Marc Márquez has not had the best preparation for the TT in Assen. The Spanish leader in the MotoGP championship crashed heavily twice during free practice on Friday.
Márquez already crashed during the first free practice, but still set the fastest time. In the second free practice, the 32-year-old Catalan ended up in the gravel again. Márquez needed some time to recover, but was eventually able to leave the track on his own.
It was a tumultuous day in Assen anyway, under the watchful eye of King Willem-Alexander. Not only Marc Márquez, but also his brother Álex and seven other riders crashed. The training session even had to be temporarily stopped after a heavy crash by the Japanese rider Ai Ogura.
Fabio Quartararo kept his cool and set the best time. The 26-year-old Frenchman was crowned winner in Assen in 2021. The following three editions were won by Francesco Bagnaia, who is also present this year.
The TT in Assen is the tenth of a total of 22 Grands Prix this season. Marc Márquez has won five GPs so far and is at the top of the standings with 270 points. His brother Álex follows with 230 points and Bagnaia is third with 160 points. Marc Márquez and Bagnaia are teammates at Ducati Lenovo Team.
Currently, there are no Dutch riders active in the MotoGP class. Collin Veijer and Zonta van den Goorbergh, son of former rider Jurgen van den Goorbergh, ride in the Moto2 class.