Bagnaia wins the Dutch MotoGP and closes the gap in the championship to rival Martin | Motorsport news

The reigning two-time world champion led from start to finish at the Assen circuit to win the Dutch Motorcycling Grand Prix.

Francesco Bagnaia won his third consecutive Dutch MotoGP ahead of championship leader Jorge Martin, closing the gap to 10 points in his quest for a third consecutive world title.

Bagnaia’s factory Ducati teammate Enea Bastianini completed the podium at Assen on Sunday.

Poland’s Bagnaia led from the start in a flawless race, capping a memorable weekend after also taking victory in Saturday’s sprint race.

After giving a riding masterclass, the Turin rider said “It’s incredible.

“I had to push from the start and suffered a little with the rear tire. But, lap after lap, I improved.”

“We were very fast, very precise… I’m very satisfied,” added Bagnaia, who twice broke the Assen track record at the weekend.

The weekend’s victory at Assen also again highlighted Ducati’s dominance in the constructors’ championship standings, providing Ducati’s fifth consecutive podium.

Bagnaia’s race never seemed to be in doubt, as both he and Martin opened up a considerable lead over the rest of the field in the opening laps of the race.

Throughout the race, Martin was five seconds behind the leader on the 4.5 km (2.8 mi) track. He made a last-ditch effort to pull Bagnaia but was unable to get close enough to challenge, ending up behind the Italian at the finish line by 3.68 seconds.

“At the end of the race there was nothing left. I tried my best to catch him,” Martin said.

The real battle was for third place, which turned into a titanic fight between Bastianini, Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales, Marc Márquez on a Ducati Gresini and Fabio Di Giannantonio on a Ducati VR46.

After rounds of ping-pong, Bastianini overtook Vinales with four laps to go and maintained third position until the checkered flag, ahead of the Spaniard.

The riders are now preparing for next week’s German MotoGP at Sachsenring.

Martin now leads the 2024 MotoGP World Championship standings with 200 points after eight of the 21 rounds. Bagnaia is second best with 190 points, followed by Márquez with 149.