Assen, a place of great memories…indelible for Pecco Bagnaia, who has decided to tattoo the track on his arm. The MotoGP is back this weekend in Holland, to conclude the hat-trick that precedes the summer break. Last appointment with the world championship, therefore, before closing the garage doors and recharging the batteries in view of the second part of the season.
However, it’s not yet time to go on vacation, because Ducati is ready to face the third weekend with its full line-up. Bagnaia arrives at Assen as championship leader, while Enea Bastianini will face his third full weekend in a row, after returning from injury.
The reigning world champion arrives in Holland with a 16-point lead over Jorge Martin, second and closest follower, author of a stratospheric one-two at Sachsenring. In fact, Pecco claims that the Assen weekend will be challenging precisely because of the competitiveness of his rivals. However, here the Ducati rider holds the track record (1’34”504) and won last year.
“We are in the last race before the long summer break,” says Bagnaia. “Therefore, before starting the second and demanding part of the season, it will be important to try and consolidate our position in the Championship. Last year in Assen we got a fantastic victory and this year we will try again even if I expect a much closer race and many rivals ready to fight for first place. The TT Circuit is one of my favorite tracks and it is no coincidence that the layout of the circuit is also tattooed on my arm! Right now my feeling with the Desmosedici GP is excellent, so I’m confident I can do well this weekend too”.
Enea Bastianini, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Enea Bastianini also arrives with good intentions, whose recovery is proceeding well. The physical fatigue that almost disappeared at the Sachsenring could present the bill at Assen, a much more demanding track from a physical point of view. However, it will be a good test to regain confidence in view of the return after the break, where she believes she can finally return to 100%.
“The last Grand Prix at Sachsenring turned out to be much more positive than I expected and in the race I didn’t suffer physically like at Mugello”, Bastianini declared. “I’ll certainly arrive at Assen a little more tired after the last two consecutive races, which however were also good training. I’m starting to get to know my bike and recover my strength: we’ll see how this weekend goes, but I hope to be able to get even closer to the leaders”.
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