Dutch MotoGP, Assen – Friday Practice Results

* Rookie

Official Assen MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 31.504s (2022)
Fastest race lap:
Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia 1m 32.500s (2022)

Marco Bezzecchi, Maverick Vinales and Alex Marquez set the pace during opening practice for the 2023 Dutch MotoGP at Assen.

Bezzecchi, who took his first MotoGP podium at Assen last season, was quickest for much of the session on his VR46 Ducati, culminating in a 1m 32.246s best with a new soft rear on his penultimate lap.

Vinales, riding with a fresh Aprilia engine after powerplant problems throughout the German weekend, was 0.314s behind with Gresini Ducati’s Marquez snatching a lap third ahead of Johann Zarco, who rebounded from a fast fall.

A limping Fabio Quartararo, who fractured his left toe in a recent jogging accident, featured in the top three on his way to fifth. The Monster Yamaha rider’s fitness will be reviewed by MotoGP doctors after the session.

LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami was the top Honda in seventh, behind Bezzecchi’s team-mate Luca Marini. Sachsenring winner Jorge Martin, KTM’s Jack Miller and Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro completed the top ten.

Title leader Francesco Bagnaia ran wide several times and was visibly unhappy with his twitchy GP23 on track and in the pits. Just tenth heading into the closing stages, Ducati’s reigning champion dropped to twelfth.

Riding with sore ribs, thumb and ankle from last weekend’s Sachsenring highside, Marc Marquez completed his first Assen laps since 2021 in 21st place, having been near the bottom of the timesheets throughout the session. Marquez had one Kalex and one HRC chassis available.

Rookie Augusto Fernandez was the first faller of the weekend, a lowside from his GASGAS Tech3. RNF Aprilia’s Miguel Oliveira fell into Turn 1 while Ducati Lenovo’s Enea Bastianini sent his GP23 barrel-rolling through the gravel at Turn 10.

Pramac’s Zarco then suffered the fastest tumble of the morning when he bailed off after losing the front through the fearsome penultimate corner, sending his machine skimming across the gravel. Zarco then got a lift back to the pits from Miller.

• Assen: Latest Moto2 Results
• Assen: Latest Moto3 Results

After withdrawing from last Sunday’s German MotoGP race, following a fifth fall of the weekend, causing thumb and rib fractures and a hard knock to the ankle in warm-up, Marc Marquez is back on track at Assen.

Team-mate Joan Mir remains sidelined by hand injuries from Mugello and is replaced by Honda World Superbike rider Iker Lecuona, who spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons in MotoGP with Tech3 KTM. Lecuona previously joined Repsol Honda at Jerez this year, in place of Marquez.

LCR’s Alex Rins is absent after fracturing his leg at Mugello, and replaced by HRC test rider Stefan Bradl. KTM test rider Jonas Folger continues in place of Pol Espargaro at GASGAS Tech3.

Monster Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo sprained his left ankle and fractured a toe in a jogging accident while training in Amsterdam this week. Aleix Espargaro continues to ride with right heel and rib fractures from his bicycle at Mugello earlier this month.

Assen is the final event before the MotoGP summer break, albeit with 12 of the 20 rounds still to go.