27/06/2026

Agius and Gonzalez to start from row three in Assen’s «Cathedral of Speed»

The 101st edition of the oldest Grand Prix on the MotoGP calendar is taking place this weekend amid unusually hot weather for the northern Netherlands. The rising temperatures throughout the afternoon had an impact on the outcome of qualifying.

The two Moto2 riders from the LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP team, Manuel Gonzalez and Senna Agius, were among the strongest riders in all practice sessions for the season’s tenth race at the historic TT Circuit in Assen. The weekend began on Friday morning with first and third-place finishes in FP1, and Practice session a few hours later also went well: Gonzalez ultimately finished Friday in second place, while his Australian teammate came in fourth.

On Saturday morning, however, these two exceptional riders took it up a notch during the second free practice session (FP2), which was primarily focused on finalizing preparations for Sunday’s race. This time, Agius turned the tables and set the fastest time, while the Spaniard Gonzalez finished a close second behind him.

Both riders went then into the 15-minute qualifying session that afternoon full of confidence. However, the higher track temperatures resulted in significantly less grip than there had been that morning, making it more difficult to set a fast lap time. Agius ultimately qualified in seventh place, with Gonzalez right behind him in eighth. Despite the less-than-ideal qualifying session, the gap to the front-runners is small, and with their strong race pace, both have good reason to hope for a successful Grand Prix.

Sunday’s race starts at 12:15 p.m. CEST.

Moto2™ Qualifying Results:
1 David ALONSO / COL / CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team / KALEX / 1´35.236
2 Alberto FERRANDEZ / BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 / BOSCOSCURO / 1´35.407 +0.171
3 Izan GUEVARA / SPA / BlU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 / BOSCOSCURO / 1´35.426 +0.190
…
7 #81 Senna AGUIS / AUS / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KALEX / 1´35.497 +0.261
8 #18 Manuel GONZALEZ / SPA / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KALEX / 1´35.531 +0.295

Senna Agius

Q2: P7 – 1´35.497, Grid position 7

«This morning I rode really smoothly and fought off. In the afternoon, I was fast, but I think I pushed it a little bit too hard under those conditions. That’s why I’m a little upset with myself for not handling the situation well. If I’d eased off a bit in that sector, I definitely could have made it onto the front row of the grid. But the pace is there, and although there are a few riders ahead of us, I don’t think they all have the race pace. So tomorrow will be exciting. We just have to get off to a good start and be decisive on the first lap — and I think we can do it. Our goal is to finish on the podium.»

Manuel Gonzalez

Q2: P8 – 1´35.531, Grid position 8

«Ultimately, qualifying didn’t go at all the way we’d hoped. In the morning, the track was in much better condition and the bike felt really good. In the afternoon, we hadn’t expected the grip to change so drastically. We made a few tiny adjustments based on the morning’s data, but they didn’t really help. Still, I’m quite happy with my lap. I was riding alone, while most of the others were in a group. It was also a bit windy — you could feel the bike being pushed out a bit in the fast corners. Still, I’m not that far back; less than three-tenths isn’t too bad. But eighth place isn’t our goal, even though our starting position is closer to the front than the one we had in Brno. A good start, a bit of luck in Turn 1 and Turn 5 — that’s the most important thing: no collisions or crashes. On top of that, our pace this morning was really good. Times in the high 35s on a tire that’s 17 laps old — that’s very strong. So, we’re feeling confident.»

#DutchGP

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