The rider of the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team finished the race in fourth place at Assen after a comeback and a Long Lap Penalty, further reducing the gap to the top of the championship. Franco Morbidelli crashed out.
It was a challenging Sunday but with plenty of positives for the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team at the TT Circuit Assen. Fabio Di Giannantonio crossed the finish line in fourth place after an impressive comeback despite a Long Lap Penalty. Now he is even closer to the top of the MotoGP World Standing. It was an unfortunate Dutch GP for Franco Morbidelli, who crashed out on lap nine.
Di Giannantonio had a difficult opening lap, since he had to recover due to a complicated start from the second row that costed him several positions. Fabio played a key role in the Dutch GP, recovering places and showing a great race pace lap by lap. A Long Lap Penaly interrupted his comeback, but the rider of Rome showed great determination and consistency, recovering positions after serving the penalty and finishing in fourth place and best Ducati rider. With today's result, Di Giannantonio strengthens his third place in the World Standings with 177 points. He also further reduces the gap to the championship leader, now just 16 points – the smallest one of this season.
It was an unlucky Sunday for Morbidelli, who started from the sixteenth place on the grid after receiving a penalty. He lost some ground at Turn 1 due to a difficult start from the sixth row, and he was forced to recovery right from the opening lap. Franco’s Dutch GP ended at lap nine, where he crashed out – with any physical consecuences – when he was sixteenth. For the first time this season, Morbidelli didn’t score points in Sunday’s race and he now sits sixteenth in the World Standing with 43 points.
MotoGP now heads into a one-week break before returning to action at the Sachsenring for the German GP, scheduled from 10th to 12th July. Before then, the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team will take part in World Ducati Week at the Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli, taking place from 3rd to 5th July.
FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO
“It was a tough race! As always, Assen proved to be one of the most demanding tracks on the calendar. I made a mistake at the start by braking too early and lost several positions. But I stayed calm and focused, managed the tyres well, and in the final laps I was able to push. We've had quite a few fourth-place finishes this season, but it's a very positive result looking at the championship. I had to serve a Long Lap Penalty during the race, but once I'd completed it, I immediately tried to recover the fourth place because I knew I had the pace to do it. At the moment, our rivals still have a little bit more, but together with the Team and Ducati, we're working incredibly hard to further improve our bike.”
FRANCO MORBIDELLI
“The race didn't go well: at the start, I was lucky to stay on the bike after another rider pushed me wide. That dropped me back, and I had to recover. But I lost a lot of time because of other similar incidents. Unfortunately, while trying to recover positions, I pushed too hard and I crashed. It's a pity because we had good pace throughout the weekend. Still, we want to take the positives from this weekend: we've improved our speed. We're not yet where we want to be, but we'll carry these improvements with us and aim to build on them at the next race in Germany.”
PABLO NIETO
“We have to be satisfied with this weekend at Assen with Diggia. Yesterday, we secured a podium – a third place – in the Sprint, and today we were fighting for the podium again despite the difficulties. Finishing fourth on such a challenging Sunday – after a comeback ride and a Long Lap Penalty – is a positive result. For sure, it was the maximum we could do it, given how the weekend went. It's a result that rewards the hard work everyone is doing and gives us confidence for the championship. Franco was unlucky this weekend. The crashes in both the Sprint and the race prevented him from showing the progress he made. We'll keep working to turn those improvements into results and continue making further steps forward together with him.”
