Assen TT Qualifying Notes, Quotes, Results

MotoGP 2021 – Round Nine
Motul TT Assen


Maverick Viñales’ (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) stellar weekend at the Motul TT Assen only continued on Saturday, the 2019 winner at the track once again flexing his speed to top the timesheets and this time for pole position – with a new all-time lap record to boot. Just 0.071 kept Top Gun ahead of teammate Fabio Quartararo in a close-fought Yamaha 1-2- at the Cathedral, with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) completing the front row via Q1.


Maverick Vinales – P1

“We worked hard since FP1 and there was great grip on the bike, so I could be competitive and fast. Overall, this weekend has been good. I‘m very happy, honestly. The bike is working fantastic. I‘m really happy with all the work we did during the weekend. In the first three practices I was first, and I think that tomorrow we will have a good opportunity to fight for the podium.”

Maverick Vinales
Fabio Quartararo – P2

“I’m not complaining about being in second place. I’m feeling happy. I know that we have the pace to fight for the victory tomorrow, so that is the most important. I got a front row, even though I didn’t have a great feeling with the soft rear tyre all weekend, and I feel like this was a great lap time. For me, I did the best I could on that tyre, and we achieved a great result, but our work in FP4 was more important, because we achieved a really great race pace. I feel good and I feel confident, so I can’t wait for tomorrow, honestly. I’m full of adrenaline, I think we can do super well.”

Fabio Quartararo
Francesco Bagnaia – P3

“I’m thrilled because today we were able to make big steps forward compared to yesterday. Since this morning’s FP3, we have consistently improved our pace, and we have achieved our goal of starting from the front row tomorrow. Quartararo and Viñales are still on another level right now, with incredible race pace, but we’re also working to take another step forward for the race, and I’m sure we’ll be able to do it”.

Francesco Bagnaia
Takaaki Nakagami – P4

“It’s a great result for us and personally I want to say thanks to my team, because it was difficult for a long time and now we’re back in Parc Ferme and it’s a nice feeling. The most important thing this weekend is that we have a good feeling on the bike and the confidence is there. P4 is a great result and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s race. Hopefully I’ll bring home a great result.”

Takaaki Nakagami
Johann Zarco – P5

“I am happy enough. This morning I only just missed out on Q2 and I was a little disappointed. In the afternoon I was able to make the most of the tires, in Q1 as well as in Q2, and I will be starting from the second row which is good.”

Johann Zarco
Miguel Oliveira – P6

“A tough qualifying. We have done a lot of work with the bike and tried a lot of ideas to help me go faster. We found a good compromise for agility and the grip but it’s not easy. We knew this would be a hard track for us but so far it has been quite positive. A second-row position is quite nice, and we have a long race ahead of us tomorrow. We’re looking forward to doing a good job.”

Miguel Oliveira
Alex Rins – P7

“Luckily I’m fine after the crash, it was a small off and my arm didn’t take any more damage. It was a shame because I was aiming for the second row and I was very close to it when I went down, but the sessions have been good today, especially FP3 & FP4, and I’ve enjoyed the feeling with the bike. I’ve tried the different tyre options and worked quite a lot towards tomorrow, but so far we’re still not sure what we’ll use for the race. The Yamahas are very strong, but I think I’m able to fight in the lead group if all goes well.”

Alex Rins
Jack Miller – P8

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take advantage of my last lap with the soft tyre because of the yellow flags, and that will force me to start from the third row tomorrow. This is definitely not a track where I feel particularly comfortable, but I will try to do my best in the race as always. The last sector doesn’t really suit my riding style, but we have a better idea of how to deal with it in the race after the qualifying. Tomorrow it will be important to get a good start to disrupt the pace of the frontrunners in the early stages and thus have a chance to attack in the final laps”.

Jack Miller
Aleix Espargaro – P9

“I wasn’t particularly brilliant in qualifying. I am unable to make the difference with the soft rear, but we are very competitive in terms of pace. I was fast and consistent in both FP3 and FP4. I don’t see a lot of riders wit a better pace, although things could shift in the race tomorrow. Starting from the ninth spot is never simple, but I expect a rather compact group, where it will be possible to battle for an important result. A good start will be fundamental in order to make up some positions straight away, whereas I’ll have to save my energy a bit over race distance. These bikes are rather physical to ride with a lot of load, especially on a track with this type of layout.”

Aleix Espargaro
Joan Mir – P10

“Overall the day has been positive, but I’m a bit disappointed about the qualifying as usual, because that’s the lowest position I’ve been in all weekend and my time in Q2 was better than my time in FP3 where I was Top 5. But it’s like this, and now we need to focus on improving on our qualifying performance because the bike has good potential and this track could be good for us because our race pace is decent. I will need to fight hard tomorrow from this grid position to get myself in a good place and finish as high as possible. I’ve done it before so I know I can do it again, but it’s always tougher and more unpredictable when you have to come through the pack, so it will be difficult.”

Joan Mir
Pol Espargaro – P11

“Today we did not deliver in Qualifying, we should have been on the front two rows at least. I made a mistake with the front tyre, I used the soft front twice and this was not the right things to do. This is what happens when we have such a short pre-season and we aren’t able to make these mistakes during a test, we have to make them during a race weekend and put ourselves in this difficult situation. We have been flying all weekend, but now starting so far back it will be difficult tomorrow. Anyway, let’s see what happens on Sunday.”

Valentino Rossi – P12

“Today was quite positive for us because I have had a good pace from the beginning of this morning and I have felt good with the bike. We have continued to work on the settings, because we don’t feel that they are 100%, but in the end I did a very good lap in FP3 and went straight to Q2. FP4 was also a positive session, as I did some good lap times at the end of it with the hard rear and had good pace. I was hoping to improve my time slightly in Q2 by two or three tenths but, alone on track, I was unable to do so. Now we have to wait to see what the conditions are tomorrow to understand which tyre to use, but I hope it is dry. We will need to get a good start, be strong in the opening laps and stay with the group, hopefully this way we can have a good race.”

Iker Lecuona – P13

“I felt quite strong, especially on my fastest lap. On the first run I made a mistake in sector one and without this I think I could have done a high 1:32 again. The bike was working very well, we have a lot of potential. I’m quite happy, thanks to the team as well, because we all have been working very well this weekend. I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

Jorge Martín – P14

“It’s been a good day, we worked substantially in FP3 and FP4 on the race-pace and I am satisfied. My physical condition still is not 100% and I lack some experience but I am happy with how we are working and I am seeing improvements day by day.”

Lorenzo Savadori – P15

“Qualifying didn’t go too badly, although we are not as incisive as I’d like to be on the first sector. On the rest of the track, on the other hand, I’m able to be pretty competitive, but with such narrow gaps, we need to get close to perfection. The crash in FP4 was similar in dynamics to the one on the Sachsenring. In fact, we were trying the same change to the bike’s geometry. For the race, we’ll obviously take a step back in this regard, also trying to recover a bit on T1 because we have the potential to finish in the points.”

Álex Márquez – P16

“Second day here and for qualifying we made some good improvements on yesterday. In race pace we’re still missing a bit and it was not the best qualifying, although I gave it my everything. Again, I made a few mistakes and need to improve on the one lap, but we are not bad and are trying step by step to be there. If we can improve the grip tomorrow we can have a good race, I’ll give 100 percent and we’ll have to see what the rain forecast is. In general, I’m quite happy with the bike, we need to improve the rear grip, but I’m looking forward to tomorrow and being aggressive from the beginning.”

Luca Marini – P17

“Overall it has been a good qualifying and we are doing well, we always try to make the most of our potential. We are still working in this direction, we are missing something in the fast parts, all the Ducatis are struggling, and we hope that some of them will find a modification to have more stability. We are growing, I am happy, the level is extremely high, the bikes are constantly evolving, but step by step we are there. I am very happy with the relationship with the team and I feel good.”

Danilo Petrucci – P18

“Unfortunately, I touched the green out of the last corner on what was a really strong lap. A lap later, I missed the chequered flag and another try by just a second. Unluckily this means we have another P18 on the grid, which is not a great place to start. Anyway, we know that we have a good pace and will try to recover as many positions as possible tomorrow.”

Danilo Petrucci
Enea Bastianini – P19

“It has been a difficult day. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as we expected, so we will have to work for tomorrow because there is something wrong and we have to understand why. Tomorrow I will start 19th and I will do my best to get a good result.”

Marc Marquez – P20

“My body was feeling the crash of yesterday and it just made everything more difficult in the end. The morning started well, I felt good in FP3 and FP4 and then in Qualifying the feeling with the first tyre wasn’t so good, but I felt better with the second. I couldn’t finish the lap, this can happen in Qualifying when you are pushing, I lost the front and I fell. I wasn’t really riding how I wanted today. Tomorrow will be difficult; 20th is not our place at all. Starting this far back will be tricky but we will do what we can and learn as much as possible. I also have to thank Honda for their fast work, after yesterday they brought a solution to our Traction Control concerns today and it has helped – this is Honda.”

Marc Marquez
Brad Binder – P21

“A really difficult FP4 and qualifying, even if we did do a lot of laps and worked hard to find our way. I had an issue with the softer tire and some stability after a few laps but when we put in the harder tire the feeling was quite OK. In qualifying I couldn’t even complete one good lap and that’s why we’re 21st. It will have to be a hell of a fightback tomorrow.”

Garrett Gerloff – P22

“I’m a little frustrated because I think I could have put my sectors together better across one lap and I didn’t do that, but it’s not too bad. Every time I go out I’m trying to learn something new and get used to the bike more. The team has been amazing, we’ve been making really good progress every time I’m out on track and the bike is feeling even more comfortable than it did. In the beginning it was very different from what I was expecting but we’re working in a good way. It would have been nice to be higher on the grid, but I’m doing the best that I can. My goal was to keep improving and so far I’ve done that. Tomorrow I’m hoping I can ride with someone and see their lines, learn some things and maybe make a couple of passes – that would be really good.”

Garrett Gerloff

Q1 Notes

Q1 had some big names including the aforementioned Bagnaia, Sachsenring winner and eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and second in the standings Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing). It was a chaotic session at times but Bagnaia kept it pinned to move through, pipped late on by Zarco after the Frenchman had some issues early on. The two Borgo Panigale machines proved the graduating duo though, denying Iker Lecuona (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing) by a tenth.

Marc Marquez crashed out of the session, rider ok, with only half a minute left on the clock as he lost the chance to move to Q2. Consequently, the number 93 suffered his worst qualifying ever in the premier class as he gets ready to start from 20th, and has another surprisingly tough day at the the office alongside him: Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).

Q2 Notes

Free Practice 1, 2, and 3 pacesetter Viñales set the initial time to beat, a 1:32.413, but it was beaten on Quartararo’s first fast lap by 0.077. However, El Diablo’s next flying lap was nothing short of stunning: through Sector 3, Quartararo was over three tenths faster than his own time and was on course to set the first-ever sub-1:32 lap time at the Cathedral of Speed. Sure enough, hecrossed the line to lay down Assen’s fastest-ever two-wheel lap – a 1:31.922.

At the end of the first runs, the number 20 was a stunning 0.491 clear of Viñales in second place, with three tenths then separating third-place Zarco from ninth-fastest Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar). It would take an almighty effort to beat Quartararo’s time, but that’s exactly what Viñales was about to pull out the hat. His first lap went astray after a moment at Turn 9, but his sixth lap of the session saw Viñales set a blockbuster 1:31.814 to beat his teammate by 0.071, a scorcher from Top Gun.

Bagnaia then shot up to P3 before Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) hit back, but Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) decided it was his turn to sit on the provisional front row and the Japanese rider took over in third.

As the end of the session approached, all eyes turned to Quartararo. Up by nearly two tenths in Sector 1, the Frenchman was 0.135 under at the end of Sector 2. A small mistake at Turn 10 cost the number 20 time, however, and crossing the line, he couldn’t improve… leaving Viñales unthreatened at the top as the number 12 took pole for the first time in 2021. Bagnaia then shot into third, demoting Nakagami right at the flag.

The Grid

Viñales, Quartararo and Bagnaia lock out the top, with Nakagami leading Row 2 in P4 after his best qualifying of the season. He’s joined on the second row by Zarco and Oliveira. Rins suffered a late crash at Turn 8 but is unhurt and will start from P8 as the leading Suzuki, with Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) on the third row in 8th and 9th respectively. Just over three tenths covers Bagnaia to Aleix Espargaro.

Reigning World Champion Joan Mir’s (Team Suzuki Ecstar) qualifying struggles continue as the Spaniard starts P10, but the number 36 has very good race pace. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) is the second fastest Honda rider in P11, and the Spaniard sits just 0.089 ahead of 12th place Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) after the Doctor made it through to Q2.


MotoGP Assen Combined Qualifying

Pos Rider Bike Q Time/Gap
1 Maverick VIÑALES YAMAHA Q2 1m31.814
2 Fabio QUARTARARO YAMAHA Q2 +0.071
3 Francesco BAGNAIA DUCATI Q2 +0.302
4 Takaaki NAKAGAMI HONDA Q2 +0.500
5 Johann ZARCO DUCATI Q2 +0.580
6 Miguel OLIVEIRA KTM Q2 +0.636
7 Alex RINS SUZUKI Q2 +0.783
8 Jack MILLER DUCATI Q2 +0.795
9 Aleix ESPARGARO APRILIA Q2 +0.852
10 Joan MIR SUZUKI Q2 +0.934
11 Pol ESPARGARO HONDA Q2 +1.016
12 Valentino ROSSI YAMAHA Q2 +1.105
13 Iker LECUONA KTM Q1 (*) 0.183
14 Jorge MARTIN DUCATI Q1 (*) 0.309
15 Lorenzo SAVADORI APRILIA Q1 (*) 0.717
16 Alex MARQUEZ HONDA Q1 (*) 0.747
17 Luca MARINI DUCATI Q1 (*) 0.780
18 Danilo PETRUCCI KTM Q1 (*) 0.837
19 Enea BASTIANINI DUCATI Q1 (*) 0.863
20 Marc MARQUEZ HONDA Q1 (*) 0.936
21 Brad BINDER KTM Q1 (*) 1.056
22 Garrett GERLOFF YAMAHA Q1 (*) 1.198

2021 MotoGP Standings

Pos Rider Bike Points
1 Fabio QUARTARARO Yamaha 131
2 Johann ZARCO Ducati 109
3 Jack MILLER Ducati 100
4 Francesco BAGNAIA Ducati 99
5 Joan MIR Suzuki 85
6 Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha 75
7 Miguel OLIVEIRA KTM 74
8 Brad BINDER KTM 56
9 Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia 53
10 Marc MARQUEZ Honda 41
11 Franco MORBIDELLI Yamaha 40
12 Pol ESPARGARO Honda 35
13 Takaaki NAKAGAMI Honda 34
14 Alex RINS Suzuki 28
15 Enea BASTIANINI Ducati 26
16 Alex MARQUEZ Honda 25
17 Jorge MARTIN Ducati 23
18 Danilo PETRUCCI KTM 23
19 Valentino ROSSI Yamaha 17
20 Luca MARINI Ducati 14
21 Iker LECUONA KTM 13
22 Stefan BRADL Honda 11
23 Lorenzo SAVADORI Aprilia 4
24 Michele PIRRO Ducati 3
25 Tito RABAT Ducati 1

Moto2

Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took his fourth pole of his rookie Moto2 season at the Motul TT Assen, the Spaniard edging out teammate Remy Gardner in another Red Bull KTM Ajo 1-2. Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) took third, the Brit back on the front row as he looks to gain back some ground.

Moto2 Assen Combined Qualifying Times

Pos Rider Motorcycle Q Time/Gap
1 Raul FERNANDEZ KALEX Q2 1m36.356
2 Remy GARDNER KALEX Q2 +0.186
3 Sam LOWES KALEX Q2 +0.330
4 Aron CANET BOSCOSCURO Q2 +0.409
5 Hector GARZO KALEX Q2 +0.446
6 Ai OGURA KALEX Q2 +0.448
7 Jorge NAVARRO BOSCOSCURO Q2 +0.460
8 Augusto FERNANDEZ KALEX Q2 +0.528
9 Lorenzo DALLA PORTA KALEX Q2 +0.595
10 Tony ARBOLINO KALEX Q2 +0.651
11 Celestino VIETTI KALEX Q2 +0.667
12 Thomas LUTHI KALEX Q2 +0.723
13 Bo BENDSNEYDER KALEX Q2 +0.762
14 Marcel SCHROTTER KALEX Q2 +0.791
15 Fabio DI GIANNANTONI KALEX Q2 +0.874
16 Albert ARENAS BOSCOSCURO Q2 +0.879
17 Marco BEZZECCHI KALEX Q2 +0.893
18 Somkiat CHANTRA KALEX Q2 +1.017
19 Joe ROBERTS KALEX Q1 (*) 0.266
20 Marcos RAMIREZ KALEX Q1 (*) 0.279
21 Simone CORSI MV AGUSTA Q1 (*) 0.288
22 Jake DIXON KALEX Q1 (*) 0.396
23 Stefano MANZI KALEX Q1 (*) 0.406
24 Xavi VIERGE KALEX Q1 (*) 0.461
25 Cameron BEAUBIER KALEX Q1 (*) 0.486
26 Nicolò BULEGA KALEX Q1 (*) 0.506
27 Alonso LOPEZ BOSCOSCURO Q1 (*) 0.524
28 Barry BALTUS NTS Q1 (*) 1.151
29 Manuel GONZALEZ MV AGUSTA Q1 (*) 1.366
30 Hafizh SYAHRIN NTS Q1 (*) 1.740

Moto2 Championship Points Standing

Pos Rider Bike Points
1 Remy GARDNER Kalex 164
2 Raul FERNANDEZ Kalex 128
3 Marco BEZZECCHI Kalex 117
4 Sam LOWES Kalex 86
5 Fabio DI GIANNANTONIO Kalex 73
6 Marcel SCHROTTER Kalex 59
7 Aron CANET Boscoscuro 55
8 Joe ROBERTS Kalex 50
9 Xavi VIERGE Kalex 42
10 Ai OGURA Kalex 39
11 Bo BENDSNEYDER Kalex 38
12 Augusto FERNANDEZ Kalex 34
13 Jorge NAVARRO Boscoscuro 33
14 Tony ARBOLINO Kalex 30
15 Cameron BEAUBIER Kalex 26
16 Albert ARENAS Boscoscuro 18
17 Stefano MANZI Kalex 17
18 Celestino VIETTI Kalex 16
19 Marcos RAMIREZ Kalex 16
20 Jake DIXON Kalex 11
21 Hector GARZO Kalex 11
22 Somkiat CHANTRA Kalex 11
23 Nicolò BULEGA Kalex 10
24 Hafizh SYAHRIN NTS 8
25 Simone CORSI MV Agusta 7
26 Lorenzo DALLA PORTA Kalex 6
27 Alonso LOPEZ Kalex 4
28 Fermín ALDEGUER Boscoscuro 4
29 Lorenzo BALDASSARRI MV Agusta 3
30 Barry BALTUS NTS 2
31 Thomas LUTHI Kalex 2
32 Yari MONTELLA Boscoscuro 0
33 Tommaso MARCON MV Agusta 0
34 Miquel PONS MV Agusta 0
35 Fraser ROGERS NTS 0
36 Taiga HADA NTS 0
37 Piotr BIESIEKIRSKI Kalex 0
38 Keminth KUBO Kalex 0

Moto3

Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) took his maiden pole position at the Motul TT Assen, the Spaniard mastering the track on his first try as he makes his racing debut at the Drenthe venue this weekend. His new lap record, a 1:41.194, gives him two tenths in hand ahead of Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), with Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) completing the front row.

Some drama hit for Moto3 ahead of qualifying too, with Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) involved in a multi-rider incident in FP3 and subsequently taken to Groningen hospital for a check up, alongside BOE Owlride’s Stefano Nepa and Riccardo Rossi, who were also involved – as was Ryusei Yamanaka (CarXpert PrüstelGP).

Acosta was declared unfit for upper back and chest trauma on Saturday as a precaution, which ruled him out of Q2. If he is able to start on Sunday, he will line up 18th.

Moto3 Assen Combined Qualifying Times

Pos Rider Motorcycle Q Time/Gap
1 Jeremy ALCOBA HONDA Q2 1m41.194
2 Romano FENATI HUSQVARNA Q2 +0.212
3 Dennis FOGGIA HONDA Q2 +0.278
4 Sergio GARCIA GASGAS Q2 +0.279
5 Kaito TOBA KTM Q2 +0.285
6 Gabriel RODRIGO HONDA Q2 +0.340
7 Niccolò ANTONELLI KTM Q2 +0.473
8 Darryn BINDER HONDA Q2 +0.561
9 Xavier ARTIGAS HONDA Q2 +0.684
10 Jaume MASIA KTM Q2 +0.809
11 John MCPHEE HONDA Q2 +0.849
12 Tatsuki SUZUKI HONDA Q2 +0.862
13 Izan GUEVARA GASGAS Q2 +1.000
14 Lorenzo FELLON HONDA Q2 +1.194
15 Deniz ÖNCÜ KTM Q2 +1.198
16 Elia BARTOLINI KTM Q2 +1.332
17 Andrea MIGNO HONDA Q2 +1.345
18 Pedro ACOSTA KTM FP1 +0.609
19 Joel KELSO KTM Q1 (*) 1.009
20 Yuki KUNII HONDA Q1 (*) 1.079
21 Adrian FERNANDEZ HUSQVARNA Q1 (*) 1.230
22 Ryusei YAMANAKA KTM Q1 (*) 1.254
23 Takuma MATSUYAMA HONDA Q1 (*) 1.326
24 Andi Farid IZDIHAR HONDA Q1 (*) 2.388
25 Stefano NEPA KTM FP1 0.738
26 Riccardo ROSSI KTM FP3 1.002
27 Alberto SURRA HONDA FP1 1.862

Moto3 Championship Points Standings

Pos Rider Bike Points
1 Pedro ACOSTA KTM 145
2 Sergio GARCIA GASGAS 90
3 Jaume MASIA KTM 72
4 Niccolò ANTONELLI KTM 65
5 Romano FENATI Husqvarna 64
6 Dennis FOGGIA Honda 61
7 Darryn BINDER Honda 60
8 Andrea MIGNO Honda 58
9 Ayumu SASAKI KTM 57
10 Jeremy ALCOBA Honda 52
11 Gabriel RODRIGO Honda 51
12 Kaito TOBA KTM 49
13 Filip SALAC Honda 35
14 Izan GUEVARA GASGAS 32
15 Ryusei YAMANAKA KTM 28
16 John MCPHEE Honda 27
17 Jason DUPASQUIER KTM 27
18 Tatsuki SUZUKI Honda 26
19 Deniz ÖNCÜ KTM 24
20 Xavier ARTIGAS Honda 23
21 Riccardo ROSSI KTM 16
22 Carlos TATAY KTM 14
23 Stefano NEPA KTM 14
24 Adrian FERNANDEZ Husqvarna 10
25 Elia BARTOLINI KTM 7
26 Yuki KUNII Honda 7
27 Maximilian KOFLER KTM 3
28 Andi Farid IZDIHAR Honda 2
29 Daniel HOLGADO KTM 1
30 Lorenzo FELLON Honda 0
31 Joel KELSO KTM 0
32 Takuma MATSUYAMA Honda 0

MotoE

Eric Granado (One Energy Racing) remains unbeaten in FIM Enel MotoE World Cup E-Pole this season after the Brazilian was fastest once again in Round 4. It was close, however, with Lukas Tulovic (Tech3 E-Racing) just 0.074 off Granado’s best of a 1:43.114. Points leader and Free Practice pacesetter Alessandro Zaccone (Octo Pramac MotoE) completes the front row, with the session concluding right as rain began at the TT Circuit Assen and the Italian the last one out.

Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadra Corse) was the first rider to set a sub-1:44 lap, a 1:43.968 putting him a sizeable 0.736 faster than the competition up to that point. Corentin Perolari (Tech3 E-Racing) cut Casadei’s advantage to 0.294 to go second, before Barcelona winner Miquel Pons (LCR E-Team) then lit up his Energica Ego Corsa’s rear wheel on the exit of Turn 5 – a mistake that cost the Spaniard, whose lap would then get chalked off again after exiting pitlane too late anyway.

Rookie Fermin Aldeguer (Openbank Aspar Team) then went fastest overall with a 1:43.923, a new benchmark for the following riders to try and better. And that’s exactly what Matteo Ferrari (Indonesian E-Racing Gresini MotoE) did as the 2019 World Cup winner beat Aldeguer’s time by 0.047 to sit on provisional pole, but the Italian would immediately get shoved down to P2.

By whom? Reigning World Cup winner Jordi Torres (HP Pons 40) – smoking his rear tyre out of Turn 11 – moved the goalposts in a big way as he went 0.398 clear at the summit to set a new benchmark. Tulovic was up for the challenge though and despite a rear-end twitch at Turn 5, the German rider took over at the top after an impressive 1:43.188. Second in the standings Dominque Aegerter (Dynavolt Intact GP) was next up, but the Swiss rider will be looking for more on Sunday after slotting himself into third at the time, leaving just two riders left to set a lap: Granado and Zaccone.

Granado was up first, the second fastest man on the combined times, and the Brazilian recovered from a bit of a moment to nevertheless take provisional pole by 0.074 and deny Tulovic for sure. Could Zaccone take over at the top? All eyes panned to the Italian, who was a tenth and a half down in Sector 1, but he’d pulled it back by the end of Sector 3 to be heading into the final split 0.121 up. With the rain flag out but Race Direction judging the conditions to not yet be affecting track conditions, the lap was able to be finished but, crossing the line, the Italian couldn’t hold his advantage and instead slotted into third.

That leaves Granado on pole ahead of Tulovic and Zaccone, pushing Torres down to fourth at the head of the second row. He’s joined by Aegerter and Ferrari, who were fifth and sixth respectively.

Seventh place Aldeguer and eighth fastest Casadei are the only other riders to get within a second of polesitter Granado at Assen, with Corentin Perolari and Hikari Okubo (Avant Ajo MotoE) completing the top 10.

MotoE Assen Combined Qualifying Times

Pos Rider Bike Time/Gap
1 Eric GRANADO ENERGICA 1m43.114
2 Lukas TULOVIC ENERGICA +0.074
3 Alessandro ZACCONE ENERGICA +0.124
4 Jordi TORRES ENERGICA +0.364
5 77 Dominique AEGERTER ENERGICA +0.444
6 Matteo FERRARI ENERGICA +0.762
7 Fermín ALDEGUER ENERGICA +0.809
8 Mattia CASADEI ENERGICA +0.854
9 Corentin PEROLARI ENERGICA +1.148
10 Hikari OKUBO ENERGICA +1.250
11 Kevin ZANNONI ENERGICA +1.590
12 Maria HERRERA ENERGICA +1.837
13 Andrea MANTOVANI ENERGICA +2.270
14 Jasper IWEMA ENERGICA +3.765
15 14 Andre PIRES ENERGICA +5.685
Not Classified
/ Xavi CARDELUS ENERGICA /
/ Yonny HERNANDEZ ENERGICA /
/ Miquel PONS ENERGICA /

MotoE Championship Points Standings

Pos Rider Bike Points
1 Alessandro ZACCONE Energica 54
2 Dominique AEGERTER Energica 53
3 Jordi TORRES Energica 43
4 Miquel PONS Energica 36
5 Mattia CASADEI Energica 33
6 Eric GRANADO Energica 28
7 Yonny HERNANDEZ Energica 27
8 Matteo FERRARI Energica 27
9 Maria HERRERA Energica 18
10 Lukas TULOVIC Energica 17
11 Hikari OKUBO Energica 16
12 Corentin PEROLARI Energica 13
13 Fermín ALDEGUER Energica 11
14 Kevin ZANNONI Energica 11
15 Andre PIRES Energica 11
16 Andrea MANTOVANI Energica 10
17 Jasper IWEMA Energica 7
18 Xavi CARDELUS Energica 3

2021

Motul TT Assen Schedule

Source: MCNews.com.au

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