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Race report

Assen Moto3: Martin retakes points lead with victory

Jorge Martin retook the Moto3 championship lead with victory at Assen as pre-race points leader Marco Bezzecchi crashed on the last lap.

Podium: Race winner Jorge Martin, Del Conca Gresini Racing Moto3

Podium: Race winner Jorge Martin, Del Conca Gresini Racing Moto3

Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Martin led off the line from his record-breaking 14th pole position, and tried to initially create a gap to the pack was closely followed by Enea Bastianini, Aron Canet, John McPhee and Bezzecchi, who came up from ninth on the opening lap.

Martin had an advantage of 0.8s while they squabbled for second, but after Canet picked off Bastianini and Bezzecchi in one lap for second, he hauled in Martin and brought the chasing pack with him.

Several lead changes ensued as KTM pair McPhee and Bezzecchi would power past the less punchy Hondas through Hoge Heide, but would come under challenge again through the Timmer chicane and into the first corner.

Bezzecchi ran wide on the exit of Turn 1 with three laps to go, allowing Martin through and handing him a significant advantage of 0.5s to McPhee when he passed his fellow KTM rider.

But McPhee crashed at Turn 9 after losing the front end of his CIP-run bike, and Prustel GP rider Bezzecchi also ended up in the gravel on the final lap of the race while running fourth.

That meant Gresini Honda man Martin took the victory, becoming the first Moto3 rider to do so from pole in Assen, and takes a two-point lead in the championship from Bezzecchi.

Bastianini (Leopard Honda) came up the inside of Canet (Estrella Galicia Honda) at Hoge Heide for second on the final lap, but Canet fought back into the Timmer chicane to secure the position.

Bester Capital KTM rider Jaume Masia led the second group battle for fourth from 15th on the grid, ahead of Prustel’s Jakub Kornfeil, who came up from 23rd after taking a 12-place grid penalty for irresponsible riding in free practice.

Lorenzo Dalla Porta was sixth on the second Leopard bike, with Red Bull KTM’s Darryn Binder seventh ahead of Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA KTM), Fabio di Giannantonio (Gresini) and Marcos Ramirez (Bester Capital).

Race results:

Pos.#RiderBikeInterval
1 88 spain Jorge Martin  Honda 22 laps
2 44 spain Aron Canet  Honda 0.665
3 33 italy Enea Bastianini  Honda 0.053
4 5 spain Jaume Masia  KTM 10.124
5 84 czech_republic Jakub Kornfeil  KTM 0.111
6 48 italy Lorenzo Dalla Porta  Honda 0.368
7 40 south_africa Darryn Binder  KTM 0.022
8 19 argentina Gabriel Rodrigo  KTM 0.394
9 21 italy Fabio Di Giannantonio  Honda 0.019
10 42 spain Marcos Ramirez  KTM 0.010
11 8 italy Nicolo Bulega  KTM 0.011
12 10 italy Dennis Foggia  KTM 0.196
13 24 japan Tatsuki Suzuki  Honda 11.310
14 75 spain Albert Arenas  KTM 0.484
15 23 italy Niccolo Antonelli  Honda 0.060
16 27 japan Kaito Toba  Honda 0.023
17 65 germany Philipp Ottl  KTM 0.152
18 14 italy Tony Arbolino  Honda 0.038
19 71 japan Ayumu Sasaki  Honda 3.057
20 22 japan Kazuki Masaki  KTM 0.099
21 7 malaysia Adam Norrodin  Honda 0.064
22 41 thailand Nakarin Atiratphuvapat  Honda 0.143
23 72 spain Alonso Lopez  Honda 0.216
24 32 japan  Ai Ogura  Honda 0.025
25 11 belgium Livio Loi  KTM 0.395
26 16 italy Andrea Migno  KTM 6.899
27 81 italy Stefano Nepa  KTM 17.132
28 18 netherlands Ryan Van De Lagemaat  KTM 1 lap
Ret 12 italy Marco Bezzecchi  KTM 1 lap
Ret  17 united_kingdom John McPhee  KTM 2 laps

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