August Augusto, a sign of grandeur for Fernandez with Assen win -

July 1, 2022

Moto2 Motul TT Assen 2022

Qualification:

Jake Dixon has shown his speed in recent races and put it on pole in Assen. Albert Arenas was P2, with Sam Lowes P3. Augusto Fernandez, catching Celestino Vietti in the championship could only manage P9. Pedro Acosta was missing from Assen, after a nasty training accident in which he fractured his left femur, we wish him a full and speedy recovery.

The Race:

Alonso Lopez blasted away from the line and fought with Jake Dixon on the first lap to take the lead, Albert Arenas and Ai Ogura followed close by. On lap two, Ai Ogura who started in P5 was unseated in a tank slapper, which left him in P9, but it was a great save, and he had to do it again with another slip which left him P16! Speculation was his rear tyre was not fully engaged with the track, causing Ogurasan to have some scary moments. Sam Lowes crashed, after starting P3.

Seventeen laps to go and Marcel Schrotter hit the front as Alonso Lopez held on to P2 and now Albert Arenas P3 and Jake Dixon P4, with Augusto Fernandez in P5 from his P9 grid position. Schrotter held the lead until, with thirteen laps to go and Marcel crashed in an own fault incident leaving Albert Arenas in the lead, with Augusto Fernandez P2 and looking feisty, with Alonso Lopez now P3.

Albert Arenas held the lead until, eight laps to go, Augusto Fernandez pushed past to take P1, with Arenas now P2 and local boy Bo Bendsneyder P3, much to the delight of the Dutch crowd. Bo was not long in P3 before Jake Dixon and Cameron Beaubier took him, as Ai Ogura and Celestino Vietti made their way into contention. With four laps to go, Vietti made contact with Beaubier, and the American Racing rider crashed out of the race.

On the last lap, Augusto Fernandez only had a half-a-second lead over Ai Ogura who was chasing him down, with Jake Dixon on the hunt too in P3. Fernandez calculated this race to perfection and came over the line first, and in doing so ended up in a tie for the championship with Celestino Vietti. Ai Ogura was our rider of the day having been unseated and back in P16, he made his way through to a solid P2.