Motul TT Assen

FIM MotoGP World Championship

TT Circuit Assen, Netherlands

June 24, 2017

Qualifying Results (all on Michelin tires):

From Qualifying Session Two (wet conditions):

1. Johann ZARCO, France (YAMAHA), 1:46.141

2. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 1:46.206

3. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), 1:46.526

4. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:46.705

5. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), 1:47.574

6. Jonas FOLGER, Germany (YAMAHA), 1:47.663

7. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:47.812

8. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), 1:48.042

9. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:48.079

10. Sam LOWES, UK (APRILIA), 1:48.128

11. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:48.266

12. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:49.623

From Qualifying Session One (wet conditions):

13. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), 1:46.926

14. Loris BAZ, France (DUCATI), 1:47.234

15. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (APRILIA), 1:47.277

16. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SUZUKI), 1:47.649

17. Alex RINS, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:47.804

18. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), 1:47.947

19. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (KTM), 1:47.957

20. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:48.080

21. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (DUCATI), 1:48.219

22. Bradley SMITH, UK (KTM), 1:48.448

23. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), 1:48.700

More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:

Sensational Zarco seizes maiden MotoGP pole at Assen – Fast Folger to charge forward from 6th

Johann Zarco executed a highly memorable qualifying performance to seal pole position for the Motul TT Assen. The rapid French rider kicked off the day by storming to 5th in the morning practice, but his FP2 time left him 8th in the combined standings and able to progress through to QP2. Here, he powered onwards as the track began to dry before eventually soaring to a superb lap time in the final moments of the session that placed him at the head of the field.

Meanwhile, Jonas Folger notably clinched his best qualifying result of the year and will bolt from the rear of the second row of the grid after an accomplished display today. The young German progressed through to Q2 courtesy of his FP2 time, which put him in 2nd overall, and in the qualifying shootout, he impressed by surging to a rapid time on his last lap. Tomorrow, he seeks to follow up his strong performance today with a top tier result in the race, which begins at 13:00.

Johann ZARCO

Position: 1st – Time: 1’46.141 – Laps: 8

“Pole position is a great thing and when you see your name on top of the time sheets, it is an awesome feeling. Today it rained for almost the entire day, but in FP4 it was more or less dry, and then suddenly there was a downpour. At this time, I decided to stay out on the track in order to understand the conditions and to collect as much information as possible in order to give me a good chance in the qualifying. Then, in Q2, the track started to dry a little bit and I like this kind of situation so I realised that I could make a difference. I pushed on the last lap, plus I felt strong and in the end, everything went so well. I am happy and I know that I need to use this opportunity tomorrow to try and get a podium, which is my target. I think I am ready for any weather condition because I was solid on Friday in the dry and also in the wet, I feel comfortable. Either way, it should be cold so I can use the soft tyre and that will be beneficial. I said on Thursday that starting from the first two rows is important so that I can fight for the podium, and I will start from pole which is the biggest advantage so let’s see what happens.”

Jonas FOLGER

Position: 6th – Time: 1’47.663 – Laps: 8

“I am really happy with this result because, to be honest, I was a little bit nervous about how the qualifying would go. At the beginning of the day, when it was raining, I didn’t feel fully confident on the bike and as a result, when we knew that it would be wet in Q2, I got slightly worried. However, in the end, we made a few adjustments and improved the feeling that I had on the bike. On my last lap, I was set quite a good time that got me into the top six. This is my best qualifying performance so far, which is really positive. It looks like it could be a dry race tomorrow and this is what we are hoping for because I have a good pace in the dry and we have set some encouraging lap times. Nevertheless, it doesn’t matter too much about what comes, because I think that we are ready for anything.”

More, from a press release issued by Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:

Rain master Miller hoping for dry Assen race

Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Jack Miller is hoping for a dry and fast race after qualifying in 13th position for tomorrow’s Dutch TT.

Despite wet track pace the Australian rain master does not want a repeat of the rain showers that hit today’s qualifying in advance of the 26-lap race.

Miller is the defending race winner following his superb maiden MotoGP win in last year’s rain-lashed Assen race.

The flowing 4.5km Assen circuit is one of Miller’s favourites and despite his impressive 2016 performance he is eager to show that he can be a competitive force in dry conditions.

Despite a lack of rear grip Miller dominated the wet and slippery conditions for most of the Q1 session this afternoon.

He posted his fastest lap of 1’47.217 as the chequered flag came out and missed progressing to a place in Q1 by just 26 thousandths of a second.

The inclement weather at Assen for both the morning FP3 practice and the afternoon sessions proved frustrating for Tito Rabat.

The Spaniard lacked confidence and feel on the classic Assen layout and will start from the rear of the grid for the eighth round of the MotoGP World Championship.

Jack Miller: 13th – 1’47.217

“I was struggling for grip with the wet weather tyres, no support at the rear at all but we are working hard to find a strong set-up for the race. I’m hoping for good weather because I have a really good pace in the dry and I like this track and the flowing layout. It’s going to be a long race and I’m really keen to show what I am capable of in dry conditions and go for a strong top ten result.”

Tito Rabat: 23rd – 1’48.700

“This was a very difficult qualifying session for me and I’m disappointed with this result. Now I will just focus on the race tomorrow and put this qualifying behind me. My team has some ideas for the race set-up and while I know it won’t be easy I hope to have a chance to finish in the points.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal

“I was expecting Jack to go through to Q2 because the conditions today are good for him but it was impossible to create any rear grip. It’s a shame. It was a frustrating day for Tito because he could not find a good feeling with the bike and it will be difficult for him starting from the last row of the grid. The weather is changeable which make the race unpredictable but I’m hoping that we will be in a position for Jack to fight for a top ten result and for Tito to score some points.”

More, from a press release issued by Pull&Bear Aspar Team:

Bautista produces best qualifying performance of 2017

Pull&Bear Aspar rider will start from third row of the grid for the Dutch TT, with teammate Karel Abraham on Row 6

Qualifying for the Dutch TT at Assen saw a surprise on Saturday, as satellite and privateer riders had a big impact on the grid. Johann Zarco took his first pole position in the MotoGP class, ending a run of seven consecutive poles for Spanish riders. Joining him on the front row of the grid will be Marc Márquez and Danilo Petrucci. Valentino Rossi shares the second row with Scott Redding and Jonas Folger, with Pull&Bear Aspar’s Álvaro Bautista joining Cal Crutchlow on Row 3. Six of the top eight riders at Assen are non-factory, showing the equality between competitors in MotoGP.

Pull&Bear Aspar rider Álvaro Bautista claimed his best qualifying position of the year, and will start the Dutch TT from seventh place. The Spaniard had not been able to find a good feeling with his rear tyre, but was pleased with the advanced position on the grid. Teammate Karel Abraham will take off from the sixth row, missing out on entering Q2 directly by just 1 tenth of a second. The Czech rider set a time that would have given him eighth place in Q2, but will instead start from eighteenth.

7th Álvaro Bautista 1:47.812: “In the end, the result is better than my feeling. I wasn’t expecting seventh place, and it was a surprise even for me. In the wet this morning, I lacked rear grip. In fact, I almost crashed at every corner and it was a miracle that I could save it one time. In the afternoon, we went out on track with some small modifications that didn’t help me too much. The rear tyre makes it feel like riding on ice, as there is no grip. If tomorrow’s race were to be in the dry, we don’t have many references. We would try to find a good pace and finish the race, because if we manage to do what we have in recent races, it would be positive.”

18th Karel Abraham 1:47.947: “Today I set almost the same time as Álvaro. If we had got into Q2, we would be in seventh and eight place -but instead I’m in eighteenth. It’s really frustrating. I think that overall, Q1 was faster than Q2. It’s unfortunate, and this year we haven’t had many wet sessions so far. This was one of very few, and it was also drying out in FP4. Eighteenth position is not great, and it’s frustrating because I think we are quite good in the dry and not bad in the wet. I don’t think it’s our rightful position in either of those conditions. We’re much better than this, but this time the qualifying system didn’t work out well for us. We’ll have to push really hard from the start tomorrow. It’s not easy to overtake at Assen, but we will do our best to get to the front as soon as possible and try to fight for a good position.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:

NICE PERFORMANCE FOR SAM LOWES WHO GOES THROUGH TO Q2 AND RIDES HIS RS-GP INTO THE TOP-TEN

ALEIX ESPARGARÓ WILL START FROM THE FIFTH ROW TOMORROW

This time in the Aprilia camp it was Sam Lowes with a smile on his face, having gone through to Q2 for the first time in Assen. The result is the fruit of good performance in the first qualifying session, where Sam took an excellent second place with 1’47.191 that sent him through to the second session where he competed for the best 12 spots on the grid. In Q2 the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini English rider put a time of 1’48.128 on the sheets which gave him a nice tenth place on the grid, the best of his MotoGP rookie year. This means that he will start from the best spot on the fourth row.

Aleix Espargaró proved to be fast in free practice, but the wet conditions in FP3 on Saturday kept him from making it through to Q2. In Q1, also a wet session, he did his best lap at 1’47.277. This is a time that earned him the 15th spot on the grid on the fifth row. The forecast for tomorrow, uncertain as they always are at Assen, do not rule out a dry race and the pace Aleix demonstrated on Friday make him a candidate for a comeback race, on the hunt for the best positions.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“This morning in the wet I felt good. I finished the session in seventh place with good sensations. In the afternoon I did not find the same feeling. There was less grip and the conditions were really demanding. Despite this, I missed Q2 by a hair, less than one tenth. Obviously our race tomorrow will be more complicated because of our starting position, but I think that on a dry track we will be able to do well.”

SAM LOWES

“Yesterday in the dry I was already rather fast and today in the wet I found a good feeling straight away. I have not ridden the RS-GP much in these conditions, but everything works well. The qualifiers could have gone even better. In any case, tenth place shows our progress and it is a good starting place on which to build a solid race. To be honest, I would prefer a race on dry asphalt, but I am confident in any case. The top-10 could be a realistic goal tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Marquez second fastest at wet TT Assen, Pedrosa on fourth row

Qualifying day at the Dutch TT dawned wet as expected, with all of the day’s sessions affected by rain to greater or lesser extents.

Marc Marquez set the third fastest time in FP3 on a wet track and the seventh fastest in FP4 in mixed conditions before attaining a very important front-row start position during qualifying, on a wet-but-drying surface. Marc set a series of fastest laps throughout the 15-minute stint and was pushed off provisional pole only by Johann Zarco at the very end, by just 0.065 seconds.

Dani Pedrosa had to settle for a fourth-row start after struggling all day with a lack of grip, finding it hard to put enough heat into the tyres in today’s challenging weather conditions.

Weather forecasts indicate dry conditions for tomorrow’s MotoGP race, which will get underway at 1 p.m. local time.

Marc Marquez 93

2ND 1’46.206

“Today was one of those days when you have to take some risks because you ‘need’ to be there. Toward the end of the session, a dry line started to form and we were able to be faster and faster. At the very end I missed the chance to do another lap when I took the flag by a couple of seconds. But okay, we’re on the front row, which was the main target for today. The team did a great job and I’m happy. Tomorrow we’ll see what weather we have. You never know here; it can change every five minutes. Our opponents are strong in both wet and dry, but we’re not so far off and tomorrow we’ll try to start well, stay with them, and fight for the podium.”

Dani Pedrosa 26

12TH 1’49.623

“It was impossible for me to ride normally today, as I couldn’t put any temperature in the tyres, especially the rear and especially on the full wet. I had no grip at all; the tyres were too hard for me. We tried everything on the bike, everything on the tyres, everything on track, but unfortunately there was nothing to do. For tomorrow, of course we must adapt to the situation, which isn’t the best for me at this track, but I’ll try to focus on the race and do as well as possible.”

More, from a press release issued by Reale Avintia Racing:

 Reale Avintia Racing fight hard in an exciting qualifying session at Assen

The weather forecast was correct and the MotoGP action took place on a wet track today at Assen during the free and the qualifying sessions. In the morning, Reale Avintia Racing riders Hector Barbera and Loris Baz finished sixth and ninth, which boosted the team’s expectations ahead of Q1.

But in the afternoon, both riders completely lost the good feelings from the morning sessions. Both suffered with a lack of rear grip and were not able to match their morning’s pace. Nevertheless, Baz gave his best until the last lap, trying to get in Q2. It was not possible and he was fourth at the end of Q1. Tomorrow he will start the race from 14th place on the fifth row of the grid.

Barbera was far from his pace in FP3 and he will start the race from the penultimate row of the grid. Both riders are still confident for the race and they don’t care if it takes place in dry or wet conditions.

Loris Baz | 1’47.234 | P14

“We were close to make it through to Q2! This morning I had a great feeling in wet conditions, but this afternoon, the feeling was different and riding was more difficult. This morning I crashed, but the grip was fantastic, unlike in Q1 where I had no grip at all and where riding was very tricks in the last sector of the circuit. I was in the top three or four the whole session and I tried my best until the final lap…I knew that I had to put it all together for a perfect lap and it was going well until T3. I was close to crashing about ten times on my last lap and, although I improved my pace, it was not enough. Still, my grid position is not so bad. It will be interesting to see what the weather will be like tomorrow. I think that we can be strong in any condition and get a good result in the race.”

Hector Barbera | 1’48.080 | P20

“Qualifying was really difficult. This morning I finished sixth and my feeling was great. But this afternoon it was like riding on a different track, we had no rear grip and I felt like I was going to crash in every single turn. With this feeling it was impossible to push and I was not able to be fast like in the morning. In just 15 minutes you can´t stop to change the set-up, and therefore we will start from the rear of the grid tomorrow. The conditions changed and I have to find a way to adapt better when this happens. Sincerely I don’t know what conditions would be best for us tomorrow. This morning I was fast in the rain, but it was a disaster in the afternoon. Yesterday I was okay in the morning and didn’t do too well in the afternoon…all I know is that we have to give our best in any condition.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Andrea Dovizioso on row 3 after going ninth in qualifying at Assen. Jorge Lorenzo will start the Dutch TT from row 7

Andrea Dovizioso will start tomorrow’s eighth round of the MotoGP World Championship at the Assen TT circuit from the third row of the grid after the Italian was ninth quickest in qualifying with a time of 1’48.079. After the morning’s FP3 session, which was held in the wet and as a result did not affect access to Q2 for the top 10 times set yesterday, Andrea went out again for FP4, which he finished in sixth, and then the second qualifying run, again on a wet track. After crashing out on his first flying lap, Dovizioso was able to return to the pits and go out again on his second bike, setting the ninth quickest time.

It was a difficult qualifying session for Jorge Lorenzo, who will start tomorrow’s race from row 7 in twenty-first place. This morning the Spanish rider was eighth quickest in FP3, but had to take part in Q1 in the early afternoon because of his fourteenth place in yesterday’s FP2. After finishing FP4 in second, Jorge went out for Q1 but, because of a scarce feeling with his bike in the heavy rain, could only finish the session in eleventh.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1’48.079 (9th)

“For some reason, today we weren’t able to find the feeling we normally have with the Desmosedici in wet conditions. Then in qualifying I made a mistake and crashed, and this obviously conditioned my grid position. The team however were great in getting the other bike ready for me, and I was able to do two laps with this and improve my grid position a bit. Tomorrow it’ll be important to make the best of the warm-up in order to try and improve the bike set-up but in any case I think we can do a good race.”

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 1’48.219 (21st)

“Once again today was a difficult day for me, because we found the worst possible conditions and the feeling with the bike was worse just at the most important moment. I didn’t have any grip in the corners, either when I was at maximum lean or when I opened the throttle, and so I wasn’t able to push hard in the rain in Q1. Tomorrow morning we’ll have to prepare the bike well in the warm-up, which should be dry, and then try and get a good start in the race and find the right pace that will allow us to make a good recovery.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

MOVISTAR YAMAHA CLINCH SECOND AND FOURTH ROW IN CHALLENGING CATHEDRAL QUALIFYING

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi gave a strong performance today at a wet TT Circuit Assen to secure fourth place on the grid for tomorrow’s Motul TT Assen race. Teammate Maverick Viñales showed a competitive pace at the start of the session but was pushed down the order and qualified in 11th place.

Assen (The Netherlands), 24th June 2017

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team‘s Valentino Rossi displayed great form in the free practice sessions and followed it up with a strong Q2 performance. He put in some hot laps around the TT Circuit Assen, setting the fourth fastest time. Teammate Maverick Viñales was unable to ride his YZR-M1 the way he had in mind and will start tomorrow’s race from the fourth row on the grid.

After getting a good feel for the wet conditions in FP3 and FP4, Rossi was determined to drop a fast time during the 15-minute long Q2 session. He stated his case clearly when he momentarily took pole on his first flying lap, before being pushed back to fifth place. His second attempt gained him one position, but he was soon back in fifth and briefly dropped to seventh.

It was his fourth hot lap that moved him up to second and, with the pole so close, the Doctor upped the intensity. He really put the hammer down on his next try and, being moved back to third, he climbed back up to second. He had two more goes left, but he lost time as he had to avoid one of his rivals suffering a technical issue. With just one more possibility to make his mark, he once again put his head down and set a red sector in S3. He beat his own best time and posted a 1’46.705s for fourth place, 0.564s from first.

Teammate Viñales started the Q2 session as one of the first riders to leave the box, to be assured of some clear track space. He briefly took second place on his first flying lap, before being pushed back down to tenth. His second attempt improved his time but didn‘t gain him a position, and he quickly returned to the pits with a little more than seven minutes remaining.

He rejoined the track a quick minute later. The Spaniard shaved off more than a second from his fastest time thus far with a 1’48.266s, which moved him up to seventh place. He continued to look threatening over the next two laps, setting personal best sectors, but he was unable to move up the order. He will start tomorrow’s race from eleventh position on the grid.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

Today was a very complicated day to get it right for both the riders and the mechanics. The change in conditions – and even the different conditions between track sectors – kept everyone on their toes. Valentino did a great job adapting to the different situations per session and his confidence really showed when he set a couple of fast times in Q2. It was too bad he lost some time during one of his hot laps because, had he been able to complete it without any obstacles, he could have secured a place on the first row. Maverick had a very good feeling on the bike this morning, but unfortunately the qualifying didn’t go as we expected. He couldn‘t push the way he wanted to. The team will work hard to find a solution to the problems he experienced this afternoon, so he can have a good start from the fourth row. For him the beginning of the race will be crucial and hopefully he will hit the front of the field early on. We will exploit the time in the warm up session to fine-tune the bikes for the race, regardless of the weather conditions.

VALENTINO ROSSI

It‘s a shame I didn‘t get front row, but it‘s very important for the race to start from within the top-5. I‘m in fourth position and that‘s a good place and it was also a positive day because I was always competitive from this morning and I feel good with the bike. We had two practice sessions that were more or less fully wet, so we could work on the new chassis. This was very important to understand if we can be competitive, and the feeling was quite positive. Now we have to await the weather and the conditions. Here in Assen it‘s always a big surprise. We hope for either a full dry or a full wet race.

MAVERICK VIÑALES

In FP3 I was feeling really good, even if the conditions were tricky. I was feeling great on the bike, but in qualifying I had no feeling and I couldn‘t push. It wasn‘t a problem with the tyres, because I think those were quite OK. I don‘t know why, but it was just my feeling and I couldn‘t push any more than I did. Starting from eleventh is difficult, especially the first few corners, so it will be important to be concentrated. I will try to make some fast overtakes and try to catch the front riders in the early stages of the race.

More, from a press release issued by Octo Pramac Racing:

Motul TT Assen – TT Circuit Assen – Free Practices

A fantastic Saturday for Octo Pramac Racing in the “Cathedral of speed”. Petrux 3rd, Scott 5th . Thank you guys

Octo Pramac Racing played the organ in the “Cathedral of Speed” of Assen. Danilo Petrucci went to celebrate with his team at the parc fermee for the third week end in a row. Scott Redding was an absolute protagonist in the Dutch Saturday.

After an outstanding Friday that ended with the seventh position and a dominant FP1, Danilo Petrucci was able to repeat himself in the qualifying session of Saturday conquering for the second consecutive time the first row. The rider from Terni was brilliant in the Q2 in wet condition, and provides Octo Pramac Racing with the third position in the grid of #DutchGP. Is going to be the first Italian in the grid for the start of the Motul TT Assen. #ForzaPetrux

Scott Redding did a masterpiece after the difficulties of Friday. The English rider was the fastest in FP1 and won brilliantly the Q1. Even if a crash during the Q2 made him lose a bit of rhythm, Scott was brilliant in remaining calm and concentrated, and after an epic run to the garage in order to reach his second bike, in the last possible lap he was able to improve himself and conquered a super second row.

3rd – Danilo Petrucci – 1’46.526

“Is a very positive moment. I am very happy for the first row. Is the second time in a row, however tomorrow I will need to start in a better way compare to Barcelona. We are working very well, the feeling with the bike is very positive, and the team is doing a brilliant job. I am very optimist for tomorrow’s race as we did well also in dry conditions. If I have to be honest, I am actually hoping for dry condition”.

5th – Scott Redding – 1’47.574

“It was a very good day with this wet condition also because Friday was quite complicated. Things went well already from the morning. The main goal was to improve ourselves and we did in FP3. I was able to find confidence and it helped me to improve and to have a significant step forward. Is not easy to perform at the optimal level in Q2 after Q1. However, I tried to push at the maximum and I am satisfied with the second row”.

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More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:

RAIN MAKES IANNONE AND RINS QUALIFYING TOUGH AT ASSEN

Andrea Iannone: 16th – 1’47.649 / +0.723

Alex Rins: 17th – 1’47.804 / +0.878

Poor weather conditions affected Team SUZUKI ECSTAR´s attempt at a positive qualifying session with Andrea Iannone set in 16th place after the Q1 session and Alex Rins in 17th.

The rain welcoming the riders during the FP3 session made it impossible to improve times from yesterday and prevented them from getting a new chance to attempt direct access to Q2. Mixed weather also affected the FP4, with mechanics busy changing settings from dry to wet and vice versa several times in the 30-minute session. Ultimately, qualifying gave Iannone and Rins several attempts to get their ticket to Q2, but without success.

Iannone made a very good progress in wet conditions, managing to get a very encouraging 3rd place time, only 0.007s from the provisional leader. Unfortunately the lap was cancelled by the race management for exceeding the track limit, thereby resulting in his previous best time of 1’47.649 being used to place him 16th in the session.

Rins focused most on getting familiar with the GSX-RR in wet conditions, having only ridden a MotoGP machine once in similar conditions, in Argentina. For him this has been a day of apprenticeship, although his progress is positive and his condition is improving session by session.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“The rain complicated our day, making this morning impossible to compete for entry to the Q2. We had to go through the Q1 and this was tricky, as wet sessions are always a question mark. We did our best, Andrea had a very positive last lap which set him in 3rd place of the session – only 0.007s from the qualification to Q2, but then the lap was cancelled, so he was set back to 16th final overall. Alex had a very positive day as well, considering that he’s coming back after a very long break and today conditions were very complicated. He was able to pull off a good performance and all he needs now is to regain the feel for the MotoGP machine and fight. Starting from 16th and 17th place will not be easy, but we hope for some good weather and a positive race.”

Andrea Iannone

“I’m not happy to start from so far behind, because this complicates my race. My pace is good, maybe better than many riders I have in front of me. This means it will be a tough race. Yesterday I felt very good with the bike in the morning; I had good feeling. If tomorrow is dry, as it would appear, the warm-up will be very important because we will try out the improvements. We will also decide on the tyres for the race. If these ideas we have prove to be effective, then with a good start the race could be positive.”

Alex Rins

“I’m very happy about today because it has been too long time since I raced in these conditions. The last time was in Argentina, and I gained in confidence and rhythm. We did a good job yesterday and today, so whatever the weather tomorrow, we are pretty much prepared with a base setup. However, the first target is to get more experience on the machine and have a positive race.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:

THIRD ROW FOR CRUTCHLOW AS RAIN HITS ASSEN

LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow qualified on the third row for the Dutch Grand Prix after rain dominated proceedings at Assen on Saturday. Having been fifth on the timesheets overnight, the Briton’s hopes of making further progress on Saturday were hit by the wet conditions as he failed to find the rhythm he was looking for aboard his RC213V.

Rain in the morning’s FP3 session set the tone, with the top ten from Friday moving straight through to Q2 with lap times well down. The circuit did threaten to dry out at one point, but more rain ensured qualifying took place in slippery conditions with Crutchlow relieved to come through unscathed in eighth position.

The 31-year-old admitted afterwards he had found riding in the wet a struggle and is hoping for dry conditions in Sunday’s race. MotoGP rookie Johann Zarco will start at the head of the field having secured his first-ever premier class pole.

Cal Crutchlow – 8th

(1’40.042 – lap 8 of 8)

“We just tried to survive in the qualifying session, it was a lottery really just to stay on as it was not the best conditions. The track was really greasy, but congratulations to the guys on the front row, they managed the situation well. I didn’t have a great feeling with the bike or tyres today, but hopefully tomorrow will be better”.

“We are struggling in the wet at the moment. I won a race last year in the rain and took a pole, but this year I don’t have any feeling and the bike is moving a lot in the corner. In the dry I feel really comfortable and confident, I would have preferred some more dry track time this weekend, but we’ll see what tomorrow brings.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Tour de force: Zarco stuns Assen for first MotoGP™ pole position

French rookie lights up the Dutch GP for an incredible first premier class pole position

Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) took his first ever premier class pole position at the Dutch GP, dueling it out with reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) as the final few seconds ticked down. Marquez crossed the line first and first – but the Frenchman almost immediately hit back to take his first MotoGP™ pole on his final lap. Zarco’s Assen heroics also make it the first French pole since Olivier Jacque in 2002. Another superstar in the battle was Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing), who followed up his first ever front row in the Catalan GP by repeating the feat in the Netherlands in very different conditions.

Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) looked a contender for the top spot until his final sector, and although missing out the ‘Doctor’ will head the second row and has good scope to attack. Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Racing) starts a season-best fifth after graduating from Q1 and topping FP3, and Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) completes Row 2 in another impressive session from another rider with a reputation for excellence in the rain.

Alvaro Bautista (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) crossed the line in P7 for his best QP of the season ahead of LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow, with Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) completing the third row after suffering a crash in QP.

Sam Lowes (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) made the most of his first ever Q2 appearance, taking a top ten start to head up Row 4 – and ahead of Championship leader Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP). Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) starts from P12 after a more difficult day in the rain.

Those not making it through now decide the rest of the grid, with 2016 Assen winner Jack Miller (EG 0,0 Marc VDS), Loris Baz (Reale Avintia Racing) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) locking out the fastest fifteen.

The MotoGP™ race gets underway on Sunday at the slightly earlier hour of 13:00 (GMT +2) – with Zarco primed for a podium charge from pole.