It’s fast becoming known across the paddock as “Super Saturday”, this is the perfect way to sum up the MotoGP qualifying at TT Circuit Assen with the lap record being broken several times in qualifying 2, it was Fabio Quatararo who put his SRT Petronas Yamaha on pole for second successive round, with Maverick Vinales and Alex Rins who came through qualifying 1 that will be joining him on the front row.
Qualifying 1
Andrea Iannone started the session slowly, with the Team Gresini Aprillia rider wasting two flying laps looking for a tow, to try and aid him seal a place into qualifying 2.
Valentino Rossi’s woes continued as he could only manage to get his Monster Energy Yamaha fourth in the session which will put him fourteenth on the grid for tomorrows Dutch Grand Prix.
Pol Esparagro done a typically wild lap to secure himself into qualifying 2 posting time 0.460 off off the top time, again showing the progress that he and the RedBull KTM Factory Team are making.
Alex Rins put together a fantastic lap together looking as though he could do it almost at ease, the young Spaniard put his Ecstar Suzuki on top of the time sheets seeding him through to qualifying 2 with a 1:32.710.
Qualifying 2
As qualifying 2 kicked off it was immediately apparent that the spectators was in for a treat the TT Circuit Assen, with Fabio Quatararo breaking the lap record earlier in free practice 3.
As the first flying laps kicked off, Repsol Honda man Marc Marquez very nearly tucked in turn 7 a fast left and corner, un-phased Marc Marquez pushed on, he then had another one of his spectacular saves that the world has come accustom to seeing into turn 1 on his second run.
Alex Rins was the first man of the session to break the new and short lived lap record, by recording a phenomenal 1:32.461, this was immediately beaten by Maverick Vinales who then posted a 1:32.157.
Flying Frenchman Fabio Qautararo put together a lap time just short of the first ever sub 1:31 lap, with a new lap record standing at 1:32.017, Fabio Quatararo was in-fact the slowest bike in the speed traps, not that this bothered the pole sitter, who celebrated so hard his airbag went off in his leathers.
Speaking with UK broadcaster BT Sport Fabio said “Here the track is much more difficult that Montmelo (Catalunya), it is a lot harder on my arm (referring to his recent arm pump surgery) but anyway we managed to get the pole position, we managed to get 2 really fast laps, for me it’s incredible to get the pole position in this track.”
