Jun 29, 2024, 05:54 ET
The Italian Ducati rider took pole position and dominated all the sessions leading up to the sprint and the race in the cathedral of Assen. Jorge Martín was the only one who could follow him. Marc Márquez fell.
Perfect Friday for Pecco Bagnaia dominated the two outings on track in MotoGP’s eighth round, the Dutch GP. And Saturday started in the same way, because the Italian led the second practice session and took pole position, his first of 2024.
“I’m having trouble getting pole this year, but it was possible. It’s fantastic for me and the team. In the sprint I’ll try to make a difference, but it won’t be easy,” said the Italian, already an Assen expert after his consecutive victories in 2022 and 2023.
The two-time champion clocked 1m30s540 to take first place at the start, a time that lowered the circuit record. Jorge Martín, leader of the World Championship, was 81 thousandths behind. The one who had a bad time was Marc Márquez. The Catalan crashed on his last attempt and finished seventh, from where he will have to fight back both in the sprint and in this Sunday’s race.
