The Assen round showed the clear superiority of the Bautista-Ducati duo, who won all three scheduled races and launched their first mini-break in the championship. Let’s go then to review the Top&Flop of the weekend together with our Guido Sassi.
Alvaro Bautista
He almost always remained in the lead in the three races run, and in the few moments in which Rea and Razgatlioglu managed to put the wheels in front of him or stay close to him, one almost got the impression that BauBau had a strategy in this regard. From the series: first I’ll pull your neck to see if you can stand, then I’ll leave anyway. In flexibility, vote 9
Toprak Razgatlioglu
It is said that the MotoGP test didn’t leave him with good sensations and that the Turkish rider is a bit off-focus. Actually we no longer see that abysmal distance between him and the other Yamaha riders, but in any case he is still clearly the best for Iwata and goes on the podium with two thirds and a second place. He avoids overdoing it and going to the ground. Measured, grade 7
Jonathan Rea
He tries in every way and on the other hand Assen is one of his favorite tracks. He collects two second places of great thickness, in race-2 he slips losing the front. His spirit is the same as always, but his Kawasaki now appears to have reached the limit of development. Indomitable, vote 6
Andrea Locatelli
Every time one of the three big names in the championship makes a mistake, he goes on the podium, and in Assen he arrives 3 seconds behind the team boss in race-2. The rider from Bergamo continues to offer solid performances and is only 14 points behind Razgatlioglu in the championship. He wins a couple of duels with Bassani, one tough and riding a Ducati. Mature, grade 7
Dominique Aegerter
The fourth place in race-2 is the Swiss rookie’s best result to date. Bookmakers give Gardner an advantage to take the saddle of Razgatlioglu in 2024, but with performances like those seen over the weekend, Domi are trying to play their cards in the best possible way. Always very aggressive on the track, but making no mistakes this weekend. Growing, vote 7
BMW and Honda
Disappeared from the radar on one of the most important tracks in the world. The Bavarians clung to Scott Redding, always and in any case far from the top-5. Michael van der Mark instead hit hard and broke his femur, for the second time in a year. The Japanese did no better: Lecuona crashed twice and finished outside the points in the Superpole Race, Vierge struggled a lot. Lost opportunities are now the order of the day and progress always remain unfulfilled hopes. Stalemate, vote 5
