ASSEN, Netherlands (Reuters) -Twice MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati completed the perfect weekend at the Dutch Motorcycle Grand Prix when the polesitter and sprint winner stormed to victory in Sunday’s race, reducing the gap to championship leader Jorge Martin by 10 points.
Having dominated the practice and qualifying sessions at TT Assen, reigning MotoGP champion Bagnaia was comfortable from the get-go, leading from the first lap to the chequered flag, despite Martin’s best efforts to make up for lost places after being handed a three-place grid penalty.
The Prima Pramac Racing rider, who was demoted for impeding Raul Fernandez in the second round of qualifying, finished second after starting fifth. Enea Bastianini came third to complete an all-Ducati podium.
Bagnaia, 27, is now the first rider to win three consecutive premier class races at Assen since Australian Mick Doohan. On Saturday, he also smashed the lap record in the qualifying session to clinch his first pole position of the season.
“I enjoyed very much. On the weekend, everything was perfect. I want to thank the crowd, it is fantastic, we enjoyed a lot. We like to be very precise, very fast and in that it was fantastic,” Bagnaia said.
Despite not being able to stretch his lead in the championship over Bagnaia, Martin was happy to take his first podium at Assen.
“It was a difficult weekend… From yesterday to today was another big step, we were much closer to Pecco (Bagnaia). I tried my absolute best to catch him. But I think a second position is good enough for a tough weekend,” Martin said.
Six-times MotoGP champion Marc Marquez, third in the championship, finished fourth. Aprilia Racing’s Maverick Vinales came sixth despite showing promising pace in Q2, where he was the third-quickest.
Fabio Di Giannantonio, Brad Binder, Alex Marquez, Fernandez and Franco Morbidelli were the other riders who made up the top 10 in the race.
Twenty-year-old rookie Pedro Acosta crashed in the closing moments of the race.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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