MotoGP Assen: Drying FP2 sees Bagnaia bounce back

Ducati Lenovo’s Pecco Bagnaia was back on top of the standings in a drying FP2 session at Assen TT Circuit on Friday.

Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro led MotoGP Champion Fabio Quartararo in the top three after a rapid final session with Suzuki Ecstar’s duo enveloping Jack Miller in the top six.

Espargaro kicked off FP2 with a 1’42.701 to take third in the overall standings. Morning leader Miller trailing the RS-GP by a mere 0.028s as the session fired up with Alex Marquez third. KTM’s Miguel Oliveira set an identical time to his earlier best with just his third lap of the afternoon as further improvements came in from Bagnaia and Quartararo.

Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins was up to speed quickly as he advanced the benchmark to a 1’42.312, to deny Espargaro before Marquez and Johann Zarco bettered overall. The LCR rider hitting the 1’42.115 pace with his sixth lap of the 4.5km circuit after ten minutes on track.

Repsol Honda’s Pol Espargaro was the only rider in the top ten yet to improve as the clock hit half an hour to go. Quartararo holding the gateway time in tenth as Fabio Di Giannantonio claimed eighth. Bagnaia up to second as Franky Morbidelli dumped his teammate out of contention on his way to fifth.

The Monster Energy rider was firmly in the groove as the number 21 struck for the lead with his tenth lap of the afternoon. A 1’41.834 commanding the standings by almost three-tenths from Marquez and Bagnaia with Quartararo back in tenth.

The Suzuki duo of Rins and Joan Mir sat fifth and sixth before the 2020 Champion improved to fourth. Oliveira and Espargaro having upped the outright pace with the KTM striking the first 1’40 of the day, eight-tenths clear of his nearest rival.

Mooney VR46’s Luca Marini was the first to head