Rennie Scaysbrook | June 24, 2022
2022 Dutch TT News—Friday
The MotoGP Merry Go Round
There were further developments in the rider market between the German and Dutch Grand Prix. Miguel Oliveira is edging toward a place in the RNF Aprilia squad while Pol Espargaro is all-but-confirmed at Tech3 KTM for next year. And most surprisingly of all, Alex Marquez is closing in on the Gresini Ducati seat, with Enea moving to either the factory Ducati team, or Pramac.
“Concerning the discussions between Alex Marquez and Gresini, we know that it’s an ongoing discussion,” admitted Paolo Ciabatti, Ducati’s Sporting Director on Friday. “But it’s something managed by the team, not Ducati.”
Alex Marquez on a Ducati? Apparently, the deal is closer to being done than we may think.
In Marquez’s place, Alex Rins is the favorite to land a seat at LCR Honda. “The material conditions will be the same, the material will be the same (as the factory team),” he said on Friday. “Yes, it is true that the teams are the same and we have spoken with LCR, because they have not given us the option of speaking with Repsol. Since I’ve been in MotoGP I’ve been at Suzuki and it’s going to be a big change to get to the V4 engine, but in the end we’re ready and we’re not afraid.”
Analyzing Bagnaia
The cerebral Francesco Bagnaia is not the kind of character to shrug off one crash, never mind a series of them. The Italian suffered a costly crash in Germany, his fourth DNF in 10 races. He subsequently spent the days between the German and Dutch GPs attempting to understand where he went wrong at the Sachsenring.
There can be no more of this if Bagnaia is going to recover the points hole he’s found himself in.
“The three times I crashed this year, the first time in Qatar I was pushing,” he said of his analysis. “I was pushing because I was behind, I was trying to recover and I crashed. In the other two times (at Le Mans and in Germany), in the same moment I said, ‘I will be more calm, breathe and then come back’. I crashed.
“Maybe with our bike, my feeling is that when you are not pushing on the tires maybe it’s easier to crash. It’s easier, also for the concentration. I want to say that I never lose my concentration during the race, but maybe thinking to be more calm and to breathe is not a thing that helped me.”
Toprak’s MotoGP test
Reigning World Superbike Champion Toprak Razgatioglu had his much-anticipated outing on a Yamaha M1 at Aragon on Tuesday. The 25-year old completed 40 laps in sweltering conditions in the morning with test rider Cal Crutchlow also present, before rain brought a premature close to affairs.
Razgatlioglu enjoyed the MotoGP test but won’t be going anywhere in 2023.
Despite Yamaha’s preference to bring him to the MotoGP paddock, the Turk will stay in World Superbike for another year in 2023. Asked if he thinks Toprak has the talent to make it in MotoGP, Fabio Quartararo was unequivocal. “For me he is an extremely talented rider. You can see on his riding style, how much he pushed the bike,” said the Frenchman. “I’ve seen also the save he did in Estoril on the last chicane. The way he’s riding the Yamaha on the limit, I think he has the potential to jump into MotoGP.
“Of course it’s a totally different story than superbike. I think he knows from the test of Aragon that it’s a much more rigid bike, much more different to ride, but for sure if he’s in full motivation, and he can really be on MotoGP, I think he can be a really fast rider. ”
friday
MotoGP
The Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco Bagnaia has claimed early bragging rights at the Motul TT Assen, with the fastest MotoGP lap in Friday Free Practice. The weather cleared up for FP2 at the TT Circuit Assen and Bagnaia, who is looking for a return to his race-winning form after two consecutive zeroes, went as quick as a 1:33.274 on slick Michelin tires.
The ever-consistent Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) claimed second and that put him just ahead of the man who is trying to overhaul in the World Championship, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), who was third-quickest.
Bagnaia barged his way to the top spot right at the end of Q2 at Assen.
Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) ensured that four different constructors would be represented in the top four when he laid down a 1:33.611.
Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) rounded out the top five on a 1:33.833, ahead of Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) on a 1:33.899, Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) on a 1:33.938, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) on a 1:34.127, and Johann Zarco (Pramac Ducati) on a 1:34.286 in ninth. Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Ducati) had been second fastest on a 1:34.312 when he had a low-speed spill at De Strubben in the final minutes and would be shuffled back to 10th by the time the music stopped.
2022 Dutch TT Results (Updated)—Friday
| 1 | Francesco Bagnaia | (duc) | 1:33.274 |
| 2 | Fabio Quartararo | (yam) | + 0.305 |
| 3 | Alex Rins | (Suz) | + 0.337 |
| 4 | Jack Miller | (duc) | + 0.559 |
| 5 | Joan Mir | (Suz) | + 0.625 |
| 6 | Maverick Vinales | (April) | + 0.664 |
| 7 | Brad Binder | (KTM) | + 0.853 |
| 8th | Johann Zarco | (duc) | + 1,012 |
| 9 | Marco Bezzecchi | (duc) | + 1,038 |
| 10 | Enea Bastianini | (duc) | + 1,042 |
Moto2
Joe Roberts (Italtrans Racing Team) has set the pace in Moto2™ FP2 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 at the TT Circuit Assen. Still, Fernandez is not far away from the best pace, despite a mid-session crash, while both Albert Arenas (Inde GASGAS Aspar Team) and Ai Ogura (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) are lurking near the top of the timesheet also.
Joe Roberts has it well and truly hooked up right now and went P1 on Friday in Moto2.
2022 Dutch TT Moto2 Results—Friday
| 1 | JoeRoberts | (cal) | 1:37.393 |
| 2 | Augusto Fernández | (cal) | + 0.136 |
| 3 | Albert Arenas | (cal) | + 0.176 |
| 4 | Ai Ogura | (cal) | + 0.317 |
| 5 | Fermin Aldeguer | (cal) | + 0.447 |
| 16 | Cameron Beaubier | (cal) | +0.917 |
| 27 | Sean Dylan Kelly | (cal) | +2,678 |
Moto3
David Muñoz’s career might just be a few Grands Prix old but he was showing no signs of inexperience in the two wet Moto3 Free Practice sessions on Friday at the Motul TT Assen. The youngest rider in the field at just 16 years of age, he was fastest in both FP1 and FP2 on his BOE Motorsports KTM, getting down to a 1:49.491 in the afternoon running at the TT Circuit Assen. Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing) and Ryusei Yamanaka (MT Helmets – MSI) completed the top three for both FP2 and the day overall.
David Munoz. Remember the name. He went P1 in Moto3 on Friday and he’s only 16.
2022 Dutch TT Moto3 Results—Friday
| 1 | David Munoz | (KTM) | 1:49.491 |
| 2 | Tatsuki Suzuki | (Hon) | + 0.181 |
| 3 | Ryusei Yamanaka | (KTM) | + 0.232 |
| 4 | Scott Ogden | (Hon) | + 0.456 |
| 5 | Andrea Migno | (Hon) | + 0.579 |
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