Tagged: Assen TT

Dutch TT Assen Grand Prix race result and times: Rossi is back, Pedrosa struggles, and Lorenzo grits his teeth

It’s always hard to get a headline for races as complicated as the Assen TT was this year. To summarise, Valentino Rossi rode an excellent race and took his first win for two and a half years. Marc Marquez narrowly snatched second place from a galloping Cal Crutchlow. Dani Pedrosa meanwhile wilted in the last few laps to only manage 4th. Jorge Lorenzo, despite having surgery a matter of hours before the race, still came home in 5th, just 15.5 seconds behind Rossi.

The biggest headline is Valention Rossi’s win. You’ll read everywhere about how great he feels and how amazing it was, but, when it comes down to it, how did he win?

Simple. He was the fastest rider.

Looking at the fastest laps of the race, Valentino sits at the top with a 1’34.894, a lap only half a second slower than Crutchlow’s pole lap, and faster than Rossi’s own QP time. OK, Marquez and Crutchlow were within a tenth, but Rossi’s out and out pace was there.

After the first lap, Rossi reeled off two 1’35.0 laps, laps faster than anyone else. He was also consistent; both laps were within 0.002 of each other. Fast from the start. That’s something we’ve not seen from Rossi yet this year.

After that he was metronomic, bagging five 1’35.0 laps and three 1’35.1s. By comparison, the next fastest, Marquez, managed three 1’35.0s and just the one 1’35.1.

It’s also important that Rossi is an overtaker. Cal Crutchlow often tells us that passing a Honda is difficult, thanks to the RCV213’s superior acceleration. We know this is true, but it just doesn’t stop Rossi. He has finally got the setup of the 2013 Yamaha M1 to a place where he can be ultra late on the brakes. When you think of Rossi’s career, we remember the overtakes, the races where he carves through the field.

I’ve written an earlier article about what having a fast Rossi means for MotoGP, and hot off the back of his win at Assen, Visordown is already reporting a spike in ticket sales for Silverstone. It is a subject that will be written about many times over the next few weeks, even if Rossi does not win again.

And what of Jorge Lorenzo? At the start of the weekend it was assumed he wouldn’t even race. He is a determined and focus man. He wants to defend his title. Finishing 5th, in such a competitive field, is an outstanding achievement. Not even broken bones stand in the way of Lorenzo.

Looking at his lap times it’s obvious he was starting to feel the discomfort and outright pain of his injury around lap 18 where his times nosedive.

But what of Pedrosa? The Spaniard could have – or perhaps should have – taken many more points from Lorenzo, but simply couldn’t get his tyres working. Again. His team need to find a solution if he is to keep his lead. Lorenzo isn’t particularly slow when injured, and judging by his Twitter feed he’s still training pretty hard. After Laguna Seca Lorenzo will be strong and fit enough for his injury to barely affect his riding. The German Grand Prix at Sachsenring is a track where Pedrosa has dominated for the past three seasons. It needs to be a track he dominates at again.

Dutch Grand Prix race times:

Pos. Rider Team Time/Gap
1 Valentino ROSSI Yamaha Factory Racing 41’25.202
2 Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 2.17
3 Cal CRUTCHLOW Monster Yamaha Tech 3 4.073
4 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 7.832
5 Jorge LORENZO Yamaha Factory Racing 15.51
6 Stefan BRADL LCR Honda MotoGP 27.519
7 Alvaro BAUTISTA GO&FUN Honda Gresini 31.598
8 Aleix ESPARGARO Power Electronics Aspar 32.405
9 Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3 33.751
10 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 33.801
11 Nicky HAYDEN Ducati Team 34.371
12 Randy DE PUNIET Power Electronics Aspar 57.674
13 Andrea IANNONE Energy T.I. Pramac Racing +1’01.424
14 Michele PIRRO Ignite Pramac Racing +1’01.561
15 Karel ABRAHAM Cardion AB Motoracing +1’04.426
16 Danilo PETRUCCI Came IodaRacing Project +1’11.114
17 Colin EDWARDS NGM Mobile Forward Racing +1’15.249
18 Claudio CORTI NGM Mobile Forward Racing +1’24.884
19 Yonny HERNANDEZ Paul Bird Motorsport +1’25.854
20 Hector BARBERA Avintia Blusens +1’25.978
21 Bryan STARING GO&FUN Honda Gresini +1’26.256
22 Michael LAVERTY Paul Bird Motorsport +1’26.610
23 Ivan SILVA Avintia Blusens +1’38.173
Not Classified
Lukas PESEK Came IodaRacing Project 16 Laps

Dutch TT Assen Grand Prix Warm up: Rossi top, showing good race pace, Lorenzo 8th with broken collarbone.

Hard to say what’s more exciting. Is it Valentino Rossi fastest in Warm up (if only by 0.001) and with a pace that might see him push at the front? Or is it Jorge Lorenzo lapping at a respectable pace a day after having a plate fitted to screw his collarbone together?

Let’s start with Lorenzo. It seems that he’ll pass the tests required (ten press ups I hear) that will allow him to race. After flying to Barcelona, having his collarbone plated, flying back to Assen, and then lapping on his bike, his determination to defend his world title is simply not in doubt. While many ex-riders will tell you that a collarbone is almost as good – or slightly stronger – once plated, it still seems that riders will put their health second to winning. Whether this is a good thing or not is a question for another day, but as a role model for determination and drive, there is no one better.

On to Rossi. Being top of a Warm up doesn’t always mean much, if it means anything at all – especially if it’s by such a small amount. But with the poor conditions so far at Assen and therefore the limited dry running, Rossi’s times look good. He strung together a lap that consisted entirely of his best sectors. He almost did this earlier in FP4 (he was 0.040 from his best ideal lap) and it suggests he is finally getting a setup that lets him push consistently.

Looking at the analysis of the Warm up, Rossi pulls out a low 1’37 before nailing 5 1’36s, takes a couple of slower laps and then posts his best time. With Lorenzo injured and Rossi’s race pace looking impressive, a strong podium could be on the cards.

Warm Up times:

Pos. Rider Team Time Lead. gap Prev. gap
1 Valentino ROSSI Yamaha Factory Racing 1’35.803
2 Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 1’35.804 0.001 0.001
3 Cal CRUTCHLOW Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’35.836 0.033 0.032
4 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 1’36.294 0.491 0.458
5 Stefan BRADL LCR Honda MotoGP 1’36.350 0.547 0.056
6 Aleix ESPARGARO Power Electronics Aspar 1’36.379 0.576 0.029
7 Nicky HAYDEN Ducati Team 1’36.471 0.668 0.092
8 Jorge LORENZO Yamaha Factory Racing 1’36.517 0.714 0.046
9 Alvaro BAUTISTA GO&FUN Honda Gresini 1’36.556 0.753 0.039
10 Karel ABRAHAM Cardion AB Motoracing 1’36.866 1.063 0.310
11 Randy DE PUNIET Power Electronics Aspar 1’36.935 1.132 0.069
12 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 1’36.994 1.191 0.059
13 Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’37.252 1.449 0.258
14 Michele PIRRO Ignite Pramac Racing 1’37.510 1.707 0.258
15 Andrea IANNONE Energy T.I. Pramac Racing 1’37.537 1.734 0.027
16 Claudio CORTI NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1’37.930 2.127 0.393
17 Bryan STARING GO&FUN Honda Gresini 1’38.607 2.804 0.677
18 Michael LAVERTY Paul Bird Motorsport 1’38.712 2.909 0.105
19 Danilo PETRUCCI Came IodaRacing Project 1’38.786 2.983 0.074
20 Ivan SILVA Avintia Blusens 1’38.992 3.189 0.206
21 Yonny HERNANDEZ Paul Bird Motorsport 1’39.311 3.508 0.319
22 Lukas PESEK Came IodaRacing Project 1’41.922 6.119 2.611
23 Hector BARBERA Avintia Blusens 1’42.616 6.813 0.694
24 Colin EDWARDS NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1’42.918 7.115 0.302

Dutch TT Assen Grand Prix Qualifying results and times: Crutchlow charges clear to take pole by 0.357

Cal Crutchlow claimed his first position with a stunning performance. Assen was always said to be a ‘Yamaha track’, and whether you believe tracks are better for certain bikes or not, Crutchlow showed even a satellite bike can be on pole.

Before QP2 was QP2, which saw Randy De Puniet top the session. This meant he lapped faster than Nicky Hayden, Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso, all of which are on factory Desmosedici machines. When he got through to QP2 he upped his game further, dropping his lap time by 0.400 seconds and getting round Assen well over a quarter of a second faster than Hayden’s Ducati GP13.

The reason for the Ducati’s struggles are clear from the Partial Lap report. Sectors 1 and 4 see both Hayden and Michele Pirro (on the Ignite Pramac Ducati, replacing Ben Spies) posting the slowest sectors. The Desmo has chronic understeer issues, and simply can’t hold the lines to go fast through the Assen track.

QP1 times:

Pos. Rider   Team Time Lead. gap Prev. gap
1 Randy DE PUNIET Power Electronics Aspar 1’36.087
2 Nicky HAYDEN Ducati Team 1’36.162 0.075 0.075
3 Andrea IANNONE Energy T.I. Pramac Racing 1’36.432 0.345 0.27
4 Hector BARBERA Avintia Blusens 1’36.490 0.403 0.058
5 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 1’36.524 0.437 0.034
6 Danilo PETRUCCI Came IodaRacing Project 1’36.695 0.608 0.171
7 Karel ABRAHAM Cardion AB Motoracing 1’36.791 0.704 0.096
8 Colin EDWARDS NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1’37.143 1.056 0.352
9 Bryan STARING GO&FUN Honda Gresini 1’37.315 1.228 0.172
10 Claudio CORTI NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1’37.625 1.538 0.310
11 Yonny HERNANDEZ Paul Bird Motorsport 1’37.781 1.694 0.156
12 Michael LAVERTY Paul Bird Motorsport 1’38.378 2.291 0.597
13 Lukas PESEK Came IodaRacing Project 1’38.704 2.617 0.326
14 Ivan SILVA Avintia Blusens 1’39.077 2.990 0.373

Cal Crutchlow’s excellent lap time is thanks to his speed throughout the whole of the lap. Where some riders struggle in sectors (Marquez loses out in sectors 1 and 3 for example), Crutchlow is always near the top. His focus and setup ensured he grabbed pole, not fluke. Could a fit Jorge Lorenzo have beaten him? Perhaps. But we’ll never know. Crutchlow deserves a lot of credit.

Dani Pedrosa’s poor qualifying performance was pretty much down to his crash. He posted fast sectors and his ideal lap would have landed him second position. Whether he can pull it off in the race is another question, but he seems happier with his setup, and clearly has some speed.

QP2 times:

Pos. Rider Team Time Lead. gap Prev. gap
1 Cal CRUTCHLOW Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’34.398
2 Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 1’34.755 0.357 0.357
3 Stefan BRADL LCR Honda MotoGP 1’34.878 0.480 0.123
4 Valentino ROSSI Yamaha Factory Racing 1’34.974 0.576 0.096
5 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 1’35.006 0.608 0.032
6 Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’35.454 1.056 0.448
7 Aleix ESPARGARO Power Electronics Aspar 1’35.500 1.102 0.046
8 Alvaro BAUTISTA GO&FUN Honda Gresini 1’35.508 1.110 0.008
9 Randy DE PUNIET Power Electronics Aspar 1’35.622 1.224 0.114
10 Nicky HAYDEN Ducati Team 1’35.908 1.510 0.286
11 Michele PIRRO Ignite Pramac Racing 1’36.866 2.468 0.958
12 Jorge LORENZO Yamaha Factory Racing

Dutch TT Assen Grand Prix FP4 results and times: A dry session with Marquez leading Rossi

The fourth Free Practice was at last dry, but the times were well behind those set in FP1. Still, fan favourites Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi and Cal Crutchlow took the first three spots, followed by Stefan Bradl and Dani Pedrosa. Less than a quarter of a second separated these five riders. With the absence of Jorge Lorenzo, it’s likely the podium will feature three of these riders.

A quick look at the partial times reports highlights how slippery the track was, if any proof were required. Alvaro Bautista is fastest in the first two sectors, but the lack of grip means he can’t string a whole lap together. His last two sectors aren’t lightning fast (he’s a tenth away from Marquez in each), but his ideal times is almost a third faster. Most of the riders have ideal laps around a quarter of a second faster than their best times, with the exception of Valentino Rossi. He is still saying he’s much happier with his setup, so we’ll have to see what happens come qualifying.

FP4 times:

Pos. Rider   Team Time Lead. gap Prev. gap
1 Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team 1’35.616
2 Valentino ROSSI Yamaha Factory Racing 1’35.648 0.032 0.032
3 Cal CRUTCHLOW Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’35.773 0.157 0.125
4 Stefan BRADL LCR Honda MotoGP 1’35.835 0.219 0.062
5 Dani PEDROSA Repsol Honda Team 1’35.864 0.248 0.029
6 Alvaro BAUTISTA GO&FUN Honda Gresini 1’35.901 0.285 0.037
7 Randy DE PUNIET Power Electronics Aspar 1’36.283 0.667 0.382
8 Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team 1’36.457 0.841 0.174
9 Aleix ESPARGARO Power Electronics Aspar 1’36.465 0.849 0.008
10 Bradley SMITH Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’37.169 1.553 0.704
11 Hector BARBERA Avintia Blusens 1’37.234 1.618 0.065
12 Nicky HAYDEN Ducati Team 1’37.373 1.757 0.139
13 Karel ABRAHAM Cardion AB Motoracing 1’37.405 1.789 0.032
14 Danilo PETRUCCI Came IodaRacing Project 1’37.449 1.833 0.044
15 Colin EDWARDS NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1’37.642 2.026 0.193
16 Michele PIRRO Ignite Pramac Racing 1’37.775 2.159 0.133
17 Andrea IANNONE Energy T.I. Pramac Racing 1’37.791 2.175 0.016
18 Claudio CORTI NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1’38.064 2.448 0.273
19 Bryan STARING GO&FUN Honda Gresini 1’38.071 2.455 0.007
20 Yonny HERNANDEZ Paul Bird Motorsport 1’38.814 3.198 0.743
21 Ivan SILVA Avintia Blusens 1’39.357 3.741 0.543
22 Lukas PESEK Came IodaRacing Project 1’39.815 4.199 0.458
23 Michael LAVERTY Paul Bird Motorsport 1’39.945 4.329 0.13
Jorge LORENZO Yamaha Factory Racing

Dutch TT Assen Grand Prix FP1, FP2, FP3 results and times: Lorenzo fastest, but crashes and breaks collarbone, may not race.

There’s a rather unusual scenario after the first three practices at Assen. Not only was the first practice by far and away the fastest session, but Jorge Lorenzo crashed, and might not even race after breaking his collar bone in FP2. As he topped FP1, he’s the fastest rider.

FP1 has, so far, been the only dry session, but the Yamahas were looking good at the cathedral of motorcycle racing. Three Yamahas in the top 3, Lorenzo 0.350 ahead at the front, and Dani Pedrosa back in 5th, some 0.7 seconds behind his Mallorcan rival. Looking at the split times, it’s clear where the bulk of Lorenzo’s advantage is; the first sector, it’s smooth right hand curves suited perfectly to Lorenzo’s high corner speed approach.

Looking a bit deeper, at the best partial times form FP1, and all three of the top Yamahas – Lorenzo, Cal Crutchlow and Valentino Rossi – are ahead of the Repsols, with Marc Marquez pushed back to 4th. Lorenzo’s best lap actually takes him under the 1’34 mark, and almost half a second clear of Crutchlow.

Still, the other big news was Lorenzo’s highside in the wet second practice. He was looking confident, perhaps too confident as he says in his press release, pushing relatively hard, and hit a patch of standing water that hadn’t been there the previous lap. It’s hard to tell whether he also clipped a bit of white line, but either way the bike slipped, gripped and flung him off. His left shoulder blade is broken, but he’s in a rush to get it fixed. After an emergency forced him to abandon plans to have it plated in Holland as his bed was needed for a more urgent cause, he flew to Barcelona, and will receive treatment as soon as he can.

FP1, FP2, FP3 combined times:

Pos. Rider Team FP1 FP2 FP3 Lead. gap Prev. gap
1 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha Factory Racing 1’35.263 1’51.432
2 Cal Crutchlow Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’35.613 1’48.761 1’49.981 0.350 0.350
3 Marc Marquez Repsol Honda Team 1’35.683 1’47.617 1’46.761 0.620 0.270
4 Valentino Rossi Yamaha Factory Racing 1’35.958 1’47.869 1’48.167 0.695 0.075
5 Dani Pedrosa Repsol Honda Team 1’36.034 1’48.240 1’47.055 0.771 0.076
6 Aleix Espargaro Power Electronics Aspar 1’36.430 1’50.980 1.48.976 1.167 0.396
7 Stefan Bradl LCR Honda MotoGP 1’36.559 1’48.594 1’50.830 1.296 0.129
8 Alvaro Bautista GO&FUN Honda Gresini 1’36.763 1’49.646 1’40.029 1.500 0.204
9 Michele Pirro Ignite Pramac Racing 1’36.910 1’49.669 1’45.601 1.647 0.147
10 Bradley Smith Monster Yamaha Tech 3 1’37.002 1’51.908 1’48.822 1.739 0.092
11 Andrea Dovizioso Ducati Team 1’37.041 1’48.682 1’47.014 1.778 0.039
12 Nicky Hayden Ducati Team 1’37.153 1’48.682 1’47.027 1.890 0.112
13 Karel Abraham Cardion AB Motoracing 1’37.346 1’50.418 1’47.782 2.083 0.193
14 Hector Barbera Avintia Blusens 1’37.456 1’53.058 1’49.312 2.193 0.110
15 Randy De Puniet Power Electronics Aspar 1’37.489 1’49.965 1’40.223 2.226 0.033
16 Andrea Iannone Energy T.I. Pramac Racing 1’37.538 1’52.155 1’48.396 2.275 0.049
17 Danilo Petrucci Came IdoaRacing Procject 1’37.654 1’49.031 1’49.066 2.391 0.116
18 Yonny Hernandez Paul Bird Motorsport 1’37. 917 1’49.129 1’48.067 2.654 0.263
19 Colin Edwards NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1’38.147 1’54.274 1’52.118 2.884 0.230
20 Claudio Corti NGM Mobile Forward Racing 1’38.334 1’49.494 1’48.495 3.071 0.187
21 Michael Laverty Paul Bird Motorsport 1’38.874 1’49.438 1’49.637 3.611 0.540
22 Bryan Staring GO&FUN Honda Gresini 1’39.708 1’55.761 1’49.637 4.445 0.834
23 Ivan Silva Avintia Blusens 1’39.950 1’52.347 1’46.724 4.687 0.242
24 Lukas Pesek Came IdoaRacing Procject 1’41.692 1’52.485 1’50.501 6.429 1.742