Editorial Note: The current Circuit Record (Race) Lap Record is a 1:33.617 set by Marc Marquez in 2015. The current Circuit Best (Overall) Lap Record is a 1:32.627 set by Valentino Rossi in 2015.

Motul TT Assen

FIM MotoGP World Championship

TT Circuit Assen, Netherlands

June 23, 2017

Free Practice Two Results (all on Michelin tires):

1. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (YAMAHA), 1:33.130

2. Jonas FOLGER, Germany (YAMAHA), 1:33.497

3. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 1:33.782

4. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), 1:33.790

5. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), 1:33.828

6. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), 1:33.830

7. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), 1:33.890

8. Johann ZARCO, France (YAMAHA), 1:33.986

9. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:34.103

10. Dani PEDROSA, Spain (HONDA), 1:34.148

11. Karel ABRAHAM, Czech Republic (DUCATI), 1:34.299

12. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), 1:34.337

13. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (APRILIA), 1:34.491

14. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (DUCATI), 1:34.523

15. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), 1:34.596

16. Loris BAZ, France (DUCATI), 1:34.605

17. Andrea IANNONE, Italy (SUZUKI), 1:34.617

18. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), 1:34.759

19. Alex RINS, Spain (SUZUKI), 1:34.923

20. Sam LOWES, UK (APRILIA), 1:35.039

21. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), 1:35.185

22. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (KTM), 1:35.373

23. Bradley SMITH, UK (KTM), 1:36.334

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

Miller close to top 10 in Assen practice

Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Jack Miller came within a whisker of claiming a hard-earned top 10 placing on the opening day of practice for the historic Dutch TT in Assen.

The Australian, who took a famous maiden premier class victory at the 4.5km track one year ago, started strongly in cool and breezy conditions this morning, with a 1’35.193 securing him 11th in a dramatically close session that saw the top 16 riders split by less than 0.9s.

With rain predicted to play a part in proceedings tomorrow, Miller was eager to set a top 10 time in FP2 to guarantee him an automatic place in Q2 should the weather prevent an improvement in lap times in the crucial third 45-minute practice session.

It was almost mission accomplished for Miller, who improved his own pace by nearly a second this afternoon in a session that saw light rainfall briefly disrupt the action.

Miller’s best lap of 1’34.337 was less than 0.2s away from the all-important top 10, but he was still able to outpace the likes of Jorge Lorenzo, Aleix Espargaro and Andrea Iannone, who are all on board full factory machinery.

Tito Rabat made solid progress with the set-up of his Honda RC213V machine this afternoon and he lapped 1.3s faster in FP2, despite lacking front-end feeling.

The significant improvement was unfortunately not reflected in his final position on the timesheets, but Rabat is confident he can take another big step forward tomorrow around one of the fastest and most technical tracks on the MotoGP World Championship schedule.

Jack Miller: 12th – 1’34.337

“At the end of the session today I was really trying to break into the top 10 to try and make the Q2 cut off. I might have made it but I got held up a bit on my last flying lap. The weather forecast predicts rain tomorrow and if that’s the case we’ve just missed out on the top 10, so we must see what the conditions are when we wake up. I need it to be dry but today was positive and the bike is working well. I’m happy with the consistency of my rhythm and I’ve got decent speed on a couple of the tyre options, so I’m confident of making the top 10 if we get a break with the weather for FP3 and it stays dry.”

Tito Rabat: 21st – 1’35.185

“It was a very difficult day today. It was quite cool this morning and there were a few spots of rain this afternoon and I really didn’t have a good feeling on the bike. I couldn’t push with confidence on the front like I have been able to do in the last races and that has been my main issue. We will work hard to try and find a solution for tomorrow because it is clear we have a big margin to improve.”

Diego Gubellini: Tito Rabat Chief Engineer

“Tito has been struggling all day to find a good feeling from the front, and that is crucial here in Assen when you have so many fast changes of direction. He’s missing some confidence with the bike and we will need to modify the front-end settings for tomorrow to make him more comfortable and faster going into the corner. We still also need to decide the best option for the front tyre. The soft is very good mid-corner but not stable on braking, and it is the opposite with the medium, so we have to find a good compromise.”

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

Folger rockets to second on day 1 at Assen – Confident Zarco finishes 8th

The Monster Yamaha Tech3 team duo kick-started their Motul TT Assen campaigns with two strong displays on the opening day of action at the legendary Dutch circuit. The impressive Jonas Folger powered to 2nd overall as he produced a true display of determination by finishing as the top independent rider after bouncing back from a heavy fall in the morning practice. Whilst Johann Zarco undertook a superb start to conclude FP1 in 2nd, before completing the afternoon practice in 8th and ending up only half a second behind his teammate. Both riders aim to continue the positive starts tomorrow in FP3, despite the threat of wet weather.

Jonas FOLGER

Position: 2nd – Time: 1’33.497 – Laps: 35

“Today we can be really pleased with the job that we did especially after the tricky start. This morning, I fell after completing only a few corners because I hit the patch of oil from Dovizioso’s bike, which caused me to have a high side. This accident made me a bit nervous about losing my rhythm and my confidence. However, this was not the case when I went back out on the track and even if it took me a while to learn this circuit on the MotoGP bike, I understood the changes well and we made a good step forward. My riding and the direction that we took on the M1 enabled us to achieve a solid lap time, plus we were consistent. So overall, the team and I have finished the day in second, and we must be very happy about what we have accomplished.”

Johann ZARCO

Position: 8th – Time: 1’33.986 – Laps: 41

“It was quite a positive first day and I am ready for tomorrow, even if it rains. I began FP2 with used tyres, which was our plan but then, everyone was improving their times and that made me a bit stressed because it started to rain half way through the session. Fortunately, this wet weather didn’t last for long so when I put on a new soft tyre, at 15 minutes before the end, I made a good improvement. When the tyres had completed eight or nine laps, I was able to run some solid times, which were better than the others and I was also consistent. This was the positive point, and now we just need to find a bit more confidence on the bike. We are expecting rain tomorrow, but we will have to see how the grip is on the track when this happens. I have completed some wet laps on the Yamaha before so I know that I just need to adapt and be confident. In addition, I think that the rain tyres have a very good level of performance in the damp. The 8th place finish today is good in case there is bad weather tomorrow and it means that I will already be in Q2. However, if it is dry, some riders will push a lot to get into the top ten, but whatever happens, I will do my best but be careful.”

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

Pull&Bear Aspar riders back in top ten contention at Assen

Álvaro Bautista finishes ninth fastest on opening day of Dutch TT, with Karel Abraham in eleventh

With a best lap of 1’33.130, Maverick Viñales ended the opening day of the Dutch TT as the fastest rider around the Assen circuit, taking three tenths of a second out of the rest of the field. One of the standout rookies from this season so far, Jonas Folger was second fastest with another three tenths over Marc Márquez in third. Andrea Dovizioso, winner of the last two rounds in Mugello and Barcelona, was the top Ducati rider on the combined free practice timesheets after finishing fourth.

Both Pull&Bear Aspar riders were in top ten contention today, with Álvaro Bautista ending the first day of practice in ninth place, a position that would give him direct access to Q2 should tomorrow’s FP3 be hit by rain, and his team-mate Karel Abraham in eleventh. The Spaniard is happy with his work today but recognises that he still has work to do after struggling for feel on the track in today’s two sessions. Abraham ended the day with mixed feelings; happy with the lap time (1’34.299) but disappointed to miss out on potential direct qualification for Q2 by just two tenths.

9th Álvaro Bautista 1:34.103 (28 laps): “Here at the Dutch TT you never know what the weather is going to do from one day to the next so you have to make the most of the first session to try and set a time to get yourself into Q2 just in case. We managed to get inside the top ten today so if it rains tomorrow then we are through. If not, we will keep working. We will try to find something else that moves us forward a step tomorrow because I am not fully comfortable on the bike and still need to find a little more feel for the contact between the tyre and the track. If we do go through to Q2 then we will use tomorrow to work on our race pace rather than worrying about grid position.”

11th Karel Abraham 1:34.299 (33 laps): “That’s a great result, I am really happy but at the same time a little annoyed because we were so close to being directly in Q2, especially as it looks like it will rain tomorrow so the conditions will be completely different. Anyway, that’s the way it is now so we have to work really hard tomorrow. Maybe FP3 will be dry in which case we will try again to make Q2 directly. We are eleventh, the bike worked really well. We had a couple of issues but we sorted most of them out and we are looking forward to tomorrow. I had a couple of moments on the track but finally we were able to make a really good lap time, it was just a shame it wasn’t quite enough to make the top ten. Anyway, eleventh position is really good for us and if we can repeat this tomorrow and especially on Sunday we will be very happy.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Andrea Dovizioso fourth, Jorge Lorenzo fourteenth at the end of first day of free practice for Dutch TT at Assen

Andrea Dovizioso wrapped up the first day of free practice action for this weekend’s Dutch TT round of the 2016 MotoGP World Championship, in fourth place. The Ducati Team’s Italian rider, who had also been fourth in the morning’s FP1 session, clocked a time of 1’33.790 on his third and final run in FP2 in the afternoon.

Jorge Lorenzo, who finished the morning run in ninth place, improved by six-tenths of a second in the afternoon to set a lap time of 1’34.523, but the Spanish rider was only classified fourteenth at the end of the first day.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1’33.790 (4th)

“I’m pleased because we started well and I’m satisfied with the time I set, but we will have to work more to improve our set-up because we must be a bit more competitive in some sectors, especially T3 and T4. Today Viñales and Marquez were particularly quick and, if the track conditions are dry tomorrow, we will try and get closer to them.”

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 1’34.523 (14th)

“Today was a very complicated day for me. For the moment I don’t feel fully comfortable with the bike and the modifications we made in the afternoon to improve stability didn’t work the way we had hoped. In addition there are a couple of corners in the final sector that I’m not able to do the way I want and there we lose a lot of time. Now we have to find some solutions to improve our competitive level and hopefully it won’t rain tomorrow, otherwise we’ll only have the Sunday morning warm-up to try and improve in dry conditions.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP MAKE FIRST STRIDES IN ASSEN

The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team put in their first laps at an overcast TT Circuit Assen as they prepare for Sunday‘s race, finishing first and sixth respectively in the combined timesheets.

Assen (The Netherlands), 23rd June 2017

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team‘s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi have started their quest at the ’Cathedral‘ with a full-on schedule for the Friday. Their first day at the TT Assen Circuit was filled with preparing their bikes’ set-up and tyre allocation as well as trying the updated frame, and their hard work paid off. They booked solid progress, setting the first and sixth fastest time of the day respectively.

Viñales had to show some patience in the FP1, as it was red flagged just three minutes into the session due to track conditions. Once the lights in pit lane turned green again at 10:29 local circuit time, the Spaniard headed out to get his Assen challenge well and truly underway. He started his morning outing by comparing the updated frame to the original version before getting serious with his bike‘s setting. He soon found a good rhythm as he completed three five-lap stints on the Dutch circuit and set a best time of 1‘35.263s, which was fast enough to secure 12th place, 0.583s from first.

The youngster continued with a strong impression in the afternoon, setting the provisional fastest lap on his third attempt, and began to fine-tune his YZR-M1 to accommodate the Dutch circuit. He diligently worked on comparing the tyres, before he turned up the heat a notch on his final run. He ended the session posting multiple 1’33s laps to top the FP2 and combined timesheets with a 1’33.130s and a 0.367s gap to his closest rival.

Rossi didn‘t let a second go to waste once the morning session was restarted. Similar to his teammate, he started the day at the Assen track with getting a feel for his bike with the updated frame. He ended the session with an eight-minute ’shoot-out‘ to secure a place in the top-10, in case it would rain in the afternoon and tomorrow. The Doctor pushed hard to secure fifth in the FP1 rankings as he dropped a 1‘34.841s fastest lap, 0.161s from the front.

The nine-time World Champion gradually chipped away at his time in FP2 as he completed another 19 laps on top of this morning’s 22 laps, to make the nimble character of the Yamaha suit the twisty sections of the ’Cathedral‘. Working continuously on squeezing out extra tenths of a second, the Italian wrapped up the session setting a 1‘33.830s lap for sixth place in the FP2 and combined results, with a 0.700s margin to his teammate.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

After the race in Barcelona, it was very important for us to start this weekend off on the right foot. We arrived at the circuit this morning knowing we had a lot of things we wanted to do in the two free practice sessions, and the results show the fruits of our labour. Following the riders‘ positive feedback at the Catalunya test, this morning we focused on making a comparison between the updated and standard frame with both riders. Besides that we could also work on the settings and got a first impression of the tyre allocation. Though it is still early days, and tomorrow‘s conditions might be very different from what we experienced today, we have laid some solid groundwork. The riders are both feeling comfortable on their bikes. Their first and sixth place could prove to be crucial if it rains during FP3 tomorrow, as their position in the combined results will see them both promote straight into Q2.

MAVERICK VIÑALES

Today‘s sessions were good. We wanted to compare the tyres and do many laps, especially on the soft to see if they are good to last the whole race. Whether they have good potential I don‘t know yet, we have to see tomorrow. We will see in FP4, when we‘re going to be more hot, which spec will be a good tyre for the race. I feel good, this is a track I like. The bike is working good and already from this morning we had a good set-up for this afternoon. We gained a lot of good information for tomorrow, especially for qualifying. We are trying and discussing the chassis, but as I always say: when we have grip, the bike is really nice to ride. Today it was easy to ride and control, and it was nice to feel good again.

VALENTINO ROSSI

This day was tough, as always in Assen, but in the end it was quite positive for me because I was in the top-5 this morning and in sixth position this afternoon. It was very important to stay in the top-10 for Q2 tomorrow, because it looks like the weather will be worse then. We were quite lucky, because we had two dry sessions, which in Assen isn‘t always the case. We were able to work on the chassis and my feeling with the bike is not so bad. For sure we still have some work to do. The balance of the bike is not at 100% yet, but for a Friday it was good.

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Leader of the pack: Viñales back on top at Assen

Championship leader tops the timesheets at the ‘Cathedral’

Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) struck back after a tough Catalan GP to top Day 1 at the ‘Cathedral’ – the TT Circuit Assen – by over three tenths after a leap forward in FP2. The weather threatened in the afternoon after a fully dry FP1, but track conditions remained good enough for the field to improve in the afternoon.

The rider from Roses was followed by Jonas Folger (Monster Yamaha tech 3) on the combined timesheets as the German rookie impressed once again, with reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) shooting back up the order in FP2 to complete the top three overall on Friday.

The day began with drama in FP1 as Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) suffered a problem that subsequently brought out the Red Flag, with teammate Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) and Folger both crashing out in the incident but both ok. Mugello and Barcelona winner ‘DesmoDovi’ nevertheless kept his momentum and form in fine order to go fourth by the end of action, ahead of Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Team) completing the top five despite a run off in the afternoon.

The most successful rider on the grid at the TT Circuit Assen, Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), was sixth quickest on Day 1, with FP1’s fastest Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Racing) for close company in P7.

Rookie sensation Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) was eighth quickest as Independent Team riders populated a lot of the top ten, ahead of Pull&Bear Aspar’s Alvaro Bautista. Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa completed the top ten.

Karel Abraham (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) was in the top ten in FP1 and ended the day only one place lower in eleventh, just pipping 2016 Dutch GP winner Jack Miller (EG 0,0 Marc VDS). Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) and Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Racing) locked out Friday’s top fifteen.

With weather more of a question mark for Saturday and qualifying, Friday could prove decisive in the grid for the Motul TT Assen. Find out who makes the final cut to Q2 on Saturday morning, with track action from 9:55 (GMT +2) and Q1 at 14:10.

Morbidelli in command at the ‘Cathedral’

Championship leader beyond the Moto2™ crowd on Friday

EG 0,0 Marc VDS rider Franco Morbidelli struck first at the TT Circuit Assen, in the top five in FP1 before moving up the timesheets in the afternoon to end the day as Friday’s fastest. 2016 Assen winner Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) had an impressive opening day in P2, with fellow title hopeful Tom Lüthi (CarXpert Interwetten) fastest in first practice and completing the top three overall.

Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was a high profile crasher on Day 1 but was unhurt, going down at the final chicane during a hot lap in FP1. The rider from Cervera and winner last time out nevertheless completed the top four on Day 1, edging out compatriot Axel Pons (RW Racing GP).

Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) had another good day on track in P6 for the new KTM chassis, ahead of fastest Suter Dominique Aegerter (Kiefer Racing) in seventh. Xavi Vierge (Tech 3 Racing) got his form back after recent injury in eighth, only 0.010 off the GP winner ahead of him.

Lorenzo Baldassarri (Forward Racing Team) was ninth quickest, with Hafizh Syahrin (Petronas Raceline Malaysia) putting in a solid day’s pace to end Friday in tenth.

Dynavolt Intact GP rider Marcel Schrötter’s fastest FP1 effort put him in P11, just ahead of Mugello winner Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team). Xavier Simeon (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2), Simone Corsi (Speed Up Racing) – a crasher in FP1 – and Isaac Viñales (BE-A-VIP SAG Team) completed the top fifteen.

Moto2™ qualify on Saturday at 15:05 (GMT +2).

Martin a cut above on Friday

Del Conca Gresini Moto3 rider masters the TT Circuit Assen on Day 1

He’s made a habit of taking pole positions in 2017, and Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) was the fastest man in Moto3™ once again after the first two practice sessions at Assen. Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) was second quickest overall on Friday, ahead of Championship leader Joan Mir (Leopard Racing).

Conditions were much cooler than the Catalan GP and some very light rain also began to fall towards the end of FP2, although nothing to significantly affect track conditions.

Fourth fastest was Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) leading the Italian charge, ahead of another Spaniard in the form of Marcos Ramirez (Platinum Bay Real Estate) completing the top five.

Enea Bastianini (Estrella Galicia 0,0) showed good pace in both sessions and was P6, ahead of a stunning opening day for fastest rookie Ayumu Sasaki (SIC Racing Team). Romano Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers) completed the top eight.

Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing) was ninth on the opening day with his time set during FP1, ahead of a solid Friday performance from Jules Danilo (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers) to lock out the top ten.

Bo Bendsneyder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) began his home GP in a promising P11, ahead of Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Racing), Adam Norrodin (SIC Racing Team), Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Livio Loi (Leopard Racing), who completed the fastest fifteen on Friday.

The lightweight runners head out to decide the grid at 12:35 (GMT +2) on Saturday.

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

Motul TT Assen – TT Circuit Assen – Free Practices

Petrux has started in the best manner the week-end of the #DutchGP. Scott still needs to find the right feeling.

The first day of activity in the TT circuit of Assen has started with the exploit of Danilo Petrucci that dominates the FP1, concluding with the 7th position in FP2. On the other hand, Scott had to face some difficulties, and still needs to find the exact feeling for tomorrow.

Petrux confirm to be in great shape with a fantastic start of the free practice of the Motul TT Assen, ending FP1 in P1. The rider from Terni remained persistent also in FP2 and despite a non-brilliant T3 was still able to obtain a precious 7th place (only 1 tenth of a second from the hypothetical first row) that in case of raining tomorrow would permit him to qualify directly to Q2.

Unfortunately, Scott was not able to find the right feeling with his Ducati Desmosedici GP.

During the FP1 the English rider has ended in 14th position, 2 tenth of a second from the Top 10, however in the afternoon he was not able to make a step forward. Scott ended in 15th position with a time of 1’34.596.

7th – Danilo Petrucci – 1’33.890

“I am satisfied for this day because we finished in the top 10 and the weather forecast for tomorrow is not good. There is still something to do especially on the race pace while on lap-time I’m very fast. The feeling with the bike is fine that’s why I’m not worried. We will work on the set up but we are very confident because we are very close to the front”.

15th – Scott Redding – 1’34.596

“A bad day. Probably the worst Friday of the season so far. We come from two weekends where we made some progress but today I did not find the feeling with the bike. Sincerely, I must admit that we need to improve in many areas. I could not even find myself at ease on the straight. There is a lot of work to do”.

.

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

GOOD SIGNS FOR APRILIA IN THE FIRST PRACTICE SESSIONS AT ASSEN

Two extremely heated sessions characterized the first day of MotoGP practice at Assen. FP1 was suspended after a few minutes because of oil on the last sector of the track, resuming about 20 minutes later after clean-up operations. Aleix Espargaró used the session to gain familiarity with the track, using the same tyres on his Aprilia RS-GP for the entire session without attempting a flying lap. Determined to launch an assault on the top-10 in FP2, the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini rider held on firmly until a few minutes from the end. In preparation for his final attempts, a misunderstanding in the garage concerning the front tyre cost Aleix precious minutes, keeping him from being able to improve on his position. The time of 1’34.491 earned him thirteenth place in the combined standings.

Sam Lowes was satisfied with his performance today, very much at ease on the Dutch track and improving consistently throughout the two sessions. The English rookie found a good setting for dry conditions, putting some interesting times on the sheets, even with a hard tyre. On his flying lap in FP2, Sam fell victim to a crash just as he was significantly improving his time. There was not much damage to his RS-GP or to Lowes’ confidence in view of the race. His best time of 1’35.039 earned him twentieth place at the end of the day, less than a second behind the top-10.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“This morning we worked on preparing the bike without focusing on the flying lap because that would have been our priority in FP2. All in all I felt good. We still have work to do to improve in a few sectors, but the sensations are positive. In the afternoon I was able to be fast, finding a good base in the dry. Unfortunately, we lost too much time at the end of the session. I was only able to do one flying lap before the chequered flag came out and if it rains tomorrow it would be a shame to have to go through Q1.”

SAM LOWES

“This was definitely a positive day. This morning I turned a lot of laps with the hard tyre. In view of tomorrow’s forecast it was clear that FP2 would be fundamental for qualifying, so a lot of riders chose to save their soft tyres. I felt good. It’s a pity about the crash but I was pushing and the first two interim times were very good. I am very happy about our performance on a dry track. We know that our bike treats the tyres well, so we can feel good about the race. Tomorrow it might rain. Assen is a track where anything can happen; I just hope it is not too cold.”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Marquez third on day 1 at Assen, with Pedrosa tenth

Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa set the third- and 10th-fastest lap times during the cloudy yet almost totally dry opening day of the Dutch TT.

With weather forecasts showing a high chance of rain for tomorrow, Marc and Dani tried several Michelin tyres and worked on their bike setup before going into “time attack” mode in FP2, securing top-10 spots that could put them straight into Q2 if rain actually does disrupt the proceedings.

Marc Marquez 93

3RD 1’33.782

“With the wind, conditions were quite tricky today, but ultimately I’m happy enough with how it went. This morning we worked a bit more for the race pace, while in the afternoon, when a few drops started to fall, we almost immediately went for a time attack. In the end we did quite a good session, but our rivals are still a bit ahead of us. Anyway, I think we’re working in the right direction with the bike setup, and we just have to continue in this way, looking to improve the bike stability and rear grip above all. We have some margin and we’ll do our best to be faster.”

Dani Pedrosa 26

10TH 1’34.148

“Today we tried different tyres and not much else. We actually had a setup for this track that we planned to test, but with the weather so changeable and the forecast not good for tomorrow, the main goal became to try and be fast and secure a placing in the top 10. We were able to achieve that, improving a bit lap by lap, though not as much as we would have liked. Anyway, if it actually does rain tomorrow, we just have to focus on getting a good feeling in the wet and get ready for qualifying, no matter what conditions we’ll have in the afternoon.”

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

 Reale Avintia Racing team starts to work on the opening day in Assen

Reale Avintia Racing riders Loris Baz and Hector Barbera finished the first practice day for the Netherlands Grand Prix in 16th and 18th place. Both riders worked hard with their crews to refine the set-up of their Ducati Desmosedici bikes for this demanding layout. Assen is a really fast and flowing track without emphasis on last-gasp braking, which allows the riders to shift the weight balance towards front of the bike in order to get the best performance from the front tyre. This was the main focus for both Baz and Barbera today and even though their progress doesn’t seem to reflect in the time sheets, they are not too far from the Top 10 as the lap times have been really close together today.

Rain is expected tomorrow and if the forecast is correct, the Reale Avintia riders see realistic chances to improve their position, because wet conditions are usually favourable for them and their Ducati Desmosedici machines.

Loris Baz | 1’34.605 | P16

“It was difficult in the morning because my feeling with the bike was not great. But we made several changes to the set-up for this afternoon and everything went better. With this new front tyres, you need to put more weight on the front to make them work, but with my size this is not easy to get used to. But it was clear that this change helped us to improve. At the end we mounted fresh soft tyres to try to do a fast lap, but maybe the medium front would have been a better choice. But we are just 0.4s from the Top 10 and this is not bad. It seems that tomorrow it will be raining for the whole day, so we’ll prepare everything for Q1 and try to get in Q2.”

Hector Barbera | 1’34.759 | P18

“To be honest, this is not the way I like to start the weekend and maybe at this track we struggle more with our bike problems. We need to put more weight on the front because you don’t use the brakes so much at this track and we don’t stress the front tyre enough. If we look at the time sheets, everything is really tight and we just missed a couple of tenths to get in Q2. Maybe I failed when I went out for a fast lap, but overall my pace was quite fast. If I’m lucky tomorrow and it doesn’t rain in the morning, I might be able to improve my lap time. We have to improve the bike in the braking points. If it rains, I will to do my best to get the best possible position on the grid, although I do not have a lot of experience with this bike in wet conditions.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:

CRUTCHLOW AMONGST THE PACESETTERS AT ASSEN

LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow made a solid start as the Dutch Grand Prix weekend got underway, although the MotoGP class endured a stop-start day at Assen. With the morning session having been red-flagged early on after Andrea Dovizioso suffered an oil spill, FP2 was then hit by spots of rain halfway through as the riders struggled to make the progress they wanted.

However, after going third fastest in the morning, Crutchlow again ensured he was amongst the frontrunners in the afternoon and finished in fifth position on the timesheets. The 31-year-old revealed the team had tried out a different fairing on his RC213V during the course of the day, but had been frustrated in their attempts to try out tyre choices.

Championship leader Maverick Viñales set the pace, ahead of Tech 3 Yamaha rookie Jonas Folger and HRC factory rider Marc Marquez.

Cal Crutchlow – 5th

(1’33.828 – lap 15 of 18)

“We tried it (the fairing) in Barcelona and we found some positives with it, so we wanted to evaluate it here. There are positives and negatives to using it here, I don’t know whether we’ll continue to use it, but we’re happy with what we did today.

“Obviously the second session was a bit strange because it rained halfway through, we could have done with a few more laps testing the medium rear tyre. I also wanted to try the hard rear tyre, but we didn’t get that opportunity. Tomorrow is going to be a bit of a dodgy day I think, but we’ll see what we can do on Sunday.”

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

 STILL WORK TO DO FOR TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR IN ASSEN

Andrea Iannone: 17th – 1’34.617 / +1.487

Alex Rins: 19th – 1’34.923 / +1.793

The first day at the TT Circuit in Assen for the DutchGP saw both of the Suzuki GSX-RR´s end the day pretty far from the top, with Andrea Iannone in 17th place (best time: 1’34.617) and Alex Rins in 19th for his comeback (1’34.923 for him).

Different reasons led to this result: the morning had been a positive one for Andrea, displaying a good deal of confidence and feel for the bike, but then bad luck in the afternoon prevented Iannone from improving his time. His second machine had a stop early on which compromised the possibility of testing the improvements in the setup that the team had applied to it. The technical failure is now under investigation by the engineers, and the new setup will be tested again tomorrow morning.

Alex Rins for his part had only one objective: to test his physical conditioning in order to get back the feeling with the GSX-RR. After the Medical Team declared him fit to race yesterday, the long recovery time that took him away from the circuits for the last eight weeks had to be sloughed away. His feel for the bike was good, meaning that tomorrow he will be able to start working on the bike to find a better setup and hopefully be more competitive.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“In the morning we had a good start with Andrea, but then unfortunately in the afternoon we couldn’t complete the work we had planned with the two different machines, and so we couldn’t check if our improvements were as effective as we thought. The result was below expectations, but we still believe the improvements can be effective, so tomorrow morning we will start from there and try to improve. Let’s hope for a dry session so that we can test in the same conditions of today, although some rain is forecasted. It was a positive day for Alex; we only wanted him to get back on the bike to find his feel and pace. We weren’t expecting him to be competitive right away, and we want to give him all the time he needs to recover. Nonetheless, his day was positive and tomorrow we will start to modify the setup.”

Andrea Iannone

“This morning was very positive; I had a good feeling and I was able to push harder. In the afternoon we decided to start with the same configuration to double check, and we got our confirmation. Then I tried to go out with another setup on the other GSX-RR, but unfortunately we had a technical problem that stopped the bike in my second lap, so I had to switch back to the standard setup. This prevented me from improving on the lap time. Tomorrow morning we will continue working and hopefully find the improvements we think may come from this new configuration.”

Alex Rins

“Today for me was a really positive day as I was able to test my arm after the injury, and I didn’t have any problems. This means that tomorrow I can work more intensively on the setup and try to find a good configuration for the GSX-RR, improving the lap time but also trying to get a good position on the grid.”