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Aprilia Analysis: Why Trackhouse Was Better Than the Factory Team

Sports Of The Day

Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura secure Trackhouse’s first one-two finish in the Assen Sprint—Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin explain why they were slower

Aprilia dominated the first two days of the Dutch TT in Assen. Marco Bezzecchi was initially the fastest in all three free practice sessions, but in qualifying, his teammate Jorge Martin secured pole position. It was his first since joining Aprilia.

Qualifying was also a milestone for the Italian brand, as Aprilia riders took the top four spots for the first time in MotoGP history. In the Sprint, the Trackhouse satellite team then outshone the factory team.

Raul Fernandez won ahead of Ai Ogura. Bezzecchi and Martin finished “only” fourth and fifth. An analysis of the four riders reveals why Trackhouse celebrated its first one-two finish and why the factory team missed the podium.

“Raul was the one who made the best use of the tires, especially at the start,” says Bezzecchi. “He held back a bit on the first lap, but then immediately passed Jorge. His pace at the start was very good.”

Fernandez confirms this as well; at 178 centimeters tall, he is the tallest and heaviest of the four Aprilia riders: “Because I’m quite heavy compared to Ai, it’s easier for me to get the tires up to temperature.”

Ogura’s weakness is well known to be the early stages of a race. As the race progresses, the Japanese rider gets stronger and stronger and is regularly among the fastest on the track in the final stages.

His weakness in the early stages is due, on the one hand, to warming up the tires and, on the other hand, to the fact that Ogura isn’t riding aggressively enough: “The first few laps: On SkyTV, [Mattia] Pasini told me that my line in Turn 5 wasn’t ideal.”

“Not wrong, but I left too much space for the riders behind me. It was good that he told me that,” Ogura says, gratefully accepting the former racer’s advice: “I can work on the first two or three laps for tomorrow.”

“If I were a little more aggressive. I mean, I don’t have to be aggressive, but if I don’t lose any key positions in the first two laps, then I have a great chance at victory.”

“I lost positions in Brno, and I lost positions here. That’s why I’m second.” Most recently in the Czech Republic, Ogura lost to Francesco Bagnaia in the sprint from pole position and to Marc Marquez in the Grand Prix.

Why Jorge Martin kept slowing down

Back to the early stages of the sprint at Assen. Martin got off to a very good start, leading for the first two laps, but then he couldn’t keep up the pace.

“I was able to take the lead, but then I realized I had no grip on the rear tire. That hurt me right up until the end,” Martin sighs. “It got a little worse with every lap.”

“In the last three laps, it was difficult to keep the Ducatis behind me, and overall, the feeling was very poor compared to the rest of the weekend. So I don’t know exactly what the problem was, but the rear grip just wasn’t there.”

Martin has noted in recent weeks that he hasn’t yet found a base setup that works on all tracks. The setup he used to win at Le Mans isn’t usable on other track layouts.

He’d like to have a test day, but there isn’t one. That’s why Martin and his crew are trying out changes during the race weekend. At Assen, they found a better feel for the front wheel.

“Yes, that’s improved a lot. The [feel for the] front wheel was significantly better this weekend,” he confirms. “Starting as early as FT1, we tried something that helped me, and that also helped a lot in qualifying.”

“So we’re on the right track. I just think that in the sprint, the rear wheel wasn’t working. We’re making changes to the bike, and sometimes it works well, sometimes it doesn’t. Today, it wasn’t the right approach.”

Marco Bezzecchi loses his chance in the opening stages

Bezzecchi, too, didn’t have the same good feeling in the Sprint as he did in practice, where he was the fastest rider on the grid. “I had a few more problems in the first couple of laps, that’s true,” says the Italian.

“I’m currently struggling a bit right after the start, and I was overtaken by several riders. In the sprint, those first three laps are crucial. After that, I felt better and better, and my pace was slightly better.“

”But it was a bit too late, and I could only finish in fourth place. I was riding similarly to Ai, but just a bit too late—maybe one or two laps too late.”

Aggressive pass by Bezzecchi on Martin

What was Bezzecchi lacking in the first three laps? “If I knew that, then it wouldn’t be missing. It was mainly a bit of a feeling—a little more movement [in the bike] than usual. Those were the two main problems overall.”

During his comeback, Bezzecchi also made an aggressive pass on Martin. But Martin takes it in stride: “That’s racing. He passed me, and I tried to fight back to hold the position.”

“I did the same thing with Ogura. Whenever I have the chance—or the other riders do—we always try to attack right back. I hope I’ll be a bit faster tomorrow and won’t have to battle with the others.”

Has Fernandez now secured his MotoGP future?

In the Sprint, Fernandez didn’t have to battle anyone starting on lap three. In recent weeks, his form has been on the rise: He won the Sprint at Mugello, but was then sidelined by appendicitis in Brno.

Now he was back at the front again on Saturday in Assen. Nevertheless, his future remains uncertain. Staying with Trackhouse is reportedly looking more likely again, but Fernandez hasn’t signed a contract yet.

“The way I see it, I’m having a great time on the bike,” he says of his current situation. “I can do whatever I want, and it’s been a long time since I couldn’t do what I wanted on the bike.”

“Now, however, I can do exactly that. I can tell that I’m reaching my full potential, and I think that’s exactly what I need to do: stay calm. And what doesn’t depend on me is out of my hands. I’ve been saying this all year: I’m focusing on becoming a better rider.”

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