Overtaking in MotoGP has become increasingly complicated, however Enea Bastianini has dispelled this myth and in the Dutch Grand Prix he did not hold back, attacking and completing overtaking moves that allowed him to climb from 11th on the grid to third place. The Ducati rider ends the Assen weekend with a podium, an incredible result that is the result of constant growth throughout the weekend.
“I suffered because the overtakings were all border line, it’s not an easy track and it was windy,” explained the Italian at the end of the Assen race. “We overtook, but it was difficult, a lot. Binder was the toughest to pass, as always, because he brakes very late and always has strange lines. I don’t know which bike was the easiest to pass, but certainly the overtaking on Binder and Vinales were the most difficult.”
One of the most exciting overtaking moves in the race was the one on Marc Marquez: “We were lined up, he took and then released the brake, I did the same thing, it was almost strange. But in the end I was inside, he was outside and tried to close the line, but in reality he took a bigger risk than me because I was on the inside”. But the best overtaking move according to Enea was the one on Pedro Acosta: “I think the best and most complicated overtaking move was the one on Acosta, the bike was really a handkerchief. It felt like I was on a minibike, it was the overtaking move where I took the most risks”.
Enea Bastianini, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
A comeback race is complicated, even more so when the tyres start to make life more difficult: “At the end of the race we started to suffer a bit with the tyres, but I had fun. But since yesterday we have improved a lot in braking, so I was a bit more comfortable. Fortunately qualifying was not a problem that occurred often, on the contrary. I lost positions many times in the race”.
With Pecco Bagnaia in such good form, it was difficult to aspire to victory. However, Bastianini confesses that if he had started further up the field he would probably have been able to fight with Jorge Martin, second: “I’m happy to have found my speed in the race, to have the bike in hand. We’ve definitely made a step from the beginning of the year to now. Qualifying here didn’t go very well, there was a bit of chaos. It’s a shame, but Pecco was out of our reach in this race. In the first laps he managed to push very hard, maybe Martin could have been a target if I had started further up the field”.
“When I go home I will be less happy, now you are happy for the podium, then when you go home you think ‘but damn, if I had started further ahead it would have been better’. But you can see that it had to go this way. When you are on the podium you must not be too sad or happy, but winning is another thing. Do I miss the feeling of victory? Yes. At Mugello I had a good idea, then unfortunately I was not able to get to the front straight away, but I think we are at a good point. We just have to do a full weekend as we should, but we have to do it quickly because I am fed up. The Sachsenring has never been a track where I have shone, but you never know. We will certainly be competitive, but for the victory we will see”, he concludes Beast.
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