Bagnaia went on holiday with the leaders after winning at Assen

The leader of the MotoGP World Championship pecco bagnaia He will be taking a break after gaining momentum at Assen, the same circuit where last year he inspired the comeback that led him to the world title at the end of the season. The Ducati ‘boss’ scored his fourth victory of the year out of eight possible, preventing a double, second by Marco Bezzecchi. Aleix Espargarowith the Aprilia holding its right side with an initial touch, clinched its first podium of the year thanks to the ‘in extremis’ penalty for repeat offender Binder for leaving at the same point in the last lap as he did during the Sprint, corner 8, after being pushed to the limit by the man from Granollers with his pressure.

The MotoGP grid woke up to the crash Marc Márquez for the race after doctors declared him ‘unfit’ after a test at the request of the Cervera driver as he had a very bad night. There they found that the rib fracture had disappeared, incompatible with continued competition.

From pole position, Bezzecchi again lost the initiative with Bagnaia and Binder as in the Sprint, but this time due to contact and this time Jorge Martín was unable to repeat his start on Saturday and even lost a place, 13th to complete the first lap 10th. , the same square where he started the grid. Also for Fabio Quartarao, third on Saturday, the race was complicated, passing 12th on the first pass over the finish line.

Brad Binder surprised the Ducatis into the lead before the end of the first lap to try to prevent a possible escape of the Borgo Panigale bikes, but he barely lasted two laps in the lead before Bagnaia overtook him, but he was comfortable on his wheel. The track is very delicate, not suitable for exaggeration, and in the first four laps Miller, Quartararo, Zarco -friendly fire from two Frenchmen at turn 7- and Maverick Viñales fell when he was sixth. Your partner at Aprilia Aleix Espargaró, with the bike stuck to his right side from touching Marini at the start, He got hooked on the leading trio that slowed down and then he made the cut for fifth place for a group of five riders led by Jorge Martín.

Despite his effort in the tenth lap, Aleix lost second compared to the leading trio and behind him Martín was cutting time with a fast lap. Binder mimics Bagnaia’s every arreón taking Bezzecchi with a hook. With 10 remaining, Bezzecchi’s attack came on Binder, with a second loss compared to the race leader and the World Championship.

Bezzecchi was unable to copy Bagnaia and formed a trio with Binder and Espargaró -with the brake protector facing the sky and the right front half hanging- to fight for the two remaining places on the podium, with the permission of Martín who brought theirs. closer to a second. Assen is Bagnaia’s territory, it has the Triple Crown for victories in three categories and last year it was the circuit where he called a spectacular comeback that crowned him world champion.

With four remaining, ‘Martinator’ has reached the final battle for the podium. Bezzecchi managed to consolidate second position two laps from the end and the South African and the two Spaniards stayed for the third drawer. Binder defended himself, at the cost of stepping on the green again on the last lap as on Saturday in the Sprint, and lost the third drawer again this time in the hands of Aleix Espargaró, his first podium of the year with the bike. held on like his broken leg. He had no choice to pass it even in his favorite place in the world, the last chicane, but he defended his position with Martín at the finish line of nine thousand.

repeat offender brad binder

The binder fell this time to give up a place, the third to Aleix and finished fourth ahead of Jorge Martín finally fifth. After the results in the race of the three Tenors Bagnaia escaped 35 points from Jorge Martín and 36 points from Marco Bezzecchi. This is the biggest advantage at the top of the Bagnaia table so far this season as the top is 22 points after Jerez against ‘Bez’. Martín came in with 16 points in Assen and after sixth and fifth he didn’t lose a place but distanced himself.

As for the rest of the Spaniards, Alex Márquez is sixth after completing a long lap for stepping on the green, Augusto Fernández tenth, Raúl Fernández twelfth. Maverick Viñales crashed on the fourth lap and technical problems for Iker Lecuona, Joan Mir’s replacement at Repsol Honda, forced him to retire when he was in the points zone with 12 minutes to go.

Motogp Race Classification