MOTO GP

Bagnaia wins in Assen

Great circuits always lead to great races. And Assen never disappoints. Especially its mythical chicane from the entrance to the finish line that left so many historic moments. And 2022 was not going to be any less, because at that moment and on the last lap, Aleix Espargaró made the overtake of the year, getting rid of Jack Miller and Brad Binder in one fell swoop.

"I'm very tired," admitted Aleix once the race was over. “The whole race was very hard because at the beginning I was very angry because from the first laps I showed that I had the best pace of the race. I got the Pecco really fast and I thought I was winning.” Finally he has achieved a valuable fourth place that tastes like victory.

But to get to that moment, many things had happened before. Especially Fabio Quartararo's mistake on lap 4 who crashed and accidentally knocked Aleix off the track. An error of unseemly thickness in the French that he later recognized without blushing. “I hurried. I attacked like it was the last corner and the last lap. A fledgling insect. A race to forget. Above all, apologize to Aleix and Aprilia. We have to learn from those mistakes."

But the main beneficiary of Quartararo's mistake was Pecco Bagnaia, who without his two main rivals on the track, had a quiet race ahead. And only the fleeting appearance of rain got him into trouble. The Italian is still a long way from the World Cup, but he goes into the summer break with a good taste in his mouth.

Autonews