2023-06-24 11:57:21
The Italian Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati Desmosedici GP22) has achieved his first “pole position” of the season by being the fastest in the official classification for the MotoGP Netherlands Grand Prix, which takes place this weekend at the circuit Assen TT.
The Italian completed his fastest lap in 1:31.472, which meant lowering the previous record by 32 thousandths of a second from the record achieved in 2022, 1:31.504, by the also Italian Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia (Ducati Desmosedici GP23).
Bezzecchi becomes the fifth rider to achieve a “pole position” in the current season, since before him it was achieved by Marc Márquez (Honda), Alex Márquez (Ducati Desmosedici GP22), Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia RS-GP) and “Pecco Bagnaia, this one four times.
Perhaps it was a coincidence, although coincidences do not normally exist, at least in motorcycling, but when the green light turned on in the first classification there were only two good wheels for Marc Márquez to follow, both Ducati riders, the Frenchman Johann Zarco and the Italian Enea Bastianini and the one from Honda did not fail.
When taking the exit from the workshop street, Marc Márquez could be seen after Johann Zarco’s reference, although initially the Italian Franco Morbidelli (Yamaha YZR M 1) “snuck” between them, who stuck to the slipstream of the motorcycle from the French even in the penalty area of the “long lap”, while Marc Márquez was still on the track and got the fourth fastest time, insufficient to move to second place.
With three laps completed, Marc Márquez decided to go into his workshop, like practically all the other riders and, in his second outing, Johann Zarco already managed to gain access to the lead, followed by the Portuguese Miguel Oliveira (Aprilia RS-GP), and both unseated the Japanese Takaaki Nakagami (Honda RC 213 V), who was the leader at the time, with Marc Márquez in sixth place.
Márquez then chose to follow the wheel of Enea Bastianini, but he was aware of this circumstance and aborted his attempt to lap on the first attempt, although knowing that time was running out he had to “pull hard” to try to pass to the second classification even if his rival was glued to him.
An error in the braking of Marc Márquez in turn twelve, when Enea Bastianini did the same -braking-, caused the Spaniard to go to the ground again when he rammed the Italian’s motorcycle from behind and, to his desperation, running out of possibility of fight for the pass to the next classification.
Bastianini needed to push as he was out of second place, but instead he decided to “cut the gas” at a difficult point on the circuit, where Marc Márquez, who was very close to him, could do practically nothing to avoid him.
In the end, they went to the second classification, as expected and in that their strategy was clear to Marc Márquez, the Frenchman Johann Zarco and the Portuguese Miguel Oliveira.
The South African Brad Binder (KTM RC 16) was the first reference in the second classification, followed by barely 35 thousandths of a second by the Italian Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati Desmosedici GP22), while the Spanish Jorge Martín (Ducati Desmosedici GP), winner of the two races held in Germany, he crashed at turn five and had to run back to his workshop when the motorcycle did not start.
Bezzecchi soon became the fastest in the category, as happened yesterday, seconded by his compatriot and world championship leader, “Pecco” Bagnaia, and with the Spanish Maverick Viñales (Aprilia RS-GP) behind them, barely 45 Thousandths of a second.
One of the pleasant surprises of the session came from the hand of Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha YZR M 1), who on his fifth lap managed to lead for a few moments, 1:31.770, until Marco Bezzecchi crossed the finish line in 1:31.472, which was a new class record, followed by South African Brad Binder, 1:31.671, and Italian Luca Marini, 1:31.630.
But Marini’s pace made him make a mistake on the next lap, in which he crashed at turn eight and with it he had to end his session, with less than two minutes of effective training, although with the third position, after Bezzecchi and Bagnaia, guaranteed.
Quartararo finished in fourth position, with Brad Binder, Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia RS-GP), Maverick Viñales, Johann Zarco and Alex Márquez (Ducati Desmosedici GP22), behind him, with Jorge Martín who achieved tenth place with his second bike , beating Miguel Oliveira and Jack Miller (KTM RC 16).
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