MotoGP – Motul Assen TT. 26.06.22
Qualification:
Pecco Bagnaia was on pole once again, the Ducati rider very capable of putting the one-lap times in for a front-row position, which has become very necessary to fend off Fabio Quartararo. Fabio was P2 and doing an amazing job of keeping the Yamaha where it needs to be, next to Pecco, but he is on the limit to do this; consider this, the next Yamaha was Dovizioso in P17! Jorge Martin was P3, ahead of all the other Ducati riders, including factory rider Miller.
The Race:
Francesco Bagnaia had a textbook start and managed a small gap on the first lap over Aleix Espargaro in P2 and Fabio Quartararo in P3, who seemed to falter as the lights changed. By lap two Bagnaia had a 0.586-second gap on P2 man Espargaro, but more significantly Quartararo in P3 could see Pecco getting away.
Twenty-two laps to go and Aleix Espargaro in P2 and Fabio Quartararo in P3 were catching Bagnaia when Fabio tried a late move on Aleix into the Strubben corner, pushing him off the circuit and taking himself down. Aleix managed to keep it upright and continued in the race, as Fabio picked his bike up and managed to get back also. It was a shock to see Fabio make this mistake because he has been so consistent and on form, it just seemed like he was too anxious to get past Aleix. This incident left Bagnaia in the lead by 1.366 and Marco Bezzecchi P2 and Jorge Martin P3. Espargaro was down to P15, Quartararo, last.
Seventeen laps to go and Fabio Quartararo pulled into the pits, his Yamaha worse for wear, however, he was told to go out again, and by his body language, it was not a decision he agreed with. With fourteen laps to go, Fabio had a nasty high side and landed heavily on the tarmac, this incident was later identified as a faulty traction control sensor. It was risky going back out and could have been a disaster had Fabio been injured, thankfully he was ok if a little bruised both physically and emotionally.
Nine laps to go and Bagnaia was looking comfortable in the lead, with Marco Bezzecchi P2 and now Maverick Vinales P3. Aleix Espargaro was now in P8 having made his way up from P15. He was on fire as he made his way through the pack.
As it came to the last lap Pecco was in the lead with Marco P2 and Maverick P3, and Aleix Espargaro was P6, but suddenly and amazingly he overtook Brad Binder and Jack Miller in the last sector to get P4. It was a class ride from Aleix to make up so many places from P15 to P4. Another excellent ride was rookie Marco Bezzecchi taking his first podium in the MotoGP class, and placing the VR46 team firmly on the map. Also good to see Maverick back on the podium.
The Results:
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Lenovo Team, P1. Marco Bezzecchi, Mooney VR46 Racing Team, P2. Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing, P3.
Fabio, the gentleman that he is, went to see Aleix in his box, to apologise for the incident, and Aleix was smiling and friendly, as they discussed the incident. Fabio said himself in an interview that it was a stupid “rookie” mistake, and he regretted it, and Aleix was magnanimous. Shame then that the stewards were not so kind, and imposed a long-lap penalty on Fabio for Silverstone. Yamaha boss, Lin Jarvis, Fabio and a lot more have stated how unfair this is, and the evidence is there that it is. There was no intent on Fabio’s part and there have been incidents where riders have been far more aggressive or at fault, taking riders out of the race, and not being punished.
Author: Martin Northern
Founder of Bike Directory
