Riders reflect on opening day of practice at Assen

MotoGP 2022 – Round 11
Motul TT Assen

Assen Friday Rider Quotes

Francesco Bagnaia – P1

“This morning, I only finished eleventh because I didn’t get a chance to improve in the final minutes of the session, but actually, my feeling with the bike was good right from the start. The conditions this afternoon were really tricky, but we still managed to set some very fast times on slick tyres. I’m very satisfied with this first day, and now we’ll continue to work in this direction.”

Fabio Quartararo – P2

“The wet conditions this morning were tricky, and I didn’t want to take any big risks. Of course, our position was quite far from first because of this. We know our potential is much higher in the wet than that, but it’s not as high as in the dry. This afternoon I had a great feeling even in the tricky drying conditions. I usually struggle in that area. I’m feeling quite happy and confident.”

Alex Rins – P3

“Today was pretty good in both wet and dry conditions. This morning in FP1 I felt it was quite risky because the track had a lot of standing water, and the spray was bad. We started FP2 in the wet too, but in the end the track dried out, which happens amazingly quickly! I had a bit of pain in my wrist, but I feel that it’s progressing well. Today I also had the opportunity to try one of the aero packages, which I wasn’t able to try at the Catalan test; it was useful to use it and we’ll check the data.”

Jack Miller – P4

“In FP1, the conditions were challenging because there was a lot of standing water on the track, but the grip levels weren’t bad, and the feeling with the tyres was good. In the last few minutes of FP2, we went out on slicks using the basic setup we adopted after the Barcelona test, which allowed me to be competitive in Germany. It seems to be working very well here too, and now all we have to do is make a few small adjustments for tomorrow. Overall it was a good Friday, and now it will be important to be able to do well in tomorrow morning’s FP3 as well.”

Joan Mir – P5

“It’s a typical day in Assen with a lot of rain, but I feel good! It was useful to have one completely wet session and one slightly drier with slicks at the end. This situation gave us a chance to prepare quite well for the weekend, and I felt comfortable with both conditions. The bike feels strong and staying inside the Top 10 is crucial – especially when you’ve got mixed weather – so that will be our main goal tomorrow.”

Maverick Vinales – P6

“We started from the base we had in Sachsenring and we were solid here too, in the top 10 both in the dry and in the wet. I felt really good in FP2 when the track was dry. We obviously still need to improve, but the Aprilia has some important strong points. Even in the best session, we weren’t able to push to the limit because the track wasn’t perfectly dry. It would be nice to be able to do that tomorrow.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P9

“I would say a positive first day here in Assen and a real shame for the two crashes, especially the second in FP2 when I was keeping a great pace. I was very confident in riding, I touched the white line, which was not completely dry and I crashed. I was sorry not to be able to finish the session, I had good feelings on the bike. Matteo (Flamigni), Sergio (Martinez), the whole Team and Ducati did a great job and I’m very happy. We are working on the data to do well tomorrow in the FP3 and adapt as best as possible to the weather.”

Enea Bastianini – P10

“We started well this morning, but then the crash made things more complicated. In the afternoon session, with the track drying up, we improved… In the last two laps a lost a few tenths due to a slower rider in the middle, but it is what it is. The track should be dry tomorrow morning and the feeling with the bike was good today. We’re positive!”

Takaaki Nakagami – P11

“So today was quite tricky conditions as the weather was unstable all day. This morning, FP1 was in wet conditions, FP2 was mostly mixed conditions but at the end it was almost dry, so we had the chance to try with slick tyres. Actually, it was good. On the wet not great, in dry conditions I’m quite happy with the feeling of the bike. At the very end of the session, I got some traffic in sectors three and four so I couldn’t make a really good lap time, but even so I’m quite happy with the feeling and the important thing is we had good pace. We’ll keep working, the weather is always unstable at this track, so we’ll need to prepare for tomorrow morning.”

Luca Marini – P12

“It was a complicated day, I was never really fast but we collected a lot of data, both in the dry and in the wet, to better face tomorrow’s sessions and be ready for any eventuality – I mean in terms of weather. The goal is certainly the access into the Q2 in FP3, I hope for a dry session, and then make a final step forward for qualifying.”

Álex Márquez – P13

“I’m quite happy about our performance. In the wet we showed our potential and did something good (in FP1), we were in the top 5 so that’s really good. We were P1 in FP2, so we need to be happy about that, later on in the dry we know that we need to improve. It’s true that the first feeling was not too bad, I’m quite confident about tomorrow and we’ll try to be focused. It looks like it will be dry in FP3, in qualy we don’t know, but we’ll try to be fast and make a good result which will be so important for Sunday’s race.”

Andrea Dovizioso – P14

“Towards the end, the practice finished on the dry, which is good, because with that we can start tomorrow morning already with some ideas in mind. It was very important for tomorrow. My feeling in the corners is good, but I still have to re-learn the lines with this bike, as they are completely different to what I was used to. I was behind Pecco (Bagnaia) for some laps, which was helpful for me. Let’s try to start in a good way tomorrow morning!”

Franco Morbidelli – P17

“I feel good in conditions when the grip is not so high. I‘m able to show my potential, but then we need to get better in other conditions. I need to use the bike better to extract the full potential. It’s difficult to do for me right now when there is grip, but the potential is there, and I will keep trying. I’m sorry for a mistake I made in FP2. I went outside the track and accidentally hindered Enea, and I got a long-lap penalty for it.”

Pol Espargaro – P18

“In the morning we were able to do a good job. In the wet it is less physically demanding and we were able to ride in a decent way. I wasn’t feeling much pain because of this so I could be fast and was P3. In the afternoon I was riding well with wets but as soon as the track became dry, all the nerves and the tension I have in my ribs and back from the injury started to become a problem. I have a lot of pain in my ribs and in my back and finally we weren’t able to make a good result. I was not expecting to feel this bad, tonight we need to do everything we can to be ready for this weekend.”

Fabio DiGiannantonio – P19

“I had fun in wet conditions this morning and had a great feeling. I wish I had a bit more time this afternoon, with mixed conditions, in order to understand the right lines better. Those were my very first laps in the dry here at Assen on a MotoGP bike, so I’m still confident ahead of tomorrow. We surely need to keep working in order to find a better grip at the rear-end.”

Lorenzo Savadori – P20

“Not too bad. We’re continuing our work, especially in deciding on new solutions. We put the slicks on very early, using a general setting that was still intended for a damp track, so when the asphalt condition improved gradually, we were unable to push to the limit. In any case, we are following our programme and we’ll keep moving in this direction tomorrow.”

Remy Gardner – P21

“Tricky day but it was positive overall. Towards the end I felt quite good on the bike in wet tyres and with the settings’ changes we made. In the afternoon, we went out in slick tyres and had a good session. I feel good and I am looking forward to tomorrow!”

Darryn Binder – P22

“Today we had some mixed conditions, a wet FP1 and FP2, that was drying up enough to use slicks at the end. This morning it was quite good to ride in Assen for the first time on the MotoGP bike. I wish it would have been dry though, but it was nice in the rain. Slowly, but surely, I was finding the way. This afternoon, we could go out on slicks. At least, I managed to get in some dry laps today. Now we can look over everything tonight to be ready and hope that it’s dry tomorrow.”

Stefan Bradl – P24

“We had a crash at Turn 9 today, it wasn’t really a great day overall. In the morning it honestly wasn’t too bad and I was happy with where my speed was. In the afternoon as the track became dry, I tried to push a little bit more and lost the front. Luckily, I am physically OK but I don’t really understand why I crashed there which is frustrating. Tomorrow is a new day and the weather looks better, so we keep on working and trying to go faster.”

Raul Fernandez – P25

“Difficult conditions today with the rain. The FP1 was good but in the afternoon in mixed conditions, I had in mind my crash in Portimao which caused my wrist injury so I was a bit more cautious. Today I gained confidence and got the laps in, and hopefully tomorrow if the weather conditions are better, I will be able to attack properly.”

Aleix Espargaro

“It’s always important to start off strong, so I am satisfied with these first two sessions. Especially in the wet this morning I was fast and I had a good feeling even in conditions which are certainly not my favourite. On the dry track in the afternoon, I was only able to do a few laps at the end of the session, but I still managed to find the rhythm, which actually surprised me a bit. So, we are ready to tackle any situation, although we’re always hoping for the dry, a condition in which you can really have fun here in Assen.”

Assen MotoGP Friday Practice

Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco Bagnaia claimed early bragging rights at the Motul TT Assen, with the top honours on the combined time-sheets going down to the final couple of minutes of FP2 on a dryin track.

A 1:33.274 was the benchmark, and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) seemed to claim second before some drama for the Aprilia rider saw his last run cancelled for a technical infringement – running a rear water spoiler whilst on slicks – so the number 41 is classified dead last as Friday action comes to a close. That means Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) moves up to second quickest, ahead of Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar).

FP1

Ducati Lenovo Team’s Jack Miller lived up to his reputation as a rain master with the fastest lap in FP1 at the Motul TT Assen. The man who achieved his first ever premier class race win when the heavens opened at the TT Circuit Assen in 2016 headed the timesheets from Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team).

Rain fell throughout the 45-minute session and it was Miller who was quickest after the first runs on a 1:44.523 before the showers got heavier. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) was one of few to persevere through that particularly difficult middle segment of FP1 and gradually climbed to second on a 1:44.570.

However, when the weather began to improve in the final 10 minutes, those times were blown away and Miller clocked his fastest lap just before the chequered flag, as did Mir when he set a 1:42.698 to be just 0.109 seconds slower.

Both Mir and Pol Espargaro had brief periods on top of the timing screen and the latter would finish third courtesy of a 1:42.891. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) made it two Hondas in the top four when he came through after the chequered flag on a 1:42.959, while Alex Espargaro was the last rider within half a second of Miller’s pace on a 1:43.030. There were two crashes: Bastianini and Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), riders ok.

FP2

The showers had stopped by the time pit lane opened for FP2. The Assen circuit remained wet for the time being, but it took less than 10 minutes for Aleix Espargaro to establish a new weekend benchmark, and the lap times continued to fall. Zarco had just gone into the 1:39s, around halfway into the session, as fellow Ducati rider Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) became the first rider to switch to slicks. With the track drying out, at least on the race line, the Italian was quickly down to a 1:38.880 and soon everyone was coming in to get off their wet tyres.

The timing screen started to light up and it was Marini into the 1:37s in the 32nd minute, then Miller into the 1:36s in the 34th minute, and Bezzecchi into the 1:35s in 35th minute. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was first to crack the 1:34s, with about eight minutes remaining, and Quartararo reset the fastest lap with a 1:33.908 in the last three minutes before the chequered flag, then Aleix Espargaro got down to a 1:33.652.

Bagnaia then lifted himself from third to the top with his 1:33.274, while Quartararo eked out a bit more time when he clocked a 1:33.579. Those two were split by Aleix Espargaro when he clocked a 1:33.452, with Rins laying down a 1:33.611.

Provisional Q2 places

With news of Aleix Espargaro’s technical infringement – meaning the Aprilia rider loses all his laps set on slicks – it remains Bagnaia quickest but from Quartararo. Rins moves up into third.

Miller now takes fourth overall, ahead of Mir, as in FP1, with Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) for extremely close company in sixth. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Zarco, Bezzecchi and Bastianini now complete the top ten after Friday’s running, with FP3 offering the rest their final shot at a place in Q2… not least Aleix Espargaro.

Assen MotoGP Friday Practice Results

Assen Moto2 Friday Practice

Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) set the pace on Friday at the Motul TT Assen. In an impressive display by the American, he put one over last weekend’s dominant race winner, Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo), by setting a 1:37.393 in a dry afternoon session for the intermediate class. Still, Fernandez is not far away from the top despite a mid-session crash, while Albert Arenas (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) was third on Friday.

Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia), as he seeks to overhaul Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) in the Moto2 title race, took fourth in with a 1:37.710. Fifth and sixth went to MB Conveyors Speed Up team-mates Fermin Aldeguer and Alonso Lopez on a 1:37.840 and 1:37.942, respectively.

Canet, who was quickest in FP1, claimed seventh in FP2 before then heading to hospital briefly. Suffering with nose bleeds recently, the Pons rider went to have his nose cauterised. A minor, non-surgical procedure, he remains fit to ride and will be hoping it’s done the trick for Saturday.

Championship leader Vietti finished eighth on a 1:37.964, with the top 10 rounded out by Jorge Navarro (Flexbox HP40) and Filip Salac (Gresini Racing Moto2) at 0.585 seconds off the pace.

Assen Moto2 Friday Practice Results

Assen Moto3 Friday Practice

It’s Muñoz, Suzuki, Yamanaka, Ogden and Migno leading the way. Next up is Carlos Tatay (CFMoto PrüstelGP), ahead of SIC58 Squadra Corse duo Lorenzo Fellon and Riccardo Rossi. Öncü, the only rider to have scored in every race so far in 2022, is ninth as Masia completed the top ten.

McPhee, Guevara and Ortola are next up, with Garcia currently the last rider set to move through… but everything could still change on Saturday morning, especially as the weather remains changeable.

Young Aussie Joel Kelso along with his team-mate Kaito Toba failed to find their wet weather feet and are at the tail end of the field.

Assen Moto3 Friday Practice Results

Assen MotoE Qualifying

The FIM Enel MotoE World Cup is back in action this weekend at the Motul TT Assen and it’s shaping up as a titanic contest if qualifying is anything to go by.

The top three in the standings will share the front row for both races at the TT Circuit Assen, although it is World Cup leader Dominique Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE) who once again has the edge over his rivals. The Swiss rider came from Q1 to claim pole position for Round 4 with a lap time of 1:43.643, ahead of Eric Granado (LCR E-Team) and Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE).

Assen MotoE Qualifying Results

1 Dominique Aegerter – Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE – Energica – 1’43.643
2 Eric Granado – LCR E-Team – Energica – +0.106
3 Matteo Ferrari – Felo Gresini MotoE – Energica – +0.404

Saturday Assen Schedule (AEST)

Sunday Assen Schedule (AEST)