 21st, 2.5 seconds off Vinales in his first visit to Assen.
2021 Dutch MotoGP Results—Friday
| 1 |
Maverick Vinales |
(Yam) |
1:33.072 |
| 2 |
Pol Espargaro |
(Hon) |
+ 0.111 |
| 3 |
Miguel Oliveira |
(KTM) |
+ 0.328 |
| 4 |
Fabio Quartararo |
(Yam) |
+ 0.419 |
| 5 |
Alex Rins |
(Suz) |
+ 0.429 |
| 6 |
Marc Marquez |
(Hon) |
+0.488 |
| 7 |
Joan Mir |
(Suz) |
+ 0.629 |
| 8 |
Johann Zarco |
(Duc) |
+ 0.636 |
| 9 |
Danilo Petrucci |
(KTM) |
+ 0.867 |
| 10 |
Aleix Espargaro |
(Apr) |
+ 0.921 |
Moto2
Augusto Fernandez (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) sits top of the combined Moto2 standings on dat one at Assen as the rain fell in the afternoon, seeing the intermediate class endure some wet weather running at the end of play. Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was second fastest, 0.143s behind Augusto Fernandez’s 1:36.744. World Championship leader Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completes the top three.
Augusto Fernandez made a welcome return to P1 at Assen on Friday.
Joe Roberts (Italtrans Kalex) finished the day in ninth while Cameron Beaubier (American Racing Kalex) finished 18th.
2021 Dutch Moto2 Results—Friday
| 1 |
Augusto Fernandez |
(Kal) |
1:36.744 |
| 2 |
Raul Fernandez |
(Kal) |
+ 0.143 |
| 3 |
Remy Gardner |
(Kal) |
+ 0.388 |
| 4 |
Jorge Navarro |
(Bos) |
+ 0.525 |
| 5 |
Simone Corsi |
(MVA) |
+ 0.652 |
| 6 |
Somkiat Chantra |
(Kal) |
+ 0.740 |
| 7 |
Marco Bezzecchi |
(Kal) |
+ 0.797 |
| 8 |
Stefano Manzi |
(Kal) |
+ 0.812 |
| 9 |
Joe Roberts |
(Kal) |
+ 0.878 |
| 10 |
F. Di Giannantonio |
(Kal) |
+ 0.966 |
Moto3
Despite a huge crash in FP2 at the Motul TT Assen, Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) topped the overall standings in the Moto3 class with a 1:41.568. The Japanese rider and second fastest Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) improved in the afternoon session to demote FP1 pacesetter Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) to P3.
Suzuki went down but got back up again to top the Friday times in Moto3.
2021 Dutch Moto3 Results—Friday
| 1 |
Tatsuki Suzuki |
(Hon) |
1:41.568 |
| 2 |
Darryn Binder |
(Hon) |
+ 0.089 |
| 3 |
Dennis Foggia |
(Hon) |
+ 0.180 |
| 4 |
Andrea Migno |
(Hon) |
+ 0.518 |
| 5 |
Romano Fenati |
(Hus) |
+ 0.645 |
| 6 |
Gabriel Rodrigo |
(Hon) |
+ 0.654 |
| 7 |
Niccolo Antonelli |
(KTM) |
+ 0.780 |
| 8 |
Pedro Acosta |
(KTM) |
+ 0.789 |
| 9 |
Jaume Masia |
(KTM) |
+ 0.853 |
| 10 |
John McPhee |
(Hon) |
+ 0.872 |
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