Jorge Martin secured pole position for the Dutch MotoGP at Assen on Saturday with a fastest lap of 1:30.812, narrowly edging Ai Ogura by 0.011 seconds. According to official qualifying results, Aprilia achieved its first-ever front-row lockout in MotoGP history, with Martin, Ogura, and Marco Bezzecchi all riding Aprilia RS-GP26 bikes.
Martin’s pole lap of 1:30.812 was just 0.011 seconds faster than Ai Ogura, who qualified second on his Trackhouse Aprilia RS-GP26, according to official qualifying results released Saturday at the TT Circuit Assen. Marco Bezzecchi completed the front row in third place, 0.033 seconds behind Martin, also riding an Aprilia RS-GP26 for Aprilia Racing.
This marked the first time in Aprilia’s MotoGP history that the manufacturer secured the entire front row on the grid, officials confirmed.
The top five qualifiers were separated by a mere 0.118 seconds, with Raul Fernandez and Francesco Bagnaia rounding out the group in fourth and fifth place respectively. Fernandez, another Trackhouse Aprilia rider, was 0.067 seconds slower than Martin, while Bagnaia, riding a Ducati Lenovo, was 0.118 seconds off the pole time. Fabio Di Giannantonio qualified sixth on a Pertamina VR46 Ducati, trailing Martin by 0.143 seconds. Marc Marquez, the seven-time premier-class world champion, qualified seventh on a Ducati Lenovo, 0.319 seconds behind the pole sitter, according to the official classification.
Aprilia’s dominance extended beyond the front row, with four Aprilia riders occupying the top four grid positions. Aprilia Racing’s Martin and Bezzecchi, along with Trackhouse Aprilia’s Ogura and Fernandez, underscored the manufacturer’s strong performance in the qualifying session. Dawn’s qualifying report highlighted that Martin outpaced the other Aprilia riders on the track, contributing to the historic front-row lockout. This performance was described by Sportstar and Quotidiano as an “Aprilia qualifying sweep,” emphasizing the brand’s control over the Assen grid.
Martin’s pole position was his first since the 2024 Australian Grand Prix, ending a streak of more than 600 days without a pole, according to Sportstar. Dawn noted that this was Martin’s 21st premier-class pole position and that he entered the Assen weekend as the 2024 world champion. The qualifying result reinforced the ongoing intra-Aprilia championship battle, with Martin leading the standings by eight points over Bezzecchi, identified as the championship frontrunner by Dawn.
MotorsportWeek described Martin’s lap as “three tenths shy of the lap record,” indicating that while no new record was set, the time was competitive. The existing Assen lap record stands at 1:30.540, set by Francesco Bagnaia during the 2024 Dutch MotoGP qualifying, as confirmed by multiple sources. Martin’s 1:30.812 time was approximately 0.3 seconds slower than that benchmark, underscoring the speed of the current Aprilia RS-GP26 package relative to past Ducati performances at Assen.
The session was tightly contested, with the entire front row separated by just 0.033 seconds. Quotidiano characterized Martin’s performance as a “masterly time,” noting he edged Ogura “by a hair” and then Bezzecchi. Sportstar reported that Martin’s pole-winning lap came late in the Q2 session, displacing Bezzecchi from provisional pole. The narrow margins showcased the intense competition among the Aprilia riders and the broader field.
On the same Saturday at Assen, Raul Fernandez won the 13-lap sprint race, with Ai Ogura finishing second and Fabio Di Giannantonio third, according to Dawn. Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin finished fourth and fifth respectively in the sprint, both on Aprilia machinery. This combination of Martin’s pole position and Fernandez’s sprint victory contributed to an exceptional weekend for Aprilia at Assen, as noted by Dawn and other media outlets.
The qualifying session took place earlier on Saturday before the sprint race, setting the stage for Sunday’s grand prix with a grid featuring four Aprilias in the top four positions, a first for the Italian manufacturer. The broader qualifying order included Pedro Acosta in eighth place on a Red Bull KTM, Fabio Quartararo ninth on a Monster Yamaha, and Joan Mir tenth on a Honda HRC Castrol bike. Enea Bastianini qualified 11th, while Alex Marquez was 12th with no time registered in Q2, according to official timing sheets.
Martin’s pole at Assen highlights both a personal milestone and a technical achievement for Aprilia, closing the gap to Ducati’s historic lap record at the circuit. Records show Martin had previously qualified second at Assen in 2024, trailing Bagnaia by 0.081 seconds, demonstrating consistent pace at the venue. The 2026 Dutch MotoGP weekend continues the narrative of Aprilia’s rising competitiveness and the ongoing championship rivalry among its riders.
