Dutch Moto3: Sasaki takes first win in Assen thriller
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An elated Ayumu Sasaki worked incredibly hard to keep in touch with long term race leader Izan Guevara, moved to the lead at the right time and kept his head as his rivals battled and ed out behind to win the Moto3 Dutch Grand Prix at the Assen TT track.Round eleven had an explosive end to an already exciting race, which was a scrap from start to finish.The Sterilgarda Husqvarna Max rider had started as polesitter and converted his second appearance in the top slot on the grid after he also started there in Qatar when Guevara was penalised, into a first race win in style. Dutch Moto3: Sasaki returns to form with Assen poleAlex Marquez joins Gresini Ducati for 2023 MotoGP seasonAleix Espargaro: I wasn’t blaming Jack, I was watching the big screen! Related 2022 Dutch Moto3 Grand Prix, Assen Circuit – Race 2022 Dutch Moto3 Grand Prix, Assen – Warm-up ResultsThe Japanese rider couldn’t just sit in behind Guevara as fighting for position was a constant and when he was able to hit the front after rehearsing his move on Guevara, he fell back into the clutches of the lead group, allowing the #71 a small gap up front – a luxury in the race.Sasaki won by an eventual 0.314s as the drama unfolded behind his success.The in-form Guevara was dropping like a stone before a wild move from afar from fourth by David Munoz on the final lap took Jaume Masia, who was sizing up a lunge for the lead and John McPhee, who had worked hard to join the breakaway five up front out of the race.Having lead from the third lap after taking over from early frontrunner Suzuki, being out front proved to have been a disadvantage for the GASGAS Aspar team rider as all of the rehearsal moves his rivals had run behind him n each other all hit him at once. Related Dutch Moto3: Sasaki returns to form with Assen pole Dutch Moto3 Grand Prix, Assen – Qualifying ResultsRunning solo for much of the weekend again and two breakaway wins meant the #28 needed to show a different skillset. He did with aplomb, keeping out of trouble at the and claiming a superb second.Both Aspar riders had a great day with championship leader Sregio Garcia starting from 18th on the grid after a qualifying session in which he never really featured near the front, citing traffic and es as his downfall.”4He turned that around to be ninth after one lap, then saw his progress halted before follwing McPhee back to the early lead group of Sasaki, Guevara, Suzuki, Foggia and Munoz.Garcia came from miles back in the run to the line to snatch third and almost catch his team-mate for second, after an electric lunge forward from the final chicane.Garcia stages huge comeback from 18th on the grid. Top Honda finisher Tatsuki Suzuki was caught by surprise by the move, with the Leopard man finishing off the podium in fourth.”5There was a gap back to Xavier Artigas who pulled cleasr of the second group on track for fifth with CFMoto PruestelGP.Daniel Holgado and Carlos Tatay both has penalties to serve in the race. Tatay’s double lap was handed out for causing the at the beginning of the Sachsenring race last week, whileHolgado’s was for his FP3 fall where he headed straight towards Elia Bartolini and the marshals rescuing him from the gravel. Topping warm-up the Spaniard showed he was race-ready and applied that to make up the places he lost in the loop to come back for sixth for Red Bull KTM Ajo as both top KTM and top rookie.”6Stefano Nepa was right behind in seventh for Angeluss MTA Team after qualifying down in 14th.There was a gap back to Ryusei Yamanaka, who had spent much of his race outside the points before climbing to eighth at the front of the next group on track for MT Helmets-MSI.He had Deniz Oncu (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Kaito Toba (CIP Green Power) battling behind on their way to ninth and tenth respecrively.”7Riccardo Rossi wasn’t far off the duo in eleventh for SIC58 Squadra Corse, with Ivan Ortola recovering from his penalty for cutting the chicane for tewlfth on the second Angeluss MTA entry.The final points on offer went to Lorenzo Fellon (SIC58 Squadra Corse) in 13th, Carlos Tatay (CFMOTO Racing PruestalGP) after his penalty in 14th and Andrea Migno, who was also penalised in the race for cutting the chicane in 15th for Rivacold Snipers.As with qualifying, where he was 19th, just missing out on Q2, Diogo Moreira just missed out on the points in 16th for MT Helmets -MSI.”8Joshua Whatley was close to his best ever finish in 20th. He was the only VisionTrack bike to finish after Scott Ogden ed out at turn seven.Assen non-finishersBefore Ogden, Elia Bartolini had only just left the race at the same corner. Dennis Foggia hit the kerb as he tried to battle Munoz and was flicked off and out of the lead group with five laps left to run. Foggia had staged a rtuen to the front after running over the green at the chicane previously.The final lap not only saw the big , instigated by Munoz with Masia collected and McPhee out, but was also whenAdrian Fernandez and Joel Kelso also ended thier day in the gravel.”9Where does that leave the championship?Izan Guevara looked set to tkae over at the front in the title standings after leading for much of the race but Sergio Garcia’s last lap run which saw him third means he holds on in the championship standings – now leading the way by just three points.Guevara remains second with 179 – in turn clear of Dennis Foggia who saw his hopes take a gigantic dent after another DNF. He remains third on a distant 115 points.
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