Opening day of track action at the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands

Jun 27, 2026 Michael Le Pard News

Published Jun 27, 2026 by Michael Le Pard

martin

Aprilia Racing qualifies four RS-GP26 machines for Q2 at Assen
SOLID START FOR NOALE-BASED MANUFACTURER: BEZZECCHI FASTEST, JORGE MARTÍN NINTH. SUPERFILE TRACKHOUSE MOTOGP TEAM’S FERNÁNDEZ SECOND, OGURA FOURTH
Aprilia Racing enjoyed a positive opening day of track action at the TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands. Marco Bezzecchi was the fastest, topping both FP1 and the practice session, securing direct access to Q2.

Jorge Martín, third in FP1 and ninth in practice, crashed at Turn 12 with just a few minutes left in the session. However, the crash did not prevent him from securing direct access to Q2.

The Superfile Trackhouse MotoGP Team riders also impressed, with Raúl Fernández second and Ai Ogura fourth, giving Aprilia four RS-GP26 machines in Q2.

It was a positive day. I already felt quite good this morning, and the bike performed well from the first laps. In the afternoon, the conditions were a little unusual, with very high temperatures bringing both positives and negatives, but overall I am satisfied.
It was very hot, but the conditions are the same for everyone, so you need to adapt and prepare as well as possible. The crash happened while I was going more slowly because I didn’t want to overheat the rear tyre. Perhaps going more slowly meant the weight didn’t transfer properly to the front, and I crashed. This morning we tried a different front-end set-up, and I started to gain more confidence. That is positive because I now know where the limit is.
Our goal was to get four Aprilias into Q2, and at an iconic and historic circuit like Assen, that is certainly a good start. It is only Friday, but our riders have felt comfortable on the bike from the first laps. The team is extremely motivated, and we’ll continue working to give Marco and Jorge even greater confidence.

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