MotoGP Dutch GP: Ai Ogura scores maiden MotoGP win,…

MotoGP Dutch GP: Ai Ogura scores maiden MotoGP win, Marco Bezzecchi crashes out

Ai Ogura claimed his maiden MotoGP win at the Dutch Grand Prix, while an early crash for Marco Bezzecchi handed the championship lead to his Aprilia team-mate Jorge Martin.

Despite dropping almost 2.5s off the lead in the early stages after battling for third place with Marc Marquez, Ogura gradually closed the gap to the front and battled past both Martin and Trackhouse team-mate Raul Fernandez to claim a sensational win at Assen.

With the result, he became the first Japanese rider to win a MotoGP race since Makoto Tamada triumphed at the wheel of a Honda at Motegi in 2004.

At the start of the race, Ogura again got the holeshot from second on the grid, only for polesitter Martin to barge past him at Turn 3 to reclaim the spot.

Meanwhile, reigning world champion Marquez was immediately on the move, passing his team-mate Francesco Bagnaia for fifth before reeling in a struggling Bezzecchi for fourth place.

As Trackhouse duo Fernandez and Ogura battled for second at the start of lap 2, Marquez pounced on the opportunity to sweep past both in a single move, although he would drop behind Fernandez shortly afterwards.

There was drama later in the same lap, when championship leader Bezzecchi lost the front of his Aprilia at the high-speed Turn 15 and crashed heavily into the barriers.

Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing (Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images)

With a lead contender out, Marquez’s early charge on the soft rear tyre also began to lose steam, with Ogura retaking third spot from him on lap 5.

At this stage, the 25-year-old trailed Martin and Fernandez by almost 2.5s, but with 21 laps still to run in the race.

Lap by lap, Ogura closed in on the pair, wiping out their entire advantage by lap 16. A brief scare with a malfunctioning rear ride height device halted his charge, but he closed the gap back immediately the next lap.

Among the trio, Fernandez was the first to make a move, passing Martin for the lead into Turn 1 at the start of lap 17. Ogura immediately followed Fernandez into second, starting an all-Trackhouse battle for the win.

Ogura finally struck on lap 20, passing Fernandez at Turn 9 before immediately pulling away at the front.

With the Spaniard unable to mount a counter attack, Ogura went on to claim his maiden MotoGP win by two seconds, leading a milestone 1-2 for Trackhouse.

Factory Aprilia rider Martin could put up no fight to the American team, but third place was enough to hand him a seven-point lead in the standings, with Bezzecchi failing to score for a third Sunday in succession.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team (Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images)

With Aprilia locking out the podium, the Ducatis were left to battle amongst themselves for the best of the rest. Bagnaia appeared to have fourth place secured until he slowed down suddenly on lap 15 with what was later reported to be a brake issue.

With Bagnaia pulling into the pits, Fabio di Giannantonio crossed the finish line in fourth, despite being handed a long lap penalty for going off track at the final chicane while battling with Marquez.

Marquez eventually wound up seventh on the last-surviving factory Ducati, his late choice of a soft rear tyre leaving him vulnerable towards the end of the race.

Gresini’s Alex Marquez lost a place to VR46’s di Giannantonio on the final lap, but still came home a solid fifth while still struggling for fitness from his Barcelona injury.

Tech3’s Enea Bastianini finished between the Marquez brothers in sixth, ending the day as the top KTM rider after Pedro Acosta retired mid-race with what appeared to be an arm pump issue.

Both factory Yamaha riders finished inside the top 10, with Fabio Quartararo taking eighth place and Alex Rins ending up 10th. They were separated by the factory KTM of Brad Binder.

The best-placed Honda was Luca Marini in 11th, just three tenths behind Yamaha’s Rins.

Only 16 riders finished the race, with technical problems, crashes and physical issues leading to a total of six retirements,