Cycle News Staff | June 25, 2023
Sunday MotoGP Race
There was one name inconspicuous from its absence inside the top 15 of the Sprint race—Marc Marquez. And the eight-time World Champion would not feature in the Sunday GP, either.
The Spaniard withdrew from the remainder of the weekend on Sunday morning, citing pain from his cracked rib and general bruising weekend in Germany seven days ago, marking yet another low point in his 2023 season.
As the red lights went out it was Binder who rocketed into the lead from fifth on the grid from Bagnaia, Bezzecchi, Espargaro and Marini.
Jack Miller’s race would last only one lap, the Aussie losing the front of the KTM at turn one on lap two. Another half lap later, it was Quartararo who lowsided out of contention at the end of the back straight and took compatriot Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Ducati) with him. Zarco was fine but Quartararo suffered an elbow injury as a result.
A couple of laps later, Maverick Vinales joined the crash list after losing the front of the Aprilia at the end of turn eight after setting successive fastest laps of the race and three laps later, Bastianini also crashed out.
Bagnaia, Binder, Bezzecchi and Espargaro had by now made the break but everyone was chasing the number one. The remained as they were for the next 10 laps until Bezzecchi finally put the move on Binder at turn six with 10 laps left. Bagnaia was just over a second in front, could the Saturday winner make inroads to his great mate Bagnaia?
The answer, simply, was no. Bagnaia would not be denied, keeping Bezzecchi at arm’s length but never letting him close enough for a sniff of the lead.
Binder had third sewn up but, just like yesterday, he ran wide on the last lap and was once again demoted from a podium to fourth place as Espargaro finished fourth on the road, but got the final podium place.
Binder thus finished an unhappy fourth from Martin, Alex Marquez, Marini, Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu LCR Honda), Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha) and Augusto Fernandez (GasGas Factory Racing Tech3).
Heading into the summer break, Bagnaia now sits on 194 points to Martin’s 159 and Bezzecchi’s 158.
Sunday Moto2
Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar M2) is at long last a Moto2 winner. The Briton got the better of Ai Ogura, coming back through the pack after a false neutral at turn three sent him behind the Japanese rider and title contender Pedro Acosta, who completed the top three.
Jake Dixon is finally a winner.
A late race charge from Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) saw him glued to Acosta into the final chicane on the final lap, and the two had a drag race to the line, just won by the number 37 of Acosta.
Aron Canet (Pons Wegow Los40) was only a few tenths behind in fifth, with Alonso Lopez fading to sixth – just ahead of Tony Arbolino (Marc VDS Kalex). Manuel Gonzalez (Correos Prepago Yamaha VR46 Master Camp), Albert Arenas (Inde GASGAS Aspar M2) and Celestino Vietti (Fantic Racing), the latter despite a Long Lap, completed the top 10.
In the championship, Arbolino leads on 148 to Acosta’s 140 and Dixon’s 104.
Sunday Moto3
Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) took his first victory of the season and made serious gains on championship leader Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3), who failed to score. Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) was denied at the last corner once again but took yet another podium as his roll continued. It was a similar story for German GP winner Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) as the Turkish rider completed the rostrum at Assen after edging out Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team).
Jaume Masia closed up in the championship with his win.
In the championship, Holgado still leads on 125 points from Masia’s 109 and Sasaki’s 99.
2023 Dutch MotoGP News—Saturday
Binder penalized
Brad Binder was philosophical when asked about the penalty which ultimately cost him third place in Saturday’s Sprint race. The South African exceeded track limits on the exit of Turn 8– the third time he had done it in the race – on the last lap.
Binder’s on track actions were not what got him a penalty.
“Unfortunately, in the race I somehow missed on my dashboard that I had a warning already, so I had no idea that I had touched the green, and I still didn’t know that I’d touched the green until I saw “Long Lap”. I thought maybe I’d wiped someone out in the first corner or something, but anyway, when I went up to the stewards, I could see where I’d touched.
“And unfortunately, those couple of millimetres, I was just jumping over the tiniest little piece, but I didn’t even notice. It is what it is, the rules are the rules.”
Marquez Marooned
Marc Marquez’s Saturday was symbolic of how badly his and HRC’s season has gone. The former champ was forced to ride within himself due to a cracked rib suffered at the German GP. His 17th place in the Sprint spoke of how uncompetitive he is.
“This this weekend I set up the electronics to be safe, to ride in a safe mode. I didn’t race in Sachsenring because I was not feeling well. I feel pain. And after four days, we are again on the bike. So the body in four days, yeah recover a little bit, but still it’s painful. And especially as I say the rib. So yeah, I feel a big limitations there. So I cannot go for anything this weekend.”
Marquez’s face says it all, really.
And the ignominy wasn’t limited to the Sprint. Marquez crashed into the back of Enea Bastianini during Q1 when neither were looking where they were going. “At Turn 1 I lost the front and Marc was behind me and I’ve closed the throttle. And in Turn 4 I have seen the other riders coming from behind and I made space. I was outside, Marc with me and for watching behind [hit] me but can happen. MotoGP is like this. And after the qualifying he came to my motorhome to say sorry to me and nothing.”
Saturday MotoGP
Polesitter Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) is back on top! The Italian took the Tissot Sprint win at the Motul TT Assen in some style, outpacing title rival and reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) to gain some precious points back on his compatriot. Third place saw Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) come home for his first Sprint rostrum, but after a slightly controversial penalty for Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)…
It was a manic start and none more so than Binder as the South African shot to the inside line and was immediately up into third behind Bagnaia and Bezzecchi. The number 33 didn’t wait long to attack either, slicing through into second and left with a small gap to Pecco in the lead ahead of him. But neither did Bezzecchi waste any time, pouncing immediately once he was back on the back of the 33 and then setting off in pursuit of Bagnaia. That mission didn’t take long either. By 10 to go, he was through and putting the hammer down.
Bezzecchi is back in the title hunt with the Assen Sprint Race win.
Bagnaia followed by Binder followed by Quartararo and then Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), up from 10th on the grid, was the group on the chase behind the number 72. Soon enough, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) joined the party too, with Luca Marini the big loser off the line as the Mooney VR46 Racing Team rider dropped from the front row to seventh once the shuffle calmed down.
As Bezzecchi eked out a tenth here and a hundredth there, the first key move was Aleix Espargaro getting past a slightly scrappy Martin, and as the laps ticked down Quartararo started to home in on Binder. The gap from Binder to Bagnaia ahead was around a second, but from Bagnaia to Bezzecchi? Now, it was coming down. With three to go, the reigning Champion took nearly four tenths out of the lead, just as Aleix Espargaro joined the party in the fight for third.
Bezzecchi, however, wasn’t going to let that happen. The hammer went down again and he was able to hold onto an impressive and convincing win, setting himself up for an assault on the top on Sunday.
Just behind him, onto the last lap it first looked as though Quartararo was going to make a move on Binder, but then the South African was the rider on the move. Homing in on Bagnaia in the fight for second, he was close but not quite close enough to make a final chicane dive… but the drama wasn’t over. After a track limits warning earlier in the Sprint, the number 33 was given a Long Lap just at the flag after heading onto the green one too many times, which becomes a three-second penalty. And that, therefore, makes it a pitch perfect Sprint for Bezzecchi, a solid second for Bagnaia, and the first podium on Saturday for Quartararo after the Frenchman only previously scored a single point over the first seven Sprints.
Aleix Espargaro is therefore fourth, ahead of Binder demoted to fifth by that penalty. Martin takes sixth for some damage limitation after his P10 in qualifying, but he’ll want a lot more on Sunday. Likewise Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing), who took seventh from seventh on the grid.
Enea Bastianini (Ducato Lenovo Team) was next up as he made some serious progress when the lights went out despite a tough qualifying, and he was the protagonist of a moment at the final chicane with Marini as he attacked and the Mooney VR46 rider straight-lined the chicane. It wasn’t quite the gravel trip of 2015, but in 2023 it saw the number 10 get a time penalty that drops him to tenth behind Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™).
2023 Dutch MotoGP Results — Sprint Race
| 1 |
Marco Bezzecchi |
(Duc) |
|
| 2 |
Francesco Bagnaia |
(Duc) |
+ 1.294 |
| 3 |
Fabio Quartararo |
(Yam) |
+ 1.872 |
| 4 |
Aleix Espargaro |
(Apr) |
+ 2.245 |
| 5 |
Brad Binder |
(KTM) |
+ 4.582 |
| 6 |
Jorge Martin |
(Duc) |
+ 5.036 |
| 7 |
Maverick Viñales |
(Apr) |
+ 5.876 |
| 8 |
Luca Marini |
(Duc) |
+ 10.056 |
| 9 |
Enea Bastianini |
(Duc) |
+ 10.102 |
| 10 |
Alex Marquez |
(Duc) |
+ 10.525 |
Saturday Moto2
Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) rolled out the Alonshow on Saturday to deny Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) pole by just 0.009s at the Motul TT Assen. Ai Ogura (IDEMISTU Honda Team Asia) holds the all-time lap record after Practice 3, and the Japanese rider bagged P3 on the grid in an incredible return to form.
Dixon set the pace early on but a strong lap from Lopez in the final minutes denied the Brit the pole position in Assen. A crash from Aron Canet (Pons Wegwow Los40) brought out the yellow flags in sector one too, meaning the riders were unable to threaten Lopez’s time.
It was oh so very close in Moto2, with Lopez getting P1.
The poleman’s teammate Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tool SpeedUp) heads the 2nd row in P4, with Sam Lowes (Elf MarcVDS Racing) and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) joining him. Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) will start from the front of row three ahead of Albert Arenas (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Celestino Vietti (Fantic Racing), with Championship leader Tony Arbolino (Elf MarcVDS Racing Team) rounding out the top 10.
2023 Dutch Moto2 Results — Q2
| 1 |
Alonso Lopez |
(Bos) |
1:36.247 |
| 2 |
Jake Dixon |
(Kal) |
+ 0.009 |
| 3 |
Ai Ogura |
(Kal) |
+ 0.054 |
| 4 |
Fermin Aldeguer |
(Bos) |
+ 0.234 |
| 5 |
Sam Lowes |
(Kal) |
+ 0.281 |
Saturday Moto3
David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) set a scintillating 1:34.181 to take pole position at the Motul TT Assen by 0.291s, sercuring his maiden pole in style. Joel Kelso (CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP) believes he’s found a big step forward with his CFMoto machine, which has put him in the middle of the front row ahead of Sunday’s race, with Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse) rounding out the top 3. Championship leader Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) failed to deliver after a tough Q1 session saw the no. 96 end up dead last on the grid.
David Munoz came up trumps in Moto3.
The Moto3™ contenders were given the perfect opportunity to capitalize on a struggling Holgado, and Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) latched himself onto an on-form Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) to take the top spot after the first shots were fired. The 2nd run of laps came around and Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) was looking strong as he set the fastest lap of the weekend so far to snatch the top spot from Öncü. The times continued to tumble as Muñoz pulled out the lap of his life to smash the lap record and deny the field of the top spot, with Masia then crashing out half lap later too, rider ok.
After Kelso and Rossi sliced up, Sasaki was bumped down to P4 and will front row 2 ahead of Öncü and Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team). Kaito Toba (SIC58 Squadra Corse) took P7 ahead of Masia who despite topping practice, only had enough for row three. Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) took the final spot on the third row, with Romano Fenati (Rivacold Snipers Team) rounding out the top 10.
2023 Dutch Moto3 Results — Q2
| 1 |
David Muñoz |
(KTM) |
1:41.181 |
| 2 |
Joel Kelso |
(CFMOTO) |
+ 0.291 |
| 3 |
Ricardo Rossi |
(Hon) |
+ 0.329 |
| 4 |
Ayumu Sasaki |
(Hus) |
+ 0.331 |
| 5 |
Deniz Öncü |
(KTM) |
+ 0.339 |
2023 Dutch MotoGP News—Friday
Miller clarifies comments
Jack Miller clarified some outspoken comments made after the German GP in which he implored certain riders not to be “a princess and complain about your bike.”
The Australian lamented the headlines his quotes caused, calling it “a lot of clickbait and bullshit… The majority of people weren’t there at the media debrief so they don’t even know what was actually said, then you clickbaited and put on spray like this. At the end of the day I just want the health of the championship to better, I want guys to get on with their job and that’s all it is.”
Jack Miller didn’t mince his words.
When it was put to Miller that it was all well and good that a rider who had competed for Ducati for four years and is now riding for the competitive KTM factory to make those comments, he countered:
“When jumped on the Ducati in 2018 it wasn’t the best bike. It’s more about having the right attitude. If you said in November last year, I would be in my position now, being the only ones to challenge the Ducatis, the majority would’ve laughed at you.”
Schedule change rebuked
A riders’ request to change the current schedule has been rebuked by Ducati and go on as is until the end of 2023. Riders that convened in the Safety Commission agreed Friday’s P1 should not count toward who qualifies for Q2, in an attempt to limit the intensity of the weekend.
This was then discussed among the manufacturers. Four – Honda, Yamaha, Aprilia and KTM – were in favor of the change. One – Ducati – wasn’t, meaning both P1 and P2 will count toward who automatically qualifies for Q2 until the season’s end.
“In the Safety Commission all riders were pushing to change the Friday schedule, to make the practice one free, but looks Ducati does not agree. They vote against this,” said Aleix Espargaro. “We asked for this change. It was more a safety to avoid the crashes in practice one, to be a little more relaxed and to just stress everybody [in the last] 15 minutes on practice two.
“It’s strange because their riders, believe me, were in favour to change that. But the bosses of Ducati don’t, so it will stay like this for this season. I was very angry yesterday. I don’t understand why they need to vote. It’s a matter of safety and they didn’t respect the riders.”
Fabio crocked
When your luck’s out, it’s out. Fabio Quartararo rocked up at Assen with a broken big toe on his left foot after a running accident in Amsterdam in the days before the Dutch TT.
“I crashed running! I twisted my ankle, twisted my toe. I had a full crash! I was running and was just something like that and I hit,” he said.
Running can be more dangerous than MotoGP for some.
Of how it’s affecting him on the bike, the Frenchman continued, “This morning I rode without painkillers. This afternoon I decided to take them because the problem it is painful but the other problem is that my leg is shaking when I am turning on the left so it making the bike and everything move. With the change of direction here I am making much more effort with my arm so I have the arms a little bit tired but I would say I have to survive.”
Friday MotoGP
Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) catapulted himself to the top of the timesheets on Day 1 of the Motul TT Assen. After the two Practice sessions, the Italian’s 1:32.063 saw him maintain a firm hold on the top spot by the end of the day. The stage is set in Assen as the Italian is joined by some key rivals at the top: Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) put his GP23 into P2, with the Spaniard eager to continue his Sachsenring form, and Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) rounds out the top three following a late time attack during Practice 2… just ahead of reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team).
As Friday’s running drew closer to the end, the time attacks came flying in with the riders conscious of the importance of finishing inside the top 10 to bag a Q2 spot. Bezzecchi maintained a firm grip on the top spot though, with no one able to topple the Italian after he’d also topped P1 in the morning.
Bezzecchi just pipped Martin for P1 at Assen.
Martin had an eventful P2 session seeing him shortcutting the circuit on numerous occasions but put in a strong lap in the closing stages to finish the day 0.143s away from Bezzecchi.
Meanwhile, it was looking as Bagnaia was struggling to find a setup that worked for him around the Assen circuit, with the Italian showing visible signs of frustration during Practice 1. With the Champion sitting in P12 after the morning session, the Ducati garage worked away before P2 to give Bagnaia the feeling that he needed, and the bike was looking much more stable. Bagnaia blasted his way to the top three initially, but Miller had something to say about that.
The Aussie sandwiched himself between the title-fighting trio, pushing Bagnaia down to P4 in the closing stages. The job was done for both teams with secured Q2 spots in the bag ahead of Saturday’s qualifying action.
Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) finished the first Practice in a comfortable P2, and showed strong pace in the 2nd Practice to finish the day in fifth overall. The Spaniard will be looking for a return to the podium after taking 3rd place at Assen just one year ago, his first rostrum with Aprilia, and at a track where he boasts one of the best CVs on the grid.
Martin continued his good form for second.
Despite riding with that toe injury picked up when running, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ ) showed signs of progress aboard his Yamaha M1 after taking P6. The Frenchman will be relieved to be missing Q1 this time out, and will be hoping his smooth riding style will be able to put him right back in the mix at the fast, flowing Assen circuit.
Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) finished the day in P7 ahead of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder, with both KTMs through this time round. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) showed flashes of brilliance throughout the day to secure P9, with Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) snatching the final Q2 spot.
It was a bump in the road for three-in-a-row podium finisher Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) as the Frenchman failed to secure himself a place in Q2 by just 0.088s, and he’ll have to battle his way through Q1 after finishing in P11.
Miller wrapped up third on the KTM.
The Frenchman will be joined by the two CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team riders of Raul Fernandez and Miguel Oliveira who finished 12th and 13th respectively.
Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) also failed to make the Q2 cut after finishing in 15th and 19th. Both riders made trips to the gravel trap, with Marquez hitting the deck just two corners into his only time attack of the day as P2 came to a close.
2023 Dutch MotoGP Results—Friday
| 1 |
Marco Bezzecchi |
(Duc) |
1:32.063 |
| 2 |
Jorge Martín |
(Duc) |
+ 0.130 |
| 3 |
Jack Miller |
(KTM) |
+ 0.155 |
| 4 |
Francesco Bagnaia |
(Duc) |
+ 0.200 |
| 5 |
Maverick Viñales |
(Apr) |
+ 0.245 |
| 6 |
Fabio Quartararo |
(Yam) |
+ 0.278 |
| 7 |
Aleix Espargaró |
(Apr) |
+ 0.345 |
| 8 |
Brad Binder |
(KTM) |
+ 0.386 |
| 9 |
Luca Marini |
(Duc) |
+ 0.406 |
| 10 |
Alex Márquez |
(Duc) |
+ 0.518 |
Friday Moto2
Jake Dixon (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) is the rider to beat in Moto2™ at the Motul TT Assen as the Brit heads into Saturday’s action on top of the combined standings after setting a blistering 1:36.463. The Spanish Armada was in hot pursuit as Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) and Alonso Lopez (Beta Tools SpeedUp) stayed within two-tenths of the GASGAS rider, however.
Dixon smashed them on Friday at Assen.
Ai Ogura (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) is showing he’s returning to the form we know he’s capable of, bagging P4 after Friday practice, with Sam Lowes (Elf MarcVDS Racing Team) rounding out the top five ahead of Albert Arenas (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in P6
Fermin Aldeguer (Beta Tools SpeedUp) takes seventh overall thanks to his best from P1, ahead of Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) and Championship leader Tony Arbolino (Elf MarcVDS Racing Team) in P9. Home team Fieten Olie Racing GP had a good start with Barry Baltus completing the top ten.
2023 Dutch Moto2 Results—Friday
| 1 |
Jake Dixon |
(Kal) |
1:36.463 |
| 2 |
Pedro Acosta |
(Kal) |
+ 0.146 |
| 3 |
Alonso Lopez |
(Bos) |
+ 0.310 |
| 4 |
Ai Ogura |
(Kal) |
+ 0.355 |
| 5 |
Sam Lowes |
(Kal) |
+ 0.381 |
Friday Moto3
It’s advantage Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) as the Motul TT Assen kicks off the weekend with Moto3™ Practice. The Spaniard put down a 1:41.579 to keep the field at arm’s length, with Stefano Nepa (Angeluss MTA Team) 0.350s behind. Just 0.053s behind his fellow Italian was Romano Fenati (Rivacold Snipers Team) whose wide, swooping lines are playing perfectly to the fast, flowing characteristics of the Assen circuit.
P1 for Masia in Moto3.
As the clock counted down to the chequered flag a flurry of fast laps came flying in during Practice 2. David Muñoz (BOE Motorsports) and Xavier Artigas (CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP) put the hammer down to secure 4th and 5th respectively, with rookie David Alonso (Valresa GASGAS Aspar M3) rounding out the top 6 ahead of Riccardo Rossi (SIC58 Squadra Corse).
The intense rush for a time attack caught out Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets MSI) as the Brazilian crashed out with 3 minutes to go for the 2nd time in the afternoon. The youngster just managed enough to secure P8 on combined times. Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) is down in P9, just ahead of Championship leader Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) who suffered a crash at Turn 16 with just under 30 minutes of P2 remaining.
2023 Dutch Moto3 Results—Friday
| 1 |
Jaume Masia |
(Hon) |
1:41.579 |
| 2 |
Stefano Nepa |
(KTM) |
+ 0.350 |
| 3 |
Romano Fenati |
(Hon) |
+ 0.403 |
| 4 |
David Muñoz |
(KTM) |
+ 0.423 |
| 5 |
Xavier Artigas |
(CFMoto) |
+ 0.580 |
For more MotoGP news and results, click here
