Dutch GP, Assen: 250cc Results FP2

Alvaro Bautista and Mike Di Meglio both crashed, but seemingly walked away uninjured.

Pos. Rider Nation Team Lap time

1 H. AOYAMA JPN Scot Racing Team 250cc 1'40.642
2 A. BAUTISTA SPA Mapfre Aspar Team + 0.234
3 M. PASINI ITA Team Toth Aprilia + 0.314
4 M. SIMONCELLI ITA Metis Gilera + 0.438
5 A. ESPARGARO SPA Balatonring Team + 0.865
6 K. ABRAHAM CZE Cardion AB Motoracing + 0.914
7 J. CLUZEL FRA Matteoni Racing + 0.986
8 A. DEBON SPA Aeropuerto-Castello-Blusens + 1.076
9 H. BARBERA SPA Pepe World Team + 1.148
10 R. WILAIROT THA Thai Honda PTT SAG + 1.296
11 R. LOCATELLI ITA Metis Gilera + 1.302
12 H. FAUBEL SPA Valencia CF - Honda SAG + 1.435
13 M. DI MEGLIO FRA Mapfre Aspar Team 250cc + 1.470
14 R. DE ROSA ITA Scot Racing Team 250cc + 1.559
15 T. LUTHI SWI Emmi - Caffe Latte + 1.641
16 L. PESEK CZE Auto Kelly - CP + 1.645
17 A. BALDOLINI ITA WTR San Marino Team + 1.983
18 S. TOMIZAWA JPN CIP Moto - GP250 + 2.167
19 A. PONS SPA Pepe World Team + 3.739
20 V. DEBISE FRA CIP Moto - GP250 + 4.020
21 S. BONSEY USA Milar - Juegos Lucky + 4.551
22 V. LEONOV RUS Viessmann Kiefer Racing + 4.782
23 B. CHESAUX SWI Racing Team Germany + 4.839
24 I. TOTH HUN Team Toth Aprilia + 4.889
25 T. MARKHAM GBR C&L Racing + 5.922

Dutch GP, Assen: 125cc Results FP2

Pos. Rider Nation Team Lap time

1 S. GADEA SPA Bancaja Aspar Team 125cc 1'45.994
2 B. SMITH GBR Bancaja Aspar Team 125cc + 0.119
3 P. ESPARGARO SPA Derbi Racing Team + 0.254
4 A. IANNONE ITA Ongetta Team I.S.P.A. + 0.339
5 J. SIMON SPA Bancaja Aspar Team 125cc + 0.384
6 N. TEROL SPA Jack & Jones Team + 0.524
7 D. WEBB GBR Degraaf Grand Prix + 0.641
8 S. CORSI ITA Fontana Racing + 0.683
9 M. MARQUEZ SPA Red Bull KTM Moto Sport + 0.729
10 E. VAZQUEZ SPA Derbi Racing Team + 0.744
11 J. OLIVE SPA Derbi Racing Team + 0.935
12 S. REDDING GBR Blusens Aprilia + 1.239
13 S. CORTESE GER Ajo Interwetten + 1.286
14 R. KRUMMENACHER SWI Degraaf Grand Prix + 1.454
15 E. RABAT SPA Blusens Aprilia + 1.568
16 C. BEAUBIER USA Red Bull KTM Moto Sport + 1.694
17 L. ZANETTI ITA Ongetta Team I.S.P.A. + 1.712
18 S. BRADL GER Viessmann Kiefer Racing + 1.723
19 D. AEGERTER SWI Ajo Interwetten + 2.040
20 L. SAVADORI ITA Fontana Racing + 2.051
21 T. NAKAGAMI JPN Ongetta Team I.S.P.A. + 2.106
22 J. ZARCO FRA WTR San Marino Team + 2.360
23 L. SALOM SPA Jack & Jones Team + 3.127
24 A. MASBOU FRA Loncin Racing + 3.209
25 M. VAN DER MARK NED Dutch Racing Team + 3.365
26 M. FRITZ GER LHF-Project Racing + 3.444
27 J. IWEMA NED Racing Team Germany + 3.732
28 K. PESEK CZE Pesek Team + 3.867
29 T. KOYAMA JPN Loncin Racing + 4.029
30 L. SEMBERA CZE Matteoni Racing + 4.510
31 L. MARCONI ITA CBC Corse + 4.561
32 P. BIJSTERBOSCH NED Racing Team Bijsterbosch + 5.595
33 J. FOLGER GER Ongetta Team I.S.P.A. + 5.989
34 L. VITALI ITA CBC Corse + 7.042

Out of limit time
R. POUW NED Team Holland

Assen: Thursday Team Quotes - 250cc & 125cc

250cc

1st Álvaro Bautista 1.40.817 (27 laps):
"To be honest the lap times weren't particularly quick today. We had a problem at the start of the session and the rear of the bike was sliding around a lot - also the engine wasn't working as it should be but as the session progressed we ironed things out. I'm still not completely happy with the rear of my Aprilia because it is not gripping and I can't open the throttle when I want to. So that is mainly what we need to work on tomorrow and I'm convinced we can make big improvements. It's not bad for the first day but we can't afford to go to sleep tomorrow. Barberá and myself are a little ahead of the rest but that doesn't mean anything because the pace will increase tomorrow. In our case we know where we can go faster and that is what we need to do in order for me to have fun on the bike."

3rd Mike Di Meglio 1.41.472 (25 laps):
"I'm really happy because I felt comfortable throughout the session. It was very windy but our pace was good - not incredibly fast but good enough for the first day and I'm satisfied. It is good to start out like this, to be up there from the first few minutes and to know that we can get better. I hope we can continue with this evolution tomorrow and consolidate our position amongst the top guys. The test at Valencia worked out well for us because now we have the chassis configuration more or less clear, even though we can refine it more on the second day here."

Aleix Espargaró:
"I'm really glad to be back in the World Championship - after such a long time away I'd almost forgotten what it's like! It's incredible how things can change - one minute you are sat at home and then you get a call four days before a Grand Prix from one of the biggest teams in the 250cc class to see if you will ride for them! I just tried to stay focused from the start today and even though the bike felt really small I just tried to get some laps in and get a feel for it. Thankfully the team helped me a lot - they just said get out there and ride until you feel comfortable. I honestly didn't know where the limit was so I just made sure I wasn't taking too many risks because the last thing I needed was a crash. At the end of the session Álvaro came past so I latched onto him and managed to get a fantastic lap in. The objective today was to break the ice and get a feel for the Aprilia, which I think we have done and then some!"


125cc

1st Julián Simón 1.46.725 (19 laps):
"The truth is that after what happened in Barcelona I really wanted to make a strong start here. I'm happy because even though Assen has never been a circuit that suits my riding style we've done a fantastic job today and I felt comfortable throughout the session. We've tried a few things with the engine, amongst other things, on the back of the tests we did at Valencia and in the end we found a tyre that we think can work well. First place is always a good result and it has filled me with optimism for the race, so hopefully we can have more good weather tomorrow. The incident at Montmeló left me feeling very highly motivated about this race and all I can think about is winning. I actually think we have a better chance of doing it here than we did in the last race. The team have been really supportive and told me to forget about Montmeló, so I'd love to pay them back with a win on Saturday."
 
2nd Sergio Gadea 1.46.925 (21 laps):
"I felt really comfortable during today's session despite a couple of problems with the front end. I managed to clock a '46.9 pretty early on but when I tried to push harder I was losing the front of my Aprilia to the point where at one stage I almost crashed. We put a softer tyre on and that stopped it from moving around so much, which made me feel better. We've set a good pace throughout the session and I'm happy because we still have plenty of room to improve. It is positive to start a weekend out like this and obviously providing we don't have a mechanical setback we can stay up there. Anything can happen in a race but I'll try and start as near the front as possible and hopefully be able to win! We've been consistent so far but now is the time when we need to start winning races."

4th Bradley Smith 1.47.113 (25 laps):
"It is nice to be competitive from the opening day, especially considering how hard we found it to get on the pace at Montmeló. We needed to make sure that everything was still working okay and today was a good start. I found it difficult to go any faster because it was quite windy out there today but on the other hand the track temperature was high and that helped us do our job. In general the lap times aren't that fast, probably because of the wind, but I expect we'll all pick the pace up tomorrow. It was a shame that I ran into a lot of traffic over the last three laps and it prevented me from getting a fast lap in but I'm happy with the job we've done. We'll work on finding a better feeling tomorrow with the front suspension and stiffen it up a little because today I couldn't brake as hard as I'd like."

Dutch GP, Assen - 250cc Results FP1

Mapfre Aspar rider Alvaro Bautista again proved to be the fastest man of the field in the first 250cc practice today. After a slow start but with steady progress Alvaro Bautista finally snatched the top spot from Hector Barbera in the closing minutes of the session, held under sunny conditions. Teammate Mike Di Meglio made a good impression as well, finishing the day in third position with 0.655s off the leader.
Replacement rider Aleix Espargaro showed a great performance for the Balatonring Team, finishing in the Top 10.

Pos. Rider Team Lap time Gap

1 Alvaro BAUTISTA Mapfre Aspar Team 1'40.817
2 Hector BARBERA Pepe World Team 1'41.002 0.185
3 Mike DI MEGLIO Mapfre Aspar Team 250cc 1'41.472 0.655
4 Alex DEBON Aeropuerto-Castello-Blusens 1'41.680 0.863
5 Mattia PASINI Team Toth Aprilia 1'41.710 0.893
6 Lukas PESEK Auto Kelly - CP 1'41.832 1.015
7 Marco SIMONCELLI Metis Gilera 1'41.866 1.049
8 Hiroshi AOYAMA Scot Racing Team 250cc 1'41.941 1.124
9 Aleix ESPARGARO Balatonring Team 1'42.482 1.665
10 Thomas LUTHI Emmi - Caffe Latte 1'42.502 1.685
11 Roberto LOCATELLI Metis Gilera 1'42.539 1.722
12 Hector FAUBEL Valencia CF - Honda SAG 1'42.674 1.857
13 Karel ABRAHAM Cardion AB Motoracing 1'42.744 1.927
14 Raffaele DE ROSA Scot Racing Team 250cc 1'42.817 2.000
15 Alex BALDOLINI WTR San Marino Team 1'42.888 2.071
16 Ratthapark WILAIROT Thai Honda PTT SAG 1'42.890 2.073
17 Jules CLUZEL Matteoni Racing 1'42.900 2.083
18 Shoya TOMIZAWA CIP Moto - GP250 1'44.250 3.433
19 Imre TOTH Team Toth Aprilia 1'45.039 4.222
20 Stevie BONSEY Milar - Juegos Lucky 1'45.428 4.611
21 Axel PONS Pepe World Team 1'45.493 4.676
22 Vladimir LEONOV Viessmann Kiefer Racing 1'45.837 5.020
23 Valentin DEBISE CIP Moto - GP250 1'45.899 5.082
24 Toby MARKHAM C&L Racing 1'47.246 6.429
25 Bastien CHESAUX Racing Team Germany 1'47.530 6.713

Dutch GP, Assen - 125cc Results FP1

Business as usual in the 125cc class with Bancaja Aspar rider Julian Simon again clocking the fastest laptime of the day. This time however without as much domination with Simon taking the top spot from teammate Sergio Gadea only in the last minute.
Fellow Aspar rider Bradley Smith finished the day in 4th, the last rider to be within half a second of Simon's laptime.

Pos. Rider Nation Team Lap time

1 J. SIMON SPA Bancaja Aspar Team 125cc 1'46.725
2 S. GADEA SPA Bancaja Aspar Team 125cc + 0.200
3 N. TEROL SPA Jack & Jones Team + 0.318
4 B. SMITH GBR Bancaja Aspar Team 125cc + 0.388
5 D. WEBB GBR Degraaf Grand Prix + 0.552
6 M. MARQUEZ SPA Red Bull KTM Moto Sport + 0.847
7 E. VAZQUEZ SPA Derbi Racing Team + 0.899
8 S. CORTESE GER Ajo Interwetten + 0.994
9 A. IANNONE ITA Ongetta Team I.S.P.A. + 1.049
10 R. KRUMMENACHER SWI Degraaf Grand Prix + 1.136
11 S. CORSI ITA Fontana Racing + 1.160
12 L. SAVADORI ITA Fontana Racing + 1.216
13 S. BRADL GER Viessmann Kiefer Racing + 1.418
14 P. ESPARGARO SPA Derbi Racing Team + 1.519
15 E. RABAT SPA Blusens Aprilia + 1.597
16 J. OLIVE SPA Derbi Racing Team + 1.744
17 J. ZARCO FRA WTR San Marino Team + 1.918
18 D. AEGERTER SWI Ajo Interwetten + 2.296
19 A. MASBOU FRA Loncin Racing + 2.371
20 S. REDDING GBR Blusens Aprilia + 2.455
21 C. BEAUBIER USA Red Bull KTM Moto Sport + 2.475
22 J. IWEMA NED Racing Team Germany + 2.758
23 J. FOLGER GER Ongetta Team I.S.P.A. + 2.883
24 T. NAKAGAMI JPN Ongetta Team I.S.P.A. + 2.931
25 M. FRITZ GER LHF-Project Racing + 3.430
26 L. SEMBERA CZE Matteoni Racing + 3.450
27 T. KOYAMA JPN Loncin Racing + 3.555
28 L. ZANETTI ITA Ongetta Team I.S.P.A. + 3.592
29 K. PESEK CZE Pesek Team + 3.733
30 M. VAN DER MARK NED Dutch Racing Team + 4.092
31 L. MARCONI ITA CBC Corse + 4.916
32 L. SALOM SPA Jack & Jones Team + 5.038
33 L. VITALI ITA CBC Corse + 6.406
34 P. BIJSTERBOSCH NED Racing Team Bijsterbosch + 7.210

Out of limit time
R. POUW NED Team Holland

Team Aspar explore Assen track with Olympic gold medalist

Members of the 125cc and 250cc Aspar Team had the honour to explore the Dutch track alongside bicycle racer and Olympic gold medalist Samuel Sanchez on Wednesday, even using the competition bicycles from Sanchez' Euskaltel team.
The host of Spanish MotoGP competitors was completed by British Aspar rider Bradley Smith and former MotoGP champion Casey Stoner.
Two rounds around the track saw the Olympic champion giving some advice and also doing some mini battles with the team members.

Alvaro Bautista: "It has been very entertaining to ride alongside Samuel Sanchez. To be with an Olympic champion in a circuit like Assen is not something that you can do every day, so I enjoyed the experience a lot. He started to race for a moment and people stayed behind while Elías and me have stayed close to his rear wheel and that was fun. To meet so important people of the sport is always a pleasure. David Arroyo, also a cycling professional, is from my area and I have trained with him a few times, you realize immediately that they are at another physical level, it is incredible."

Julian Simón: "It's been great to share a couple of laps on the Assen track with Samuel Sanchez. He told us some secrets of the world of cycling and he let us ride his competition bike, it is super light! I like cycling, I do it pretty often to keep fit. I am happy to have had the opportunity to meet Samuel and to have a little chat with him."

Bradley Smith: "I had a lot of fun, in the first lap Julian and I have attacked a little to give the afternoon some excitement. And riding alongside Samuel has been really incredible. I believe that it is very important to have to an Olympic champion between us, meaning to combine cycling and motobikes. Personally I would like to wish him the best of luck for his next races and simultaneously we will try and get a good result for him on Saturday."

Sergio Gadea: "It has been a very rewarding experience to be able to ride next to an Olympic champion in a mythical circuit like this one. I've ridden those kind of bikes before, but these are totally different from anything I tried before. They are so light that it seems that you don't really have anything under you. It's been a great way to start this GP and we now have warmed up our engines."

Aleix Espargaro to ride in Assen

Spanish rider Aleix Espargaro, older brother of current 125cc rider Pol Espargaro, will replace injured Balasz Nemeth at Assen this weekend.
With Nemeth adviced to rest his injured hand for about a month, he'll not be able to participate in the Dutch GP, giving Espargaro a chance to ride a 250cc machine once more.
Espargaro was a part of the official Lotus Aprilia team last year which dissolved after the departure of Dani Amatriain. Due to the economic situatuon Espargaro was not able to find another ride for the 2009 season, but is currently riding the newly developed Promo Racing Moto2 machine in the Spanish Championship.



Aleix Espargaro: In Assen I rode a 250cc bike for the first time, everything was well and I have good memories of that first experience. At the moment I am involved in a project with a Moto2 and very satisfied, but this opportunity is a dream. It's been a while since I've ridden a 250cc bike, but I don't think they have changed so much in a year, so there will be a lot of work on Thursday and Friday to be competitive. I am very motivated, because I didn't participate in a world championship round since last season. It is early to give a prognosis, but to finish among the Top 6 would be a great result. I can't wait to arrive in Holland, meet the team and start riding."

Aspar Team - Assen Previews

250cc

Álvaro Bautista:
"I think we're strong right now and we go to Holland with plenty of confidence and motivation after the victory in Barcelona. Assen is a circuit I really like, with a mixture of fast and twisty sections, and in general it's a nice place. Last year we won from pole and we have good references, so hopefully the weather can be on our side like it was at the last round so that we can set the pace again. Our objective will be to work hard from Friday and find the best set-up possible so that we have every chance of fighting for the win on Saturday. Being the series leader is a source of great motivation but you have to remember that there is still a long way to go in the championship and it is important we stay consistent. If I have a chance to go for the win I won't think twice about it, but if it's not on then I'll take as many points as I can."

Mike Di Meglio:
"Assen is a wonderful circuit and I like it a lot, so I hope I can perform well there. Last year things didn't go well for me in the race because I had some problems with my bike but hopefully in this new category and with this new team we can work well for this race. The idea is to continue to learn and make progress but I would really like to cap it off with a good race. Over the past couple of rounds we've done well in practice but for one reason or another we haven't been able to finish the job off on a Sunday. From now on I'll be taking extra care not to crash because we've thrown away too many points already."



125cc

Julián Simón:
"I really like Assen a lot. The old layout was better but it is still fun to ride here. I am really motivated because I know I can run at the front, even though we won't know exactly what we're capable of until we get out there. I'm sure that if we keep working as we have done up to now we'll be up there. The weather is going to be an important factor, as it always is here, and there's usually a day or two of rain. I really want to get back to winning ways, like at Le Mans, and be up there fighting for victory the whole race. I also want to put the disappointment of Montmeló behind me. Being back on top of the championship givers me a lot of motivation and I think it is a position befitting of the job we're doing."

Bradley Smith:
"After finishing eighth at Montmeló I'm looking forward to getting to Assen and fighting for a top finish. It wasn't a bad result and I'm still only a point and a half behind Julito but I was left with a bittersweet taste after that race. We have to think positive and keep working in the same way we have up to now. The Dutch TT last year was a strange race because of the red flag but I think I finished fifth, which isn't a bad result. I really enjoy riding at Assen - a lot of people I speak to say the old circuit was even more fun but I never had the chance to ride it. The first section is a bit slow and personally I prefer the second half of the lap because it's really quick. I think the work we did at the Valencia test should pay off because we improved engine performance."

Sergio Gadea:
"Assen is a circuit I've done well at in the past. Last year I broke down when I was in third place but I've been on the podium here before and I have plenty of good memories. I think I can be competitive here in wet or dry conditions and psychologically speaking we're strong after the podium at Montmeló and I think we can look for a top result. I just want to keep working as well as we have done up to now - I know we're 25 points behind Julián but we closed the gap in the last round and it is only one race difference, so it is up to us not to make any mistakes and to stay in touch. We'll try and do our job to the best of our ability in each race, not make any mistakes and I think our experience could play in our favour."

Dutch GP - Assen - Event Schedule

Thursday June 26

125cc :: Free Practice 1 :: 09:00-09:45
MotoGP :: Free Practice 1 :: 10:00-11:00
250cc :: Free Practice 1 :: 11:15-12:15
125cc :: Qualifying 1 :: 13:10-13:40
MotoGP :: Free Practice 2 :: 13:55-14:55
250cc :: Qualifying 1 :: 15:10-15:55

*************************************

Friday June 27

125cc :: Free Practice 2 :: 09:00-09:45
MotoGP :: Free Practice 3 :: 10:00-11:00
250cc :: Free Practice 2 :: 11:15-12:15
125cc :: Qualifying 2 :: 13:15-13:40
MotoGP :: Qualifying 1 :: 13:55-14:55
250cc :: Qualifying 2 :: 15:10-15:55

*************************************

Saturday June 28

125cc :: Warm-Up :: 08:40-09:00
250cc :: Warm-Up :: 09:10-09:30
MotoGP :: Warm-Up :: 09:40-10:00
125cc :: Race :: 11:00-11:45
250cc :: Race :: 12:15-13:00
MotoGP :: Race :: 14:00-15:00

*************************************

(*All times local)