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MotoGP | Round 9 - Dutch GP 2021 | Wednesday 23 June 2021

The Ducati Lenovo Team ready to get back on track at Assen for the last GP before the summer break

Less than a week after the German GP - which saw Pecco Bagnaia finishing in fifth and Jack Miller in sixth place - the Ducati Lenovo Team is ready to resume action at the famous TT Circuit Assen, in the Netherlands, for the ninth Grand Prix of the 2021 MotoGP season, and the final round before the summer break.

The historic track, also known as "The Cathedral ", situated near Groningen, has continuously hosted the MotoGP World Championship since 1949 (the year the Championship was born), missing only the 2020 edition due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ducati has won at Assen on just one occasion, in 2008, with Casey Stoner, while the Borgo Panigale manufacturer has taken seven podiums and three pole positions in Holland.

At Assen, in 2016, Jack Miller achieved his first success in the premier class after a great race in the rain. The Australian rider, third in the Championship, aims to obtain another important result this weekend, to conclude his first part of the season in the best possible way. In the Netherlands, Francesco Bagnaia, who made an impressive comeback in the last race in Germany, will try to close the gap in the standings, where he currently sits fourth, just one point behind his teammate. After the first eight Grands Prix of the 2021 season, Ducati and the Ducati Lenovo Team occupy the second position in both the manufacturer and team standings.

Jack Miller (#43 Ducati Lenovo Team) - 3rd (100 points)
"After the German GP, this weekend we'll be racing at a track that, at least on paper, isn't the most favourable for the characteristics of our bike. I'm optimistic because even at Sachsenring, where we weren't one of the favourites, we managed to be competitive in practice and qualifying, even if we missed something in the race. In Holland, the weather conditions will play an important role, and it was here in the wet in 2016 that I took my first MotoGP win. It will be the last race before the summer break, so I'll do my best to get closer to the top of the standings and end this first part of the season well."

Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) - 4th (99 points)
"I'm pleased to be back racing at Assen, a track where I won in both Moto3 and Moto2, and that I like so much so that I've even got it tattooed on my arm! It is a particular track, and the weather conditions here will definitely be a deciding factor this weekend. On paper, we are not favourites, but we weren't last weekend in Germany either. If I hadn't started so far back in the race at Sachsenring, I could have been fighting for the podium for sure. We will try again this weekend! We are halfway through the Championship, so it is important to get another good result before the summer break".

The Ducati Lenovo Team will take to the track on Friday 25th June from 9:55 am (CEST) for the first free practice session, while the race (26 laps) will take place on Sunday at 2 pm local time.

Circuit information

Country: Netherlands
Name: TT Circuit Assen
Best lap: Márquez (Honda), 1:33.617 (174.6 km/h) – 2015
Circuit record: Quartararo (Yamaha), 1:32.017 (177.6 km/h) – 2019
Top speed: Iannone (Ducati), 319.8 km/h - 2015
Track length: 4.555 km
Race distance: 26 laps (118.1 km)
Corners: 18 (6 left, 12 right)

2019 results
Podium: 1° Viñales (Yamaha), 2° Márquez (Honda), 3° Quartararo (Yamaha)
Pole Position: Quartararo (Yamaha), 1:32.017 (177.6 km/h) – 2019
Fastest lap: Márquez (Honda), 1:33.712 (174.4 km/h)

Rider Information

Jack Miller
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Race Number: 43
GPs started: 162 (107 x MotoGP, 49 x Moto3, 6 x 125 cc)
First GP: Qatar 2015 (MotoGP), Qatar 2012 (Moto3), Germany 2011 (125 cc)
Wins: 9 (3 MotoGP + 6 Moto3)
First Win: Netherlands 2016 (MotoGP), Qatar 2014 (Moto3)
Pole positions: 9 (1 MotoGP + 8 Moto3)
First pole: Argentina 2018 (MotoGP), USA 2014 (Moto3)
World Titles: -

Francesco Bagnaia
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Race Number: 63
GPs started: 142 (37 x MotoGP, 36 x Moto2, 69 x Moto3)
First GP: Qatar 2019 (MotoGP), Qatar 2017 (MotoGP), Qatar 2013 (MotoGP)
Wins: 10 (8 Moto2 + 2 Moto3)
First Win: Qatar 2018 (Moto2), Netherlands 2016 (Moto3)
Pole positions: 8 (1 MotoGP, 6 Moto2 + 1 Moto3)
First pole: France 2018 (Moto2), Britain 2016 (Moto3), Qatar 2021 (MotoGP)
World Titles: 1 (Moto2, 2018)

Championship Information

Riders' standings
Jack Miller (#43 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 3º (100 points)
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 4º (99 points)

Manufacturers' standings
Ducati – 2º (154 points)

Teams' standings
Ducati Lenovo Team – 2º (199 points)