The sun was shining at the TT Circuit Assen ahead of the 2026 Dutch GP, and the air was electric with an all-Aprilia front row. With title challenger Jorge Martín on pole, he was joined on the front row by Ai Ogura and championship leader Marco Bezzecchi.
Having missed qualifying but managing to make it through the Sprint, Álex Márquez was hoping for an easy ride in today’s race as he continues his recovery from injury. Meanwhile his Gresini teammate, Fermín Aldeguer, was absent due to a fractured T7 vertebrae as a result of a scary crash in the Practice session.
This was also a weekend of change, with holeshot devices removed and a more spaced-out grid layout, all in an effort to reduce the risk of Lap 1 Turn 1 incidents. With Trackhouse looking to replicate their Sprint glory, and the factory Aprilia riders battling for the championship lead, it was all to play for as the lights went out in Assen for the Dutch GP.
Race Start
As everyone got off the line, it was Ai Ogura who managed to snatch the lead as they went into Turn 1. It was a short-lived lead as Jorge Martín got back past one corner later. Behind them, Raúl Fernández moved up into third as he slipped past Marco Bezzecchi. The championship leader’s woes didn’t end there, as Marc Márquez was soon past him as well, dropping Bezzecchi to fifth.
The yellow flags came out as Joan Mir crashed out between Turns 10 and 11, bringing an early end to the race for the Honda rider. Meanwhile, Fernández was making moves on teammate Ogura, passing him to take second.
As the pack crossed the line to start the second lap, the scrap between the front-runners showed no sign of letting up. Ogura was still scrapping with Fernández, but this allowed Marc Márquez to take advantage. Ogura quickly found himself down to fifth, but moments later Bagnaia swept past to drop the Japanese rider to sixth.
Bezzecchi Crashes Out
The yellow flags came out again as Bezzecchi had a huge second-lap crash at Turn 15. The Aprilia rider went down in fourth gear at approximately 182 km/h (113 mph), hitting the gravel and violently tumbling head over feet multiple times before finally coming to a stop just before the barrier. Bezzecchi was later seen sat on the floor with marshals and medics tending to him, conscious but clearly hurting. It was soon confirmed that he would be taken to the medical centre, to be checked over, but was quickly taken to hospital due to the extreme pain he was feeling.
As the championship leader was taken away to be checked over, the reigning champion Marc Márquez now found himself in third. On Lap 3, Pedro Acosta was making moves, sweeping past Bagnaia through the final corner. Two laps later, Ogura had managed to fight his way back up the order and made a neat move on Márquez to get back into the podium positions. Acosta wasted little time in seizing the advantage, also slipping past Márquez just a few moments later. As they approached the turn at Ruskenhoek, the Ducati rider took fourth place back off his future teammate. But the battle wasn’t over just yet, as the pair continued to swap positions throughout the next two laps. On Lap 9, Acosta was back in front of Márquez until he ran wide. This not only allowed Márquez to get back through, but also Bagnaia.
Ogura On The Charge
As the front runners crossed the line to begin Lap 10, Ogura set the fastest lap of the race so far. Behind, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Álex Márquez and Enea Bastianini were all forming a tight group with Ogura. Further back, Diogo Moreira was having his own impressive scrap with VR46’s Franco Morbidelli. The pair were constantly swapping positions in an exciting fight for 15th. Unfortunately it all came to an end when Morbidelli crashed out at Turn 4. In the Ducati battle, Bagnaia managed to sweep past Marc Márquez through De Bult, showing decent pace against his teammate.
At the end of Lap 12, it was Martín leading from Fernández. Ogura, Bagnaia and Marc Márquez made up the top five. Behind them, Acosta, Di Giannantonio, Álex Márquez and Enea Bastianini rounded out the top 10. On the very next lap, it looked like there were more issues for the KTM of Acosta. He pulled off the track and slowly made his way back round to the pits to retire from the race. Acosta could be seen shaking his hand, and he later confirmed in an interview that he retired due to severe pain in his hand, rather than a technical issue. At the same time this was happening, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu also pulled into the pits to retire from the Dutch GP. It was later confirmed that there had been a vibration issue on his Pramac Yamaha.
Technical Troubles
There seemed to be some gremlins in the air at Assen. The next rider to have a technical issue was Bagnaia. He took to the Long Lap route in order to get out of the way as he tried to find a quick fix. Unfortunately it was the end of his race, and Bagnaia pulled into the pits to retire from the race. As the riders started Lap 16, Ogura had set yet another fastest lap, this time with a 1:32.438. He was closing in on Fernández to challenge for second when he ran wide at Turn 4. A brief puff of smoke and some sparks were seen as his rear ride height device got stuck on. After some sharp braking through the remaining corners, the issue eventually resolved itself and Ogura was back on the charge by Lap 17.
Fernández made a neat move past Martín through the final chicane and was confidently leading at the start of Lap 18. As it turned out, there was double trouble for Martín. Ogura swept past him through Turn 1 and up into second. The battle for fourth was heating up too, with Di Giannantonio, Álex Márquez and Enea Bastianini chasing down Marc Márquez.
The Beginning Of The End
By Lap 20, Ogura had caught up to Fernández. The Japanese rider made a bold, late move that saw him take the lead from his teammate. Having already achieved a 1-2 in the Sprint, it looked like Trackhouse were set to do it again.
Further back, Marc Márquez was having an intense scrap with Di Giannantonio. It was reminiscent of his last-lap battle with Valentino Rossi in the 2015 Dutch GP. Di Giannantonio made a very late move, forcing Márquez out onto the gravel before cutting the chicane himself and coming back on track ahead of the Ducati. It certainly caught the eye of the stewards, who notified that they were looking into the move. With Marc Márquez also losing a place to his brother, and Bastianini closing in, there didn’t appear to be a feasible way for Di Giannantonio to give the place back. Whilst the stewards deliberated, Bastianini got past Marc Márquez through Turn 1 on Lap 22, but Márquez was soon able to slip under the KTM rider to regain sixth.
On Lap 23, Di Giannantonio was handed a Long Lap Penalty for his earlier fight with Márquez. The VR46 rider immediately completed the Long Lap, coming back out on track in sixth. He was behind Márquez, but ahead of Bastianini. On the following lap, Di Giannantonio was back on the attack. He repeated his earlier move through the final chicane, this time making a clean pass to move ahead of Marc Márquez.
Final Laps
As this was all happening, Ogura was checking out at the front, whilst Martín chased down Fernández. As the final lap began, it was clear this would be an all-Aprilia podium. Behind them, Di Giannantonio was now hot on the heels of Álex Márquez, soon passing with little trouble.
As the chequered flag waved, an elated Trackhouse team welcomed Ogura across the line. There were scenes of absolute joy as the Japanese rider took his first ever MotoGP victory. Fernández managed to hang on to second to make it a Trackhouse 1-2 for the second time this weekend. Martín came home to take the final podium spot at the Dutch GP, and take the lead in the championship.
Post-Race Penalties
The stewards announced that Marc Márquez was being given a one-place penalty for exceeding track limits on the final lap. This dropped the reigning champion down to seventh. There was also a potential penalty heading Brad Binder’s way for tyre pressure, although this didn’t end up materialising.
History Made & Championship Changes
Ogura’s win at the Dutch GP in Assen was one for the history books. Not only was it his maiden win in MotoGP, but he was also the first Japanese rider to win a MotoGP race in 22 years. He was also became the first former Moto4 Asia Cup rider ever to win a MotoGP race.
Confirmation came after the race that despite initial concerns, Bezzecchi had thankfully escaped his crash with no injuries, and would be flying home to Italy to recover.
With Bezzecchi out early, Martín only needed to finish 10th or higher to take over the lead in the championship, so a third-place finish was more than enough. Here’s how things are shaping up in the title fight after the Dutch GP:
Feature image courtesy of MotoGP.com