MotoGP: The American team rule on Saturday afternoon, with Diggia completing the podium as the squabble behind lights up
Raul Fernandez (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) took an awesome Tissot Sprint win at Assen, launching from fourth on the grid to make his way to the lead and hold on to deny teammate Ai Ogura. Behind them, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) completed the Saturday podium after fighting his way past polesitter Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) and Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing).
Ogura took the holeshot from second on the grid but Martin struck back quickly for the lead, with the Japanese rider forced to slot back into second early on. Behind, Fernandez was third and Bezzecchi went wide from an initial P4, losing out to Diggia after the #49 had also dispatched a fast-starting Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team). On his tail came Ducati Lenovo teammate Francesco Bagnaia in a high-powered freight train in the front group.
Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was holding on in P8 behind that lead gaggle, with Pedro Acosta (red Bull KTM Factory Racing) having attacked him early on and then heading wide, dropping back outside the top ten and leaving the Yamaha with Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) on his tail looking for a way through.
On Lap 2 Fernandez got past his teammate at the same place Ogura had lost the lead a lap before, and at the end of Lap 3 it was all go at the final chicane. Fernandez stuck for the lead against Martin and Di Giannantonio attacked Ogura to take over in third, with all four fanning out across the main straight.
Martin then headed slightly wide on Lap 4 and lost out to Diggia, with Ogura then striking to also move through on the #89. He hit back at the final chicane and was denied again, as Fernandez and Di Giannantonio started to build a gap in the lead.
Ogura got the hammer down on the chase behind the lead duo as the Aprilia Racing machines then started to duel amongst themselves, with Bezzecchi eventually making it stick. Behind them, Marquez, Bagnaia and Bastianini were also locked in combat as Ogura started to reel in the leaders.
By five to go, Fernandez had built his own gap as Ogura homed in on Diggia. The Japanese rider then made a textbook attack at the final chicane, moving through into second, so with only a handful of laps to go it was Trackhouse vs Trackhouse for the win.
Bezzecchi was also on a charge behind, cutting the gap to Diggia in third as the laps ticked down. Martin, Bagnaia, Marc Marquez and Bastianini were close together in a train fighting over fifth and Acosta, meanwhile, was up from P15 where he rejoined after going wide and in P9 – on for a point.
Onto the last lap and the gap had come down as Ogura dug in, but it wasn’t quite enough – still six tenths between the two. Di Giannantonio had also found a little bit of breathing space over Bezzecchi late on, with the closest battle coming down to 2024 title rivals Bagnaia and Martin on the final lap.
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The #63 tried to make a move but just couldn’t quite find the gap, forced to try and win a drag race to the line but just losing out. Up ahead however, it was a dream Sprint for SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP team with a 1-2 – Fernandez holding on for a stunning victory from fourth on the grid, with Ogura taking second. Di Giannantonio completed the Sprint podium, leaving Championship leader Bezzecchi just off the Saturday rostrum.
Martin held on by just 0.061 ahead of Bagnaia in their shoot to the line, taking P5 and P6, with Marc Marquez a further tenth behind in seventh. Bastianini was another four tenths back, the #23 taking eighth as Acosta took that final point after his awesome comeback from P15.
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