It’s shaping up as a battle of two of the modern-day heroes of MotoGP™ when racing gets underway on Sunday afternoon at the Cathedral of Speed. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) is eyeing a win which can help get him back in the fight for the World Championship title, while factory Yamaha man Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) has a feat of one of his legendary predecessors in his sights. Find out about that and more in 10 things you need to know ahead of the Motul TT Assen.
1. Francesco Bagnaia set a new All Time Lap Record at Assen to qualify on pole position for the 10th time in MotoGP™ and the fourth time this season, after doing so in Spain, France, and Germany. Fun fact: This is Ducati’s 63rd pole in MotoGP™, matching the number of Bagnaia’s bikes.
2. The pole for Bagnaia is the fourth for Ducati in Assen in MotoGP™, after those for with Loris Capirossi (2003), Casey Stoner (2008), and Andrea Dovizioso (2016). He will be aiming to give Ducati their second win in Assen, after Stoner got the first in 2008.
3. Fabio Quartararo has qualified second for his fifth front row of the season along with Indonesia, Spain, Catalunya and Germany. He went on to finish on the podium in all these races (including two wins, in Catalunya and Germany).
4. Quartararo will be aiming to become the first Yamaha rider to take three wins in three successive MotoGP™ races since Jorge Lorenzo did so in 2015. The Spaniard’s streak on that occasion would ultimately span four races, from Spain to Catalunya.
5. Since 2011, the winner of the MotoGP™ race at the Dutch GP has alternatively been a Yamaha or a Honda rider: odd years for Yamaha, even years for Honda. In 2021, Quartararo won the race riding a Yamaha.
6. Jorge Martin has qualified third for his fifth front row start so far this season and his first since the Americas, when he was on pole. He will be aiming to win for the second time in MotoGP™, after a victory in Styria last year.
7. Second in the Championship, Aleix Espargaro has qualified fifth, which is the eighth time so far this year he qualified within the top six. His best MotoGP™ result in Assen is fourth in 2014 (from his maiden pole position in the class).
8. Johann Zarco has qualified seventh, which is the third time he has failed to qualify in the top six this year, along with Qatar and Argentina (although he started from ninth in France due to a penalty).
9. After getting through Q1, Miguel Oliveira has qualified eighth, his second-best qualifying result so far this season after Indonesia. Then, he qualified seventh and won.
10. With Takaaki Nakagami the top Honda rider in 12th, this is the first time there is no Honda rider in the top 11 in qualifying at Assen since Honda returned full-time to the premier class in 1982.