ASSEN, Netherlands – Maverick Viñales led the way during Friday practice for the MotoGP Dutch TT at TT Circuit Assen.
Viñales posted a time of 1:32.638 with his Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing bike, edging out Petronas Yamaha SRT rider Fabio Quartararo for top honors on the speed charts.
“The feeling I have is pretty similar to what I had in Montmeló. I think I made some improvements regarding my riding style, and I took a bit a of profit from it here in Assen,” said Vinales. “But it’s only Friday. We are keeping our heads down, working very hard for the race. It’s very important to get a good result and create good momentum, so we are going to try our best. We’re pushing. We know the bike needs to improve in some areas, so we’re going to try to do that tomorrow. Our main focus is the race and the first laps, so I’m going to do the same as I did in Catalunya and see if it works on Sunday.
“I will try to be on the front row, so I can make a good start. I also have some things to try tomorrow to see if I can improve my rhythm a little, because some riders are very fast,” he added. “It has been a good day. Even in the hot conditions, I felt good on the bike with hard tires, which means the bike is working.”
Quartararo was second-quick at 1:32.818, followed by the factory Ducati pair of Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Dovizioso in third and fourth, respectively.
Spaniard Álex Rins completed the top five for Team Suzuki Ecstar.
Andrea Iannone was sixth ahead of defending champion Marc Marquez, who struggled on Friday and was only seventh fastest for Repsol Honda.
Marquez’s teammate, Jorge Lorenzo, only participated in the first free practice session on Friday and was three seconds off the fast time set by Viñales, ranking last of the 22 riders.