“Back to business” for Bagnaia and Ducati at Assen

After a pleasing double at home at the beginning of June, the Ducati Lenovo team will try to defend its interests at Assen. To achieve this, she will be able to count on a fit Francesco Bagnaia. After winning each of the last two main races, in Barcelona and Mugello, the reigning world champion is preparing to race on a track he loves.

The No. 1 has indeed found the path to victory at Assen, both in 2022 and 2023. A statistic which naturally gives a lot of confidence to Bagnaia who took advantage of the three weeks of interruption to rest, but also to to work.

“After Italy it was good to have some rest to recover, confides Bagnaia before the eighth meeting of the season. I rested a little, but above all, I continued to train. I did some laps on the track with my Panigale V4S. I also have to take part in a Monster Energy event at Silverstone with other drivers. »

Now, however, it's back to business. I am happy to get back on the track near Assen, continues Bagnaia. This is one of my favorite routes. I even have a tattoo of it on my arm. During the last Grands Prix, we worked well, and my feeling with the Desmosedici was very good. »

Having learned of the risk of rain in the Netherlands, the Ducati rider admits not to be worried by this possibility.

“I just had two consecutive victories. Three if we also count the Mugello Sprint. So, of course, there are conditions to continue on this path. I hope the weather will be good and will allow us to work from the first session on Friday. But in any case, I am ready to face the weekend in any condition” he concluded.

Kickstarting our week with the same motivation of a Champion! 🫡Next stop: 🇳🇱#MondayMotivation #ForzaDucati #DucatiLenovoTeam pic.twitter.com/phyrmYN9WV

- Ducati Corse (@ducaticorse) June 24, 2024

Assen, the next step for a confident Bastianini

On the other side of the garage, Enea Bastianini arrives at Assen with the confidence provided by a strong finish to the race in Italy, rewarded with a podium. The Rimini driver currently sits fourth in the overall standings, but moved closer to Marc Marquez at the last event.

“This long break was necessary, but now I really want to get back on track, underlines Bagnaia’s teammate. After my good result during my home race in Italy, I arrive in Holland motivated. I had never managed to get on the podium at Mugello in the past. Having done it this year, although I still feel like I'm missing something, gives me hope for the next races.

Compared to the past, I have been more regular this year, he continues. NOTWe work well, and race after race, we continue to grow. So we are on the verge of finding that explosiveness that we still lack, although a step forward has been taken. We will work hard from the first session on Friday to be able to fight for the top positions. »

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