MotoGP arrives in Assen, a very special place for Francesco Bagnaia. In fact, it was at the TT Circuit that he won his first ever victory in the MotoGP: it was 2016 and he was racing in Moto3 with Mahindra. He also has the track layout tattooed on one arm. He also won there again in Moto2 in 2018, then in the top class in 2022 and 2023 (second in the sprint race, first in the long race).
MotoGP Assen, will Bagnaia overtake Martin?
The Ducati rider is fresh from a double success at Mugello and is -18 behind Jorge Martin in the general classification. This weekend he will try to win for the third year in a row at Assen and further improve his situation in the world championship race: “After Mugello it was nice to have three weeks off to recover. I rested a bit, but above all I continued training. But now we’re back to getting serious and I’m happy to restart the season from Assen, one of my favorite tracks and which I also have tattooed on my arm.”
Bagnaia is confident that he can also be at the front at the TT Circuit, the latest successes may have given him the right momentum: “In the last GPs we managed to work well and my feeling with the Desmosedici was excellent. I come from two consecutive victories, three if we also count the Mugello Sprint, therefore, there are certainly the conditions to continue to do well. We hope the weather is good and allows us to work consistently from the first shift on Friday but, in any case, I’m ready to face the weekend in any condition“. Pecco is ready to face everything and everyone.
Bastianini seeks confirmation
At Mugello there was a fantastic one-two by the official Ducati team, with Enea Bastianini who, after overtaking Marc Marquez, also passed Jorge Martin at the last corner of the last lap. A result that he needed, but now he must have continuity and demonstrate that he has made the click he was missing: “I arrive in Holland motivated and recharged. I had never managed to get on the podium at Mugello in the past and having succeeded this year, despite still feeling like I’m missing something, gives me hope for the next races. This year I have been more consistent: we are working well and race after race we continue to grow. So I believe we are close to finding that explosiveness that we still lack, even if a step forward has been made“.
Bastianini is optimistic for the grand prix at the TT Circuit, which he will arrive after announcing his future. As is known, in 2025 and 2026 he will race with the KTM Tech3 team. But this MotoGP championship is still long and the rider from Romagna wants to leave Ducati with his head held high before diving headlong into the new adventure.
Photo: Instagram @pecco63
