MotoGP 2015 Assen TT Race Day Guide
Official statistics compiled by Dr. Martin Raines
• Valentino Rossi starts from pole for the first time since the final race of 2014 at Valencia, which was also the last time he started from the front row. Rossi is the oldest rider to start from pole in the MotoGP class since Jeremy McWilliams at Phillip Island in 2002. The last time that Rossi won from pole was at the San Marino GP in 2009.
• In second place on the grid is Aleix Espargaro, who will be aiming to become the first Suzuki rider to finish on the podium at the Dutch TT since Kenny Roberts Jr. was second in 1999.
• Marc Marquez starts from the front row for the sixth time in 2015. Marquez has had four wins and a second place finish in the last five years at the Dutch TT.
• Dani Pedrosa heads the second row of the grid – his best qualifying result since the opening race of the year in Qatar. Pedrosa has not won at Assen since he took his maiden GP win in the 125cc class at the Dutch TT in 2002.
• In fifth place on the grid is Pol Espargaro, the winner of the Moto2 race at the Dutch TT two years ago.
• Andrea Iannone is the top Ducati rider in qualifying, in sixth place on the grid. Iannone has finished in the top six at every one of the first seven races of the year.
• Heading the third row of the grid is Cal Crutchlow, who has crashed out of the last three races.
• Jorge Lorenzo is in eighth place on the grid, his worst qualifying result since he was the ninth fastest qualifier at Assen last year. Lorenzo has led across the line on every lap of the last four races – a record 103 consecutive laps in the lead.
• Maverick Viñales, who is in ninth place on the grid, has finished either first or second in each of his four appearances at Assen in the smaller classes of grand prix racing.
• Andrea Dovizioso is in tenth place on the grid – his worst qualifying result since he was tenth fastest qualifier at the Australian GP last year.
• Danilo Petrucci is in 11th place on the grid but his qualifying time is within half a second of the pole position time set by Rossi.
• For the first time this year Stefan Bradl is the highest placed Open Class rider, in 13th place on the grid.
Moto2
• Johann Zarco starts from pole for the third time in 2015; on both previous occasions this year he has started from pole he has gone on to win the race, in Argentina and Catalunya. This is the first time that a French rider has had back-to-back poles in the intermediate-class since Randy de Puniet at the final race of 2003 in Valencia and the first race of 2004 in South Africa. Zarco will be aiming to be the first French rider to win back-to-back races in the intermediate-class of grand prix racing since Christian Sarron in 1984.
• Tito Rabat is starting from the front row for the seventh time in 2015. Assen is one of only two circuits on the current grand prix schedule where Rabat has not had a podium finish in the Moto2 class. The other is the Sachsenring.
• In the final place on the front row is Sam Lowes, who has finished 4th at the last three races and will be attempting to get back on the podium for the first time since he was third in Argentina.
• Heading the second row is Simone Corsi – his best qualifying result since he was 3rd on the grid at Silverstone last year.
• In fifth place on the grid is Jonas Folger, who has had two wins already this year but has not finished in the top six at the other five races.
• Taking the final place on the second row is Xavier Simeon, which is his best qualifying result since he was on pole in Austin.
Moto3
• Enea Bastianini starts from pole for the second successive race. He is the first Italian rider to have back-to-back poles in the lightweight-class of grand prix racing since Simone Corsi in 2008, and he takes the record as the youngest ever Italian rider to start from pole at successive races.
• Jorge Navarro starts from second place on the grid, which equals his best ever qualifying result, at Le Mans earlier in the year.
• Karel Hanika has qualified on the front row for the first time in his grand prix career. Hanika has not managed to score any points since he had his best ever GP result at the third event of the year in Argentina, when he finished seventh.
• Danny Kent, who heads the second row of the grid, will be aiming to be the first British rider to win a lightweight-class race at the Dutch TT since 1969, when Dave Simmonds, riding a Kawasaki, won at Assen on his way to becoming the last British rider to take the 125cc world title.
• Isaac Viñales starts from the middle of the second row – his best qualifying result since he was the fifth fastest qualifier in Argentina, which was the last time he finished on the podium.
• In sixth place on the grid is Miguel Oliveira, who finished third last year at the Dutch TT – his only podium of 2014.
