Francesco Bagnaia and the Ducati Lenovo team have completed the perfect weekend in the Netherlands courtesy of an incredible win in the 25-lap MotoGP race that took place today at the TT Circuit Assen. Enea Bastianini put together an impressive comeback as he secured third place at the end of a heroic performance in the second part of the encounter.
Bagnaia had yet another perfect start to the race from pole position as he managed to create a little separation with his immediate opponents on lap one. In the following laps, Pecco had in Martín the only rider able to not lose touch to the lead. Thanks to an unmatched race pace – which included the new best race lap in 1:31.866 – the Italian rider managed to overcome the Spaniard’s resistance and to cross the line a lonely winner. Following today’s success, Bagnaia reaches a total of 23 wins with Ducati in MotoGP, equalling the current record held by Casey Stoner.
After a more challenging than expected first part of the race, Bastianini managed to find the right feeling with his Desmosedici GP and courtesy of a streak of quick lap-times, he managed to bridge the gap with the group of riders fighting for the podium (made of four other rivals). Enea’s second half of the race was perfect, as in five laps he managed to go from seventh all the way to third before successfully defending his position up to the chequered flag.
With the #DutchGP drawing to a close, Francesco Bagnaia is now only ten points shy of the championship lead in second place, with Bastianini fourth and 64 points in arrears of Martín. The Ducati Lenovo Team still leads the team standings with 326 points, with Ducati on top of the manufacturers’ standings (278 points).
The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action in less than five days for the German Grand Prix, taking place at the Sachsenring on July 5-7.
Francesco Bagnaia (#1 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st
“I really had fun this weekend and everything went perfectly. I’d like to thank the team because we did a fantastic job: on Thursday we already had a clear idea regarding the bike set-up and after FP1 we were basically ready. The race today was 30 seconds faster than last year, which is incredible. I managed to be quick and precise, the weather was fantastic and we were able to show our full potential. Next is Sachsenring, where I expect two hard-fought races.”
Enea Bastianini (#23 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 3rd
“It was incredible, even though the race itself was a bit of a strange one. I tried to push hard from the beginning, but I was struggling a bit with the rear end, especially on the exit of the right-hand corners. The feeling improved lap after lap and, when the others slowed down a little, I managed to keep my pace and also push a bit more. I managed to bridge the gap to the riders fighting for the podium: I gave it a go and have fun with some overtakes and ended up third. Obviously, I knew Pecco was out of reach and Martín also did a good job in trying to stay with him, so it’s good this way. I’m very happy and I’d like to thank the team for the work done because two days ago we were not in the position to do well, while now we’re on the podium.”
Luigi Dall’Igna (Ducati Corse General Manager)
“It was an incredible weekend, after another memorable one at Mugello. Pecco put together a weekend without any single mistake as he set it up perfectly on Friday and kept the same level up to today’s chequered flag. I must congratulate him because once again he’s shown the type of champion he is. Enea also had a great race today and I believe he could have battle for at least second place had it not started from the fourth row. To see him overtaking his opponents in such decisive and precise way is surely an excellent sign and we hope he can continue this way at the Sachsenring.”
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