Suzuki holds P1 despite crashing in dramatic session

Thanks to his FP2 time Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) heads the Moto3™ field into qualifying at the Motul TT Assen, despite a second crash of the weekend in FP3. The Japanese rider’s 1:41.568 from Friday was enough to beat Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) – another crasher in FP3 – by 0.089s, with Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) improving his time but staying third overall.

How FP3 played out

A couple of the riders up the sharp end were able to improve their lap times earlier on in the session as dry weather greeted the field, most notably Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing), but it wasn’t until there were just over 15 minutes to go before we saw some real swapping and changing. Foggia was P3, 0.166s behind leader Suzuki and second place Binder as the leading duo both crashed unhurt – separately – at Turn 7 in FP3.

Plenty of riders left it too late to set a lap time at the end of FP3, as four riders then went down on the exit of the final corner despite already taking the chequered flag. It included World Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo), BOE Owlride’s Riccardo Rossi and Stefano Nepa, and Ryusei Yamanaka (Carxpert PrüstelGP) – thankfully all riders walked away from the incident, with Acosta, Rossi and Nepa heading to the medical centre for check-ups. Acosta and Rossi have since been transferred to Assen hospital for further examinations. 

Who’s into Q2 automatically?

Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) and Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) complete a top five split by just over half a second, with second in the title race Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) safely into Q2 in P6. Gabriel Rodrigo (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) crashed at the end of FP3 but was unscathed, the Argentine is P7, just ahead of John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) who left it late to set a personal best time. The same can be said for ninth place Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3), as stand-in rider Elia Bartolini (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3) rounds out the top 10.

Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3), Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3), Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) and Acosta are the remaining automatic Q2 qualifiers.

A dramatic FP3 in the lightweight class. Make sure you’re tuned into qualifying at 12:35 local time (GMT+2) to see who grabs pole in the Netherlands.

Top 10 combined:
1. Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) – 1:41.568
2. Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) + 0.089
3. Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) + 0.166
4. Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) + 0.21i7
5. Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) + 0.518
6. Sergio Garcia (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar Team) + 0.567
7. Gabriel Rodrigo (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) + 0.654
8. John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) + 0.658
9. Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Tech3) + 0.663
10. Elia Bartolini (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3) + 0.670

FULL RESULTS!