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Moto3, WUP: Fenati wakes them all up at Assen

Best time in race configuration for Romano, who shows great motivation to win. In Moto2 Nakagami fends off Lowes and Zarco

WUP: Fenati wakes them all up at Assen

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All signs this morning point to a dry and very hot Moto3 race. Hot, not as much because of the Dutch temperature, which is always rather cool, as because of the riders’ moods. The guys in the Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing “lower category” opened the event at Assen on Sunday preparing for the race today, trying to find the best setup for their 250 single-cylinder machines.

The quickest of all was Romano Fenati who, with the team SKY VR46 KTM, had the best time at 1’42”956, staying out of trouble and out of the usual packs of unleashed rivals.

For Romano it will be a race on the attack and behind the Italian, the second best in the warm up session was Gabriel Rodrigo, the Argentinian rider, who was about two tenths behind Romano. Finishing third was Frenchman, Julies Danilo astride his team Ongetta-Rivacold Honda who took advantage of a few slipstreams. Fourth best time went to Fabio Di Giannantonio with the Gresini Honda and Francesco Bagnaia was fifth on Mahindra.

The South African championship leader, Brad Binder had the sixth best time of the morning on his team Ajo KTM, leaving Andrea Migno (Sky VR 46), Aron Canet and a very good Maria Herrera behind. Less than a second behind was Fenati.

Tenth best time went to Niccolò Bulega and eleventh to Enea Bastianini, held up by the groups. Fourteenth time for Niccolò Antonelli and twentieth for Lorenzo Dalla Porta, who had a harmless crash astride his Honda.

In Moto2 the fastest rider was Japanese Takaaki Nakagami for team Asia who, with 1’38”033 showed that he had the best pace in the Middle Class, beating Sam Lowed by more than two tenths. The Brit finished ahead of Frenchman Johann Zarco, third at four tenths from the Japanese rider and Franco Morbidelli had the fourth best time, faster than pole man Thomas Luthi.

Oliveira, Folger and Alex Marquez took sixth, seventh and eighth best times, with a gap behind the leader that ranged from a full half a second to almost eight tenths for younger brother Mark.

Tenth time for Alex Rins, championship leader, apparently far from the top and his gap of almost a second behind the Japanese rider is more than suspect. Whether the Catalan rider is studying a strategy or in difficulty remains to be seen in today’s race.

         

 

 

 

Translated by Jonathan Blosser
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