Motul TT Assen

FIM MotoGP World Championship

TT Circuit Assen, Netherlands

June 24, 2016

Free Practice Two Results (all on Michelin tires):

1. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (DUCATI), 1:33.591

2. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:33.595

3. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 1:33.724

4. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:33.892

5. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:33.991

6. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:34.011

7. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), 1:34.065

8. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:34.087

9. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:34.163

10. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), 1:34.172

11. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:34.206

12. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:34.404

13. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), 1:34.480

14. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA), 1:34.531

15. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (DUCATI), 1:34.789

16. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), 1:35.008

17. Stefan BRADL, Germany (APRILIA), 1:35.056

18. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), 1:35.125

19. Michele PIRRO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:35.220

20. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA), 1:35.284

21. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), 1:36.582

More, from a press release issued by Marc VDS Racing Team:

Miller and Rabat satisfied with progress in Assen

Team Estrella Galicia Marc VDS 0,0 riders Jack Miller and Tito Rabat made solid progress on the opening day of a historic Dutch TT weekend at Assen today.

Two full dry sessions under grey and threatening skies allowed Miller and Rabat to concentrate on fine-tuning the race set-up of their RC213V machinery in preparation for a 26-lap MotoGP encounter on Sunday in front of what is expected to be a sell-out crowd.

Hotter temperatures and improved grip levels compared to the opening practice enabled Miller to knock one second off his best time in this afternoon’s FP2, with a 1.35.008 placing him 16th on the combined leaderboard.

One of the biggest improvements at the start of the 86th Dutch TT, which will be staged on a Sunday for the first time in its history, came from Spanish rider Rabat.

Back to full fitness after his recent left collarbone injury problems, Rabat used this morning’s 45-minute session to familiarise himself with the fast and flowing 4.5km layout on a MotoGP machine.

He put the experience gained in FP1 to good use in the second session by dropping his pace by an impressive 1.3s.

Jack Miller: 16th – 1’35.008

“We had a few small problems this morning that we managed to get ironed out for the second session and I think we made decent progress today. I was a bit worried after FP1 because the weather like always in Assen looks pretty unpredictable and I wanted to get a banker lap in this morning. I put on new tyres but I had a problems with them and the brakes and that was a shame because I’m sure I could have gone quicker. I felt much more comfortable this afternoon and was actually pleased with my speed. Unfortunately I messed up my last lap because I had a big shake at high speed coming into the fast final section. Trying to stop a MotoGP bike at 300kph when it is moving around a lot is not easy and I was pretty lucky to get away with that one. Overall I’m happy and sure we can make another step tomorrow.”

Tito Rabat: 21st – 1’36.582

“It wasn’t an easy opening day here in Assen but sometimes it is like this. We have plenty of work to do but I am lacking a bit of confidence with the bike. It is a bit strange but I think I have to try and be calm and build back to the level I know I can show. Assen is a very fast track and if you are lacking a little bit of confidence to commit and push in some sections then you lose a lot of time. I’ll sit down with the team tonight and review the situation and hopefully we can be much stronger tomorrow.”

Cristian Gabarrini: Jack Miller Chief Engineer

“Today was a good start for Jack but we have to try and find a bit more confidence from the front-end for him. This track is very fast and you must have a good feeling from the front. We will also focus a lot on the hard rear tyre to be as best prepared for the race as we can. Tyre endurance will be key as always and we would also like to give Jack a more agile bike through the fast changes of direction. We only need to make small changes and I think that will be enough for Jack to post competitive times for the rest of the weekend.”

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

Espargaro begins Motul TT Assen charge

Monster Yamaha Tech3 team rider Pol Espargaro got straight on the pace in the Netherlands and closed day one with a positive performance. The young Spaniard began strongly and after completing the first shake down laps, he quickly set about adjusting his Yamaha YZR-M1 to the iconic Assen circuit. He impressively finished the FP1 in 3rd, with a lap time that was a mere 0.074 from the position in front, which left him highly confident for the afternoon. Here, the 2013 Moto2 World Champion carried on his efforts and with rain expected tomorrow morning, he pushed and determinedly posted a best time on his penultimate lap that left him only half a second from the top. Espargaro now optimistically looks on to the all-important qualifying shootout at the Cathedral of Speed.

On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 pit box, Bradley Smith concluded a solid opening day at the historic Dutch circuit for the 8th round of the 2016 MotoGP World Championship. The 25-year-old instantly jumped into action when the morning session kicked off and he started the initial work as he looks to seal a strong placement in Sunday’s Grand Prix. He finished in 9th with a time that was only 0.269 behind his teammate. Then, when Free Practice 2 commenced, the Briton continued his tireless work as he made adjustments to the setup of his Yamaha YZR-M1 and also made progress with the Michelin tyres as he gathered information for his race choice. He eventually completed 21 laps, setting his best time on the penultimate one and now he confidently awaits the second day of action at the Motul TT Assen.

Pol Espargaro

Position: 9th Time: 1’34.163 Laps: 36

“I am very pleased overall with the first day at Assen, because the times were competitive throughout both sessions and I finished only half a second from the front, plus, just 0.1 from Jorge. I enjoy riding at this track and my feeling this morning, when we started, was positive straight away. Then, at the beginning of FP2, we had to try some tyre options in order to have a clear idea about which way to go this weekend. Initially I didn’t feel too comfortable on the hard compound of rear tyre, so we tried another one but it was the same, which means the hard compound won’t be our choice. At the end of the FP2, it felt like a qualifying session as the forecast for tomorrow is not ideal so it was important to finish inside the top ten. There were a lot of fast guys outside the cut off point for QP2 so to end up where I did means that I can have a better rest tonight as I am through to Qualifying 2 even if the rain falls tomorrow. There, I plan to be strong and continue the good form in the Netherlands.”

Bradley Smith

Position: 14th Time: 1’34.531 Laps: 40

“The opening day at the Motul TT Assen has been quite encouraging and I am satisfied with what we accomplished as I was inside the top ten throughout the day, which is positive for us. Yet, unfortunately we didn’t undertake the best strategy for FP2 in terms of the scoring a fast lap time. Instead, we focused more on setting the bike up for the race and trying to improve my feeling, which seems to be good here, so we wanted to take advantage of this. Having said that, I’m a little disappointed to end up in 14th because we had the potential to finish inside the top ten today, which would have been useful in case of bad weather tomorrow. Anyway I have to acknowledge the positives, and overall, this is probably one of the better starts that we’ve had so far this season on a Friday. The guys and I worked really well as a team and all day we focused on trying to improve the rear setting of the bike and now we have a good plan for the rest of the weekend. We were able to try the soft and medium compounds of front tyre as well as the soft and hard rear options so now we have a clear indication of the direction which way we will follow this weekend.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Positive start for Ducati Team riders at Assen

Both Ducati Team riders got off to a positive start at the Assen TT weekend. Andrea Iannone set the quickest time of the day in 1’33.591 after the first two free practice sessions at the Dutch circuit, while his team-mate Andrea Dovizioso was classified in sixth place with a time of 1’34.011.

All the MotoGP riders improved their times during the afternoon’s FP2 session, but the two factory Ducati men had also already proved to be competitive during the first morning session, when Iannone was first and Dovizioso second.

Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 1’33.591 (1st)

“Today’s result is very positive, even though I’m not totally satisfied. It’s true that we are very quick, but I am unable to ride the way I want because when I arrive at the changes of direction, the bike struggles to follow the cornering line and this is penalizing me a lot. I have to work with the guys in the team to try and improve my bike both to become more nimble in this part of the circuit and to improve cornering. If we manage to sort out these issues, we can be very competitive and do a good race, even though I have to start from the last row”.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team # 04) – 1’34.011 (6th)

“I am pleased with the improvement we managed to make in the afternoon, because this morning we had a lot of chattering and by working with the team we succeeded in limiting it a lot. Now I’m much closer to the top guys for pace, but we still have to improve because I am unable to be as smooth as I would like in race mode. All things considered I am satisfied with today, even though at the end I didn’t do a good lap with the soft tyre. For sure we can be even quicker, but we will have to make another step forward tomorrow morning.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:

FIRST PRACTICE SESSION FOR MOTOGP AT ASSEN

BRADL IMPROVING ON HIS APRILIA RS-GP

The rainfall during the night created less than perfect track conditions for the first MotoGP practice session at Assen. The weather is one of the biggest unknowns on the Dutch track, given the extremely variable conditions during the weekend. Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl opted for a cautious approach, developing the feeling with their Aprilia RS-GP machines lap after lap.

During FP2, the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders focused on the usual chassis and electronic setup development process, in addition to analysing the various tyre options available for the Dutch race.

Unfortunately, Alvaro Bautista took a spill on turn 3 that affected the session since he had to use the second bike to go back out and had another fall at low speed just a few minutes from the end. There were no physical consequences for the Spanish rider who will now have to make up for lost time after his compromised Friday.

Stefan Bradl improved steadily, both lowering his time in FP2 (1’35.056 compared with 1’36.284) and the gap behind the leaders, decreased to less than 1.5 seconds. Stefan and his mechanics will now analyse the information collected during the two sessions with the goal of continuing the positive trend and preparing for the race on Sunday as best as possible.

ALVARO BAUTISTA

“It was definitely not my lucky day. The crash at the beginning of FP2 slowed us down a lot. Fortunately I wasn’t hurt. The second bike had a few chassis changes intended to increase handling, but they make the bike a bit more twitchy, so we weren’t able to improve on the first time out. At least tomorrow morning we’ll begin with a clear idea on which way to go. Every minute on the track is fundamental for us, so we’ll have an extra dose of work to do”.

STEFAN BRADL

“In FP1 we tried a different electronics configuration to manage the throttle that didn’t give me a good feeling, but in the second session, going back to the standard base, we managed to get some good laps in, especially toward the end. For this reason, I cannot be 100% satisfied with our growth, because we still have some room to work. I am not worried, because in terms of the chassis, the RS-GP is working well. We are still lacking a bit of agility in the quick direction changes so typical of Assen, but I’m confident that we’ll be faster tomorrow morning”.

More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:

A good Friday for Octo Pramac Yakhnich at Assen: Petrux 7th and Scott 10th

A Friday full of satisfaction for Octo Pramac Yakhnich at the historic Circuit of Assen.

The Dutch Grand Prix starts well with the double Top Ten conquered in FP2 by Petrux (7th) and Scott (10 °) which has a precious value primarily because of the variable climatic conditions that usually characterize the weekend at the “Cathedral of Speed” of MotoGP

Danilo ends up the first day of practice with an excellent seventh place just 54 thousandths behind the hypothetical second row of Andrea Dovizioso. Following a fantastic FP1 finished with the fourth fastest time (1’34.660) perfecly shared with teammate Scott Redding, Petrux managed to repeat in the afternoon confirming to be at ease in the second part of the circuit (3rd overall time in T4). The crono of 1’34.065 worths provisional seventh position.

After the morning exploits, Scott also managed to improve in the afternoon lowering his time by half a second to end with a precious 10th place with a time of 1’34.172, less then 2 thents of a second from Jorge Lorenzo’s fifth time. Target of Redding is to improve tomorrow especially in T1 where he met some problem even in FP1.

10° – Scott Redding

1’34.172

We went very well in Fp1 and we are also pleased with the result of the FP2. Also because we worked a lot on the set up. I think I could take another two tenths but we’ll try tomorrow. I’m confident for the race because the times are good even with the hard tire. But the Sunday’s story is always different so we have to go step by step.

7° – Danilo Petrucci

1’34.065

I’m happy for this result. In Holland is always very important to stay in the Top 10 because it is difficult to predict the weather conditions in the next day. I’m also happy for the time though in the time attack I committed some little mistakes. After the Barcelona test we have chosen a new way of working to preserve the tire and I think we made the right choice because today we have been very consistent with the times.

More, from a press release issued by Aspar Team:

Aspar Team make promising start at Assen

Eugene Laverty fifteenth on first day of the Dutch TT as Yonny Hernández focuses work on tyres

The long tradition of Dutch TT racing on Saturdays, which goes back as far as 1925, will end this weekend and as such it was a Friday that hosted the first free practice sessions today, with four factories finishing in the top four positions. Andrea Iannone clocked the fastest lap of Assen on his Ducati, with Valentino Rossi just 0.004 seconds adrift on his Yamaha. Honda’s Marc Márquez, Suzuki’s Maverick Viñales and Jorge Lorenzo, on the second factory Yamaha, complete a top five that lapped within four tenths of a second today. With rain forecast tomorrow, the big surprise of qualifying could prove to be Dani Pedrosa, who was eleventh fastest today and may have to contest Q1 if conditions are inclement for FP3 in the morning.

The top Aspar Team rider today was Eugene Laverty, a lap of 1’34.789 in the second session representing an improvement of over a second on the first session. The Irishman crashed shortly before the end of the day in turn five although he escaped unhurt, lamenting a loss of front-end feel as he looked to improve the turning potential of his Ducati. Yonny Hernández was eighteenth fastest but is confident of making improvements tomorrow after a mistake in the chicane on his final lap today cost him more than four tenths of a second. The Colombian has focused much of his work on race tyres as he aims for some important points here at Assen on Sunday.

15th Eugene Laverty 1.34.789 (35 laps): “We knew here that the biggest area for us to work on with the bike is turning and we made a good step today, although it meant that I lost some feeling with the front in corner entry and I confirmed that by crashing! Finding the right set-up is always about making compromises but ideally tomorrow I need to find some more front feel but keep a fast lap time.”

18th Yonny Hernández 1.35.125 (32 laps): “The feeling at the end of the day is good after two sessions working on the race tyre. At the end of the second session I made a little mistake in the chicane but my ideal lap time is a 1’34.7 so that is where we know we can be and we know that tomorrow we can improve. I will be aiming for a good position on the grid for a race where the objective is the points. Tomorrow we will decide which tyre to use – we have longer life with the hard option but we will look for the best option to finish the race.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

SOLID START FOR MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP AT TT ASSEN

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo showed their intentions for this weekend‘s TT Assen round today. The teammates enjoyed two productive free practice sessions, securing second and fifth place respectively in the combined timesheets.

Assen (The Netherlands), 24th June 2016

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo started the eighth round of the MotoGP World Championship today at an overcast TT Circuit Assen. The teammates set a solid pace early on in the weekend, during what are expected to be the only dry sessions of the TT Assen, securing second and fifth position respectively in the combined times.

Eager to claim a position in the top ten, Valentino Rossi needed little time to get a feel for the iconic ’Cathedral of Speed‘. Determined to battle for victory again this weekend, he hit the ground running and climbing to third in the provisional results list on his first stint. He kept this position while working on the balance of his bike whilst comparing the two frames brought by Yamaha until the pace quickened at the end of FP1. His best time, a 1‘34.758s, earned him seventh place.

The Doctor made great progress in the afternoon. With some rays of sun peering through the clouds, he rode his YZR-M1 to a provisional third position and continued to improve his times throughout the session. He didn‘t stop pushing until he set a 1‘33.595s lap for second place, only 0.004s from first.

Teammate Jorge Lorenzo was also quick on the pace in the morning practice session, climbing up to second after the first ten minutes. Having established a good rhythm around the TT Circuit Assen, he shifted his attention towards fine-tuning the basis set up of his YZR-M1 with both frames. He finished FP1 in sixth position with a best lap of 1‘34.722s.

The Mallorcan carried forward his solid form in the afternoon. He was keen to head back out on track and gradually built up his pace. He continued to work hard on his setting and dropped under the 1’34 mark at the end of the session. His fastest time of 1’33.991s puts him in fifth place in today’s combined times, 0.400s from the front.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

The predicted rain could mean that today‘s FP1 and FP2 were the only dry sessions of the week, making it crucial for our riders to finish in the top ten today, to make it safely through to Q2 tomorrow. We are pleased to have done just that. We‘ve been busy working on finding a good set up whilst comparing the two frames we brought here on both sides of the garage. Vale will change to the old frame whereas Jorge will probably continue to use the new one. Valentino had two productive practice sessions today and this showed in his fast time at the end of FP2. He feels comfortable on his bike and seems to have resolved some of the issues he had in the morning. Jorge also delivered solid and consistent times and made great progress, dropping under the 1‘34s mark, but is not completely satisfied yet. With the use of today‘s data we identified the areas we will work on tonight to prepare something for tomorrow’s Free Practice 3, however the conditions at the track could be very different by then.

VALENTINO ROSSI

It was a good day and I‘m quite satisfied. This morning I had a small problem but in the afternoon we improved the setting of the bike and we improved my speed. In the end Iannone just beat me by 0.004s, but I‘m in second place so I‘m quite happy. For sure we need to continue to work. With the harder tyre for the race it will be a bit more difficult with a higher pace, and four or five riders are very fast. We need to improve but, for a Friday, it was a good performance. We compared the chassis we have tried during the Barcelona test another time. The difference is not so big but in the end I prefer my standard frame. I have more feeling in the front so we will continue with the normal one.

JORGE LORENZO

Today we again tried the new chassis on a different track. In Montmeló I felt quite a big difference, here I didn‘t feel it so much so I need one more day to understand if it‘s also better here. It‘s been a difficult day, but at least we practiced in dry conditions. We are still missing something, especially in T4 and I also don‘t completely like how the bike is working, so we are going to try to change the setting for tomorrow. We are not far behind, but I would like to have some more speed.

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Dutch TT gets underway in Assen for Repsol Honda Team

There were mixed feelings for the Repsol Honda men on a cloudy-but-dry opening day of the Dutch TT in Assen, with Marc Marquez finishing in a close third position, while Dani Pedrosa ended up 11th.

In the morning, each of the teammates spent the whole session on just one set of tyres, aiming to find the best setting choices for his bike. Marc managed to sort out a few solutions that helped in the afternoon, when he was able to constantly lap at the front; he set a very good pace from the beginning and ultimately closed the day just over one tenth from the top.

Dani struggled to find his pace at the beginning of FP2, and although he managed to complete a more positive last run in the end and to reduce his gap to the front to just 0.615s, he wasn’t able to improve as much as he had hoped.

Marc Marquez

3RD

“In the first free-practice session, we found things a little demanding and I wasn’t able to ride as comfortably as usual, but we remained very focused and worked hard to look for a solution for the afternoon. So, the important thing from today is that the changes we made worked well in the second session, and I was able to set a good pace. We were amongst the top riders throughout the session, but we were also testing a lot of things that I think will help us tomorrow. Here, the track conditions change every time you go out, so we’ll work to try to continue improving, as the times are always very close.”

Dani Pedrosa

11TH

“It’s been a very challenging first day because we had some difficulties with stability during both practice sessions. So far, we’ve failed to improve with the changes of tyres and setup that we tried. With such changeable weather, we didn’t want to take the risk of trying too many things, and it was a shame to have these difficulties on a day like today, with everybody’s lap times so tight. Nevertheless, we’ll stay positive; tomorrow we’ll try to take a step forward and get into the top 10 in the last free-practice session in order to gain confidence ahead of qualifying.”

More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing:

Difficult first day for Avintia Racing and Hector Barbera at Assen

Although the first free practice sessions for the Dutch TT were run under grey and threatening skies, Avintia Racing riders Hector Barbera and Michele Pirro enjoyed dry and warm conditions in the opening day at the historical Assen circuit. Barbera finished in the top 10 in the morning but feeling he could be slightly faster. He tried some set up changes to improve the agility of his Desmosedici GP14.2 thru the fast changes of direction, but he crashed heavily at turn 3. He was unhurt, but he was forced to pass a fast medical check before jumping back on his bike. He managed to get back on track with ten minutes remaining and grab the ninth place, but he moved back in the last minute to finish the session in 12th place.

Michele Pirro started the weekend with good pace in the morning, but then in the afternoon he had no confidence in the front to push harder and he was not able to improve. If tomorrow stays dry both riders expect to improve. And if it rains, they also want to be closer to the top.

Hector Barbera | 1’34.404 | P12

“Today was a difficult first day. This morning we started the session with intermediate tyres, but the track was dry, so we had to stop and change the bike settings. This was not good, but even so I finished tenth. In the afternoon I got the pace quickly and I tried the bike with more weight on the front. And I pushed hard to test the change, but maybe too hard as I crashed out. But this bike set up has some positives and I want to make further tests tomorrow. This track features some fast changes of direction and this is the weakest point of this bike and I loose too much. The lap times are close and I just lost some tenths, so overall I was not able to get inside Top 10. It’s a shame that the forecast for tomorrow says it will rain. But here at Assen this can change, so we will see.”

Michele Pirro | 1’35.220 | P19

“It was a strange day because I felt good in the morning and my position was not so bad, but in the afternoon I had some problems with the front and it was really hard for me to match this morning lap times. I had no confidence in the front and I did some mistakes and I was close to crash. But I’m confident to improve tomorrow as we still have time to improve and get closer to the top 10. I think is an affordable goal as the bike works better than in Barcelona and I can do it better tomorrow. The forecast brings rain for tomorrow, but we must be competitive in any condition. I didn’t try the wet Michelin tyres on this bike, so we’ll see what happens.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:

CRUTCHLOW’S 13TH IS NOT THE WHOLE PICTURE AT ASSEN

In a change to the traditional schedule at the TT Assen, Friday saw free practice for the MotoGP class, with qualifying set to take place on Saturday and racing on Sunday for the first time since the race started in 1925.

Cal Crutchlow lies in 13th position overnight, but that belied his pace during the afternoon practice session, which saw him amongst the top five for much of the 45 minutes. A late low-side spill in the famous Strubben corner meant that he was unable to better his lap-time in the final stages as others were able to, although he was still less than 0.9 of a second behind top spot.

Cal and the LCR Honda Team face an anxious night hoping for a dry morning practice to give him a decent chance of making it straight through to the qualifying final.

#35 Cal Crutchlow – 13th – 1’34.480 (+0.889)

“I felt really good with the bike today, however there was a lot of chatter in some corners and different vibrations in other areas. Unfortunately, I crashed on my last run. I made a stupid mistake at turn five at a really slow speed. I reckon I went faster through the corner on my pushbike yesterday. However, it put me outside of the top ten and as it is set to rain overnight I might get consigned to going through the Q1 session.”

“I made my fastest lap with the hard tyre, then in the my last run I equalled that time with a bent motorcycle. I had managed to get back up and get in another two laps with the crashed bike because I knew others would have the soft tyre in and start going faster. That’s what they did and it means I’m disappointed to be out of the top ten. I was on a fast run at the end as well, but came up behind a couple of riders who were cruising. That meant I lost the lap.”

“It’s not an excuse though, I should easily be in Q2, and there’s a chance to do it in the morning, but if it rains all night that will be hard.”

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Iannone remains on top in Assen, ready to charge

Clouds loomed overhead but no signs of rain during MotoGP™ FP2, Iannone showing no signs of slowing down again.

Rain held off for Free Practice 2 at the Motul TT Assen for the premier class, the track’s condition continuing to improve after an afternoon of sun. Top times had been in the mid 1’34s during Free Practice 1, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) the first rider to drop into the 1’33s early in the second session. Several riders arrived in Assen with new parts, both the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders running a new frame on one of their bikes while Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) used a larger set of wings on his Honda, Marquez also using them later in the session.

With rain predicted for Saturday morning, many riders pushed for a fast final lap and added even more excitement to the session. Just as he did in FP1, Iannone flew around the 4.5km TT Circuit Assen to set a fastest time of 1’33.591, 0.8s quicker than he was in the morning session. Due to his penalty in Barcelona the Italian will have to start from last, but if he can keep his pace up a top finish isn’t out of the question.

Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) made it an all-Italian top two ending 0.004s back on his compatriot. Assen is one of Rossi’s best tracks on the calendar with ‘The Doctor’ having taken seven premier class wins there, two coming since returning to Yamaha in 2013. During the press conference before the weekend Rossi highlighted the importance of finding a good direction with the Michelin tyres from the start of the weekend, a goal he has seemingly accomplished.

A 1’33.724 saw Marquez complete the top three, three different manufacturers in the top three. He too made significant improvements over his pace in Free Practice 1, where he ended down in 11th place. Despite debuting several new parts during the Barcelona test, Marquez’s RC213V is almost identical to the one he raced in Barcelona, aside from the new winglets.

Working the Suzuki GSX-RR around Assen proved to be a physically demanding task for Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar), his front wheel rarely on the ground. Even so the impressive youngster set a 1’33.892 to end fourth. Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) completed the top five and was the last rider to drop into the 1’33s.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Yakhnich), Aleix Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) all gained themselves provisional access to Q2 by ending in the top ten.

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) once again missed out as he finished 11th.

Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) had a fall with 37 minutes left on the clock, coming off at Turn 3. His bike took a tumble through the gravel but the Spaniard was unharmed. He has a second crash at Turn 5 late in the session.

Turn 3 also saw Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) lose the front, the Spaniard slow to his feet but able to walk away.

Sunshine graces Moto2™ as Luthi leads

The middleweight class got the best of the Dutch weather, Tom Luthi proving the man to beat on Friday.

Riders in the Moto2™ World Championship were fortunate enough to have both their sessions held under relatively clear skies on Friday at the Motul TT Assen. This gave the riders a full day to work on the setup of their machines, the Moto2™ riders seeing some of the smallest improvements in times between the two sessions.

Tom Luthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) ended as the fastest rider of the day, the lone rider able to drop into the 1’37s. He arrives in Assen after testing the KTM MotoGP™ machine in Mugello, the change of bikes not hurting him at all. Currently fourth in the championship. Luthi is 23 points off the lead and needs to start finishing on the podium rather than just finishing races to keep a challenge alive. As one of the more experienced riders in the class, he certainly has the knowledge needed to win in Assen be it wet or dry.

After topping Free Practice 1, Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) was again strong as he improved to a 1’38.229 to end in second. Nakagami’s session came to an early end at Turn 1 when he fell with three minutes of the session left, the front of his bike chattering about before the fall. He was unharmed and his team will have plenty of time to repair the bike before Free Practice 3.

Championship contender Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) completed a 1’38.320 lap to end 0.358s off Luthi. He was the only rider in the top three of the championship to end in the top five, both his rivals encountering slight hiccups in the session.

Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) was a faller during the session, coming off at Turn 15. He was separated from his bike, as was his fuel tank. Before his crash he managed to set the fourth fastest time of the session and the day overall. His teammate, Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) was right behind him in fifth.

Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) missed out on the top five by the narrowest of margins, only 0.001s. Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP), Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40), Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Team) and Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Intact GP) all managed to end inside Rookie Canet steals top spot in final moments of FP2.

Rookie Canet steals top spot in final moments of FP2

No worries about rain in Free Practice 2 as Aron Canet tops the time sheets.

After a rain hit first practice, riders in the Moto3™ World Championship were ready for a productive 40 minutes during Free Practice 2. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Moto3) set a 1’45.331 to lead the first session, but the time was bested almost immediately with improved conditions blessing the Dutch track, the circuit a comfortable 30°C.

Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0) may be out of the Motul TT Assen due to a broke leg but the Estrella Galicia 0,0 colours were still flying high as Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) topped Free Practice 2. The rookie set a 1’43.031 on his final lap to steal top spot in the session, 0.113s faster than second place. This is Canet’s first trip to the legendary Dutch track, but he’s proving a quick learner.

Since winning in Qatar Niccolo Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold) has been unable to return to the podium, crashes ruining a number of promising races. But the Italian has continued his season undeterred, working diligently to return to the front. A 1’43.144 saw him lead the session until the final seconds when Canet pushed him down to second.

Nicolo Bulega (SKY Racing Team VR46) made it two rookies in the top three with a 1’43.202. The Italian recently announced he will remain with SKY Racing Team VR46 for a further two years and is showing exactly why he earned the contract. Only 0.171s split the top three, the Moto3™ class as tight as ever.

Livio Loi (RW Racing GP) did exceedingly well at his team’s home race to end fourth. All of the top five were within 0.2s of each other as Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA Racing Team) completed a 1’43.229 lap to round out the top five.

Romano Fenati (SKY Racing Team VR46), Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Moto3), Joan Mir (Leopard Racing), Jules Danilo (Ongetta-Rivacold) and Francesco Bagnaia (Aspar Mahindra Team Moto3) were all within the top ten. Meanwhile championship leader Brad Binder had a somewhat tricky session, ending 14th.

Britain’s Danny Webb (Platinum Bay Real Estate) completed his second session aboard the Mahindra MGP30 in 31st, the lightweight class veteran replacing Karel Hanika for the rest of 2016.

Andrea Locatelli (Leopard Racing) crashed very early in the session at Turn 17 after coming into contact with Alexis Masbou (Peugeot MC Saxoprint). Masbou was awarded a three-place grid penalty for dangerous riding during the session.

Jorge Martin (Aspar Mahindra Team Moto3) chose to withdraw from the weekend due to pain from his still healing right wrist. He will be replaced at the Dutch GP by Albert Arenas.

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:

SUZUKI ECSTAR STRONG IN ASSEN OPENING DAY

Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s Maverick Viñales and Aleix Espargaró both put in strong qualifying performances this afternoon at the Motul TT Assen ahead of Sunday’s eighth round of the MotoGP™ World Championship race in the Netherlands.

Both GSX-RR riders shaved significant time from their morning FP1 session with Viñales going fourth on the timesheets with a 1’33.892-lap and Espargaró eighth with a time of 1’34.087.

Team SUZUKI ECSTAR deployed two different versions of the GSX-RR chassis today: Viñales had two machines available with the evolution chassis, the one already tested two weeks ago in Barcelona, while Espargaró had two bikes with the standard chassis. This choice was made after the test at the Catalan GP, where the team and riders went in hunt of better grip at the rear.

Today’s work also focused on some set-up adjustments for the track and mainly on electronics, which is already to be refined as today’s performance didn’t leave the riders convinced they could both take the best out of their machines.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager:

“This track is one of those where we could do good, both riders already managed to stay in the top-10 and it’s a good start. Tomorrow, we will still have much work to do to finalise some set-up options, verify which tyre is the best one; and also in the electronics. We exploited today’s dry day, we hope tomorrow will be the same, but the weather in Holland is pretty unpredictable. It is important to already be in the virtual Q2. Our machine has performed well also last year at this circuit, we have improved it further, so we hope for a positive weekend.”

Maverick Viñales:

“We have much work to do here, I like this track and the bike has improved a lot since last year, but we still need to work on the electronics. After the test in Barcelona, I decided to adopt the evolution chassis, which is not that different from the standard one, but it has that little bit more that I think could help me to turn better. Today we did many improvements, but we still need to improve the electronics. The base is optimal, as well as the set-up, but I still have some trouble when it comes to exiting corners and find the best acceleration. Of course being in fourth with this kind of issue is not a bad thing; therefore, we will work more tonight to find new solutions and hopefully tomorrow we will be more effective.”

Aleix Espargaró:

“I’m not happy about the position but for sure I am satisfied with the work we have done. It’s true that I’m eighth but we must consider that the gap is not so big as I’m only three tenths-of-a-second from the third place. I made a big improvement from FP1 to FP2 and this says we are working in the right direction. We are working a lot in preparation for the race, because here it will be a pack-race and therefore it is important to find consistency and stability. With the choice of the standard chassis the set-up options are more-or-less already defined, but we have much room for improvement with the electronics. We are working hard, we have some ideas in mind; and we will try to be faster tomorrow.”