SATURday june. 28, 2025
TT Circuit Assen, The Netherlands
TT Circuit Assen, The Netherlands:
Track length: 2.822 miles / 4.542 kilometers
Warm Up:
9.40am – 9.50am – Dry Track
Air Temperature: 71.6°F / 22°C
Track Temperature: 89.6°F / 32°C
#25 Raul Fernandez
P15 – Best Lap: 1’32.872 – Lap 6 of 7
Top speed: 190.14 mph / 306 km/h
#79 Ai Ogura
P18 – Best Lap: 1’32.948 – Lap 6 of 7
Top speed: 191.57 mph / 308.3 km/h
RACE:
2pm – Dry track: 26 Laps – 73.372 miles / 118.09 kilometers
Air Temperature: 75.2°F / 24°C
Track Temperature: 105.8°F / 41°C
#25 Raul Fernandez – P8 (Race Points: 8 Championship Standing: 14 Total Points: 44)
Race Time: 40’34.367
Best Lap: 1’32.485 – Lap 12 of 26
Average speed: 108.49 mph / 174.6 Km/h
Top speed: 192.5 mph / 309.8 km/h
#79 Ai Ogura – Out on Lap 1 (Race Points: 0 Championship Standing: 12 Total Points: 49)
Race Notes & Quotes:
#25 Raul Fernandez takes 8th and more points after #79, Ai Ogura, is pushed out and crashes on the opening lap to end a tough weekend. Two podiums for Trackhouse MotoGP Team racing manufacturer partner, Aprilia, showed the RS-GP25 has pace.
- The Grand Prix of the Netherlands came hard on the heels of a hot weekend in Italy which delivered a double points haul for the Trackhouse MotoGP Team. For #25 Raul Fernandez, a 7th place in the Italian Grand Prix represented a confidence boosting improvement in form on his Aprilia RS-GP25, while for #79 Ai Ogura, returning from injury at the high-speed layout of Mugello was a challenge that he negotiated well to bring his RS-GP25 home in 10th position.
- Assen, in the north of the Netherlands, is another track that rewards balance and a good set-up to maintain pace through the fast, flowing, changes of direction that largely define the oldest venue on the MotoGP Calendar.
- Friday proved a challenge for Trackhouse and ultimately, frustrating as Raul found pace but missed direct entry into Saturday’s Qualifying 2 shootout by just 0.0001 of a second. For Ai, the first day around the Dutch track on a MotoGP bike was a learning day which culminated in a massive high-side crash at Turn 11, leaving his Trackhouse Aprilia on fire in the gravel bed. The bike was destroyed but, thankfully, Ai was not injured.
- Saturday brought slightly warmer conditions which helped the riders find the tire temperature window for Qualifying in the morning. Ai Ogura’s Q1 session was interrupted by another off which meant he was forced to complete the session on his spare bike and could not find a lap to get him through to Q2. That put him is P20 for the start of the afternoon Sprint, while Raul blitzed Q1, graduating fastest to the second, top 12, session. He ended out in P11.
- The Sprint race ended on Lap 1 for Raul with a technical retirement stemming from an airbox issue with his RS-GP25 while for Ai, recovering from the crash he suffered in Q1 meant his race ended in P16.
- Enjoying warm and sunny conditions, almost 110,000 fans packed into the Assen track on race day for the Grand Prix of the Netherlands – the venue celebrating 100 years of hosting race events and the longest run of continuous races at any track on the MotoGP calendar.
- For Raul Fernandez, the Grand Prix of the Netherlands was another confidence building race as the #25 climbed from 11th place on the grid to 8th at the checkered flag.
- For teammate, Ai Ogura, Sunday’s main race at Assen lasted to turn 5 – off the line in 20th place, he was collected as the result of other riders coming together and forced into the gravel where he crashed.
- The break ahead of Germany will give Ai the chance to get back into his physical training regime which has been on hold since Silverstone and re-set when the World Championship reconvenes in Germany.
- Trackhouse MotoGP Team racing partner, Aprilia, celebrated 2nd in the Grand Prix with Marco Bezzecchi, following up on his 3rd in the Sprint.
RAUL FERNANDEZ
- Grid position: P11 – Started on Front: hard – slick tire & Rear: medium – slick tire
- Raul Fernandez came to the grid with Michelin’s hard front compound and medium rear looking to get the tires into the temperature operating window as early as possible and from the start, in the early laps it looked like a challenge to get his RS-GP25 fully up to speed as Raul went from his starting position in 11th to 15th on Lap 4.
- From there on though his pace increased and he gained a place back on the next lap and then, with attrition ahead, he jumped to 10th on Lap 6.
- Improved another two places on Lap 7 to 8th and then built a gap ahead of the chasing pack and ran that spot to the checkers.
- Another top 10 finish, to back-up recent form and 8 valuable World Championship points to leave Holland 14th in the season standings.
“I’m really happy. I think we are doing a good job and I’m super delighted for the team as well. Trackhouse helped me a lot, also in the tough moments with Justin and Davide supporting me - especially at the beginning of the season. I was in a strange situation and couldn’t really enjoy riding. I was frustrated because we couldn’t find a good way to be fast so, thanks to the Trackhouse MotoGP Team, since the Jerez test we are doing well and since Le Mans we are always in the top 10, fighting for a really good result, like today. The race was super good, also my pace, although at the beginning of the race with the medium rear it was a bit tricky to make the tire work so I spent four, five laps where I couldn’t ride the bike like I wanted - I had to warm up the tire well. Once I felt the tire was ready, I started to find good pace. It was a nice surprise, I made a 32.4 and was very consistent in the 32’s, so I’m very happy overall. I feel we are going in a good way to make another step forward - I feel ready, the team is ready and thanks to Aprilia’s help we can make this next step.”
AI OGURA
- Grid position: P21 – Started on Front: hard – slick tire & Rear: soft – slick tire
- Looking to build confidence, after a bruising weekend at Assen, Lap 1 did the Trackhouse MotoGP Team rookie no favors as Ai was forced into the gravel and crashed out.
- For the #79 crew, a weekend to forget and focus on the German Grand Prix which is up next.
“It’s been a tough weekend. After yesterday’s Sprint, we really wanted to see how much we could do in the main race but, unfortunately, there was an accident in turn five and I was outside, so I couldn’t avoid the riders who had contact. It’s a shame that our weekend ends in this kind of way but it happens. Now we can just look forward to Germany. It’s going to be another new track for me on the MotoGP bike, but I’m excited to go there. We lost a lot of important sessions here in Assen so, next time, we’ll try to be ready as much as we can. The target will be a good Friday, a good Saturday and finish Sunday the best way we can.”
“First of all, congratulations to Marco (Bezzecchi) - great race for Aprilia, good race for Trackhouse and a very positive weekend. It was a pity for Ai because we really needed to make up some laps to see how the race might have unfolded. Raul did a great job, one more time, he was in the top 10 again and we keep this momentum now since a few races, which is very important. It’s very important to be consistent in this position and then try also to go even higher. So, good job again today, we keep going and try to improve further.”
- DAVIDE BRIVIO, TEAM PRINCIPAL
Trackhouse MotoGP Team Championship Standing: 9th Total Points: 93
Next Race: Grand Prix of Germany. July 11 - 13 – Sachsenring. Germany
