After three weeks of absence, Moto2 is back. The drivers in the intermediate category will perform this weekend in the Netherlands, on the Assen circuit. A fast route, often very popular with drivers. The gap between Sergio Garcia and Joe Roberts fell to seven points at Mugello, to the Spaniard’s advantage. The American, however, is withdrawn from the race after a heavy fall. We should not exclude Ai Ogura from the equation. In good form during recent events, the Japanese remains on two consecutive podiums at Assen, and also holds the lap record.
Before we begin, here is a table which summarizes the known facts:
| Moto2™ Netherlands, Assen | 2023 | 2024 |
| FP | 1’36.865 Jake Dixon | 1’36.458 Ai Ogura |
| P1 | 1’36.463 Jake Dixon | 1’35.698 Fermin Aldeguer |
| P2 | 1’36,000 Ai Ogura | 1’35,341 Somkiat Chantra |
| Q1 | 1’36.860 Barry Baltus | 1’36.139 Albert Arenas |
| Q2 | 1’36.247 Alonso Lopez | 1’35.269 Fermin Aldeguer |
| Course | Dixon, Ogura, Acosta (See here) | |
| Record | 1’36,000 Ai Ogura (2023) |
Course :
The fight was close at the start between the leading men, but Fermin Aldeguer maintained his advantage at turn 1, before completing the first lap in front of the others. The start was certainly the highlight of Tony Arbolino’s race. Starting seventh, the Marc VDS driver moved into third position, behind Ai Ogura.
The number 14, however, had some difficulty keeping up with the pace of the leaders, and quickly fell to sixth place, behind Manuel Gonzalez.
Very early in the event, Fermin Aldeguer broke away from his main competitors, to build a lead of more than a second. At mid-race, the two MT Helmets MSI riders broke away from Alonso Lopez, Tony Arbolino and their pursuers, but Sergio Garcia and Ai Ogura were still riding two tenths slower than the leader, who was running under 36 minutes.
While calmly leading the race, Fermin Aldeguer received a Long Lap penalty for not respecting the track limits. The No. 54 did not have enough of a lead over his competitors to take the lead once his penalty was taken, and fell to third place.
A significant turnaround seven laps from the finish, which allowed Ai Ogura to take control of the race. The incident allowed the end of the race to become more interesting, with the leaders within half a second of each other.
A three-way battle that was down to two when Sergio Garcia went wide at Turn 1. Fermin Aldeguer and Ai Ogura then had three laps to decide. In front of the checkered flag, Ai Ogura won after a constant defense against his rival of the day.
Disappointment for the local rider of the stage, Zonta van der Goorbergh who was forced to withdraw from the race after a fall on the sixth lap. At the same time, Albert Arenas and Aron Canet also went off course, involved in an incident at turn 4.
Note the fall of Ayumu Sasaki on the ninth lap after contact with one of his competitors.
Moto2 Assen – Q2 standings
Credit ranking: MotoGP.com
