Yamaha's Quartararo pips Ducatis to clinch Dutch Grand Prix pole
Quartararo is joined on the front row by Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia and Gresini Racing's Alex Marquez while Marc was only fourth fastest at Assen, where he crashed twice in practice on a bruising Friday.
Marc leads brother Alex by 40 points heading into the sprint while Bagnaia, third in the championship, is 110 points behind. But the session belonged to Quartararo who clocked one minute and 30.651 seconds to claim his 20th MotoGP pole.
"The goal is to try to make a great start, great laps in the sprint and see a little bit how it's going on," Quartararo said.
"I love this track... So hopefully we can turn this pole position into a great result on Saturday and on Sunday."
As expected, it was the Ducati machines of the Marquez brothers and Bagnaia who traded fastest laps early in the session but Quartararo laid down the gauntlet when he clocked one minute and 31.047 seconds.
Alex and Marc then broke the one minute and 31 seconds barrier but Quartararo and Bagnaia responded by going faster to take the top two spots.
A desperate Marc pushed too hard on his final lap and went off track, settling for fourth-fastest, marking only the second time he is off the front row on the red Ducati, while Alex was livid with himself when he could not set a faster lap.
Bagnaia has won at Assen in the last three years and the Italian said he was happy with the feeling on the bike after struggling early in the season, with the twice champion claiming only one victory in the first nine rounds.
"I'm very happy. It's the best weekend so far this season... Surely this afternoon will be tough but we need to start well, set our pace and see if I can win," Bagnaia said.
Marc will have Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi and VR46 Racing's Franco Morbidelli for company on the second row.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
a day ago
- CNA
Wiebes wins chaotic sprint in Tour de France Femmes stage three as Vos reclaims yellow
Lorena Wiebes prevailed in a chaotic sprint to claim victory in the third stage of the Tour de France Femmes on Monday, edging fellow Dutch rider Marianne Vos who took the overall lead after a 163.5km ride from La Gacilly to Angers. Sprint specialist Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), who narrowly lost stage two to Mavi Garcia, made an explosive push for the finish as a crash in the final four kilometres temporarily took out several riders including 2023 champion Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez). Opening stage winner Vos (Visma–Lease a Bike) lost a photo-finish to Wiebes but reclaimed the yellow jersey from Kim Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal), who led the general classification after Sunday's second stage but dropped to second with a six-second deficit. "It was very hectic... I think when we went right on to the river there was a big crash behind me. I hope everyone is well," Vos said. The stage, mostly on a flat terrain, began without Giro d'Italia winner Elisa Longo Borghini, who withdrew from the race due to a stomach infection. Four riders made an early attack to form the leading pack, with Alison Jackson (EF Education-Oatly) winning a mountain sprint to the top of Cote de La Richardiere. But others slowly caught up, with Lotte Kopecky expertly leading her teammate Wiebes to the front, setting up the final sprint just before the crash derailed a number of riders behind them. New Zealand's Ally Wollaston (FDJ-Suez) finished third as her teammate Vollering, who recovered from the crash, remained in contention in the general classification, sitting 19 seconds behind Vos.
CNA
a day ago
- CNA
England's women maintained belief through bumpy run to Euro glory
BASEL, Switzerland :England fans marched to St Jakob-Park for Sunday's women's Euro 2025 final behind a banner that read "Proper England," the team's new motto that had developed over a roller-coaster tournament of wild comebacks. England delivered one more heart-stopping come-from-behind win on Sunday to capture their second consecutive European title, in their third straight major tournament final, with Chloe Kelly firing in the decisive spot-kick to beat world champions Spain 3-1 in a shootout after a 1-1 draw. If it was the unlikeliest of results - England had only led for four minutes over their three knockout games - it also felt almost inevitable after their battling, never-say-die approach during the finals since losing their opening game to France. "We have players that have talent, and the togetherness of this team is really incredible, but also the belief that we can come back," said coach Sarina Wiegman. Asked if they ever doubted victory, defender Niamh Charles said: "No. We had that complete belief that however late it went ... That's something we've referenced so much, that 'Proper English,'" she said. It was the third consecutive Euro trophy for 55-year-old Wiegman, who led her native Netherlands to the 2017 title, and her fifth major tournament final. "She's bloody amazing," Kelly said of the Dutch coach, who is under contract with England through the 2027 World Cup. "She's an incredible woman, what she's done for this country, we should all be so grateful for. "What she's done for me individually, she gave me hope when I probably didn't have any." Kelly's heroics included smashing home her penalty in their shootout win over Sweden in the quarter-finals, and scoring the winner against Italy in the semis. But back in January, the 27-year-old was barely playing at Manchester City, raising questions about whether she would make Wiegman's squad. Kelly made a public plea to leave City for a team that would give her more playing time and it worked - she spent the rest of the season on a successful loan spell at Arsenal, and has since signed a permanent deal with them. "Thanks to everyone who wrote me off. I'm grateful," said Kelly, who won the Champions League before coming to the Euros. REMARKABLE STORIES Kelly's storyline was just one in a team full of remarkable tales. Workhorse Lucy Bronze revealed after the match that she had played in her seventh major tournament - and for the past two months - with a broken tibia. "(Bronze) is an absolute nutter, but she loves her country, she loves playing for her country, putting on that shirt, and Lucy was outstanding this tournament, considering," midfielder Beth Mead said. Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, born with an eye condition that affects her depth perception, was thrust into the spotlight after Mary Earps announced her international retirement. A bloodied Hampton played with gauze stuffed up one nostril in the shootout against Sweden. She earned player of the match on Sunday after saving two penalties in the shootout. Jess Carter had been left out the Italy semi after being the target of online racist abuse. The centre-back said she had been "super scared" to play on Sunday, but was rock solid in defence. Carter, 27, thanked the fans, her family and her teammates for their support, saying without it "I don't know if I'd have ever had the courage to get back on the pitch and play again." A star was born in 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang, who saved England from the brink with late goals against Sweden and Italy. She won the Young Player of the Tournament award. The Lionesses will now enjoy a victory parade on Tuesday that ends in front of Buckingham Palace. Then Wiegman and her staff will quickly shift their focus to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, where England will be desperate to continue their remarkable run by going one better than their defeat in the final by Spain two years ago.
Independent Singapore
a day ago
- Independent Singapore
Mavi Garcia clinches impressive solo victory on Stage 2 of the Tour de France Femmes at the age of 41
Photo: Mavi Garcia defied age and time to win the second stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. Garcia, 41, who is racing for Liv AlUla Jayco, started her attack with 11 km to go. It looked like others might catch up with her during the last climb, but when they faltered, the Spaniard pushed forward and secured her biggest win yet. With this milestone, Garcia made history by becoming the first Spanish rider to win a stage at the Tour de France Femmes. Moreover, she became the oldest rider to win a stage, given the race's new format. Highlights of the race In an intense race, Garcia took her chances with 10 km left. She smoothly moved out from the peloton on the left side and built a lead of about 20 seconds during her 10-km solo ride. However, the gap slowly narrowed as the other riders chased her. The 2024 winner, Demi Vollering, and her former teammate Lotte Kopecky tried to catch up with Garcia but eventually failed to do so. Garcia then passed under the flamme rouge (1 km to go) with a 10-second lead, and she pushed hard to stay ahead. She crossed the finish line just three seconds ahead, narrowly defeating strong competitors in the sprint. She won against Dutch powerhouse Lorena Wiebes, who came in second place, and Kim Le Court Pienaar from Mauritius, who finished in third place. Le Court will also be taking the yellow jersey for the overall lead from Marianne Vos. On social media, netizens expressed their support by saying: 'The queen!!! Well deserved and amazing solo attack 🙌', 'That gave me goosebumps! What an amazing ride! 🔥', and 'What a win…so happy for her🔥' Here is the final results of Stage 2: Mavi Garcia (Esp/Liv-Alula-Jayco) 2 hours, 44 minutes, and 26 seconds Lorena Wiebes (Ned/SD Worx-Protime) +3secs Kim Le Court Pienaar (Mau/AG Insurance-Soudal) same time Liane Lippert (Ger/Movistar) same time Marianne Vos (Ned/Visma-Lease a Bike) same time Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Pol/Canyon-SRAM-zondacrypto) same time Demi Vollering (Ned/FDJ-SUEZ) same time Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Fra/Visma-Lease a Bike) same time Puck Pieterse (Ned/Fenix-Deceuninck) same time Anna van der Breggen (Ned/SD Worx-Protime) same time See also Primoz Roglic aims to become the oldest Giro d'Italia champion Here is the general classification of riders after Stage 2: Kim Le Court Pienaar (Mau/AG Insurance-Soudal) 4 hours, 37 minutes 25 seconds Marianne Vos (Ned/Visma-Lease a Bike) same time Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (Fra/Visma-Lease a Bike) +6secs Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Pol/Canyon-SRAM-zondacrypto) +10secs Demi Vollering (Ned/FDJ-SUEZ) +13secs Puck Pieterse (Ned/Fenix-Deceuninck) +15secs Anna van der Breggen (Ned/SD Worx-Protime) same time Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned/Fenix-Deceuninck) +19secs Niamh Fisher-Black (NZ/Lidl-Trek) same time Chloe Dygert (USA/Canyon-SRAM-zondacrypto) same time () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
