After a string of three straight second-place finishes behind his closest title rivals, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) and Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing), the World Champion Pecco Bagnaia bounced back in some style at the Motul TT Assen by clinching his fourth Grand Prix victory of the season. In doing so, the Italian joined some pretty illustrious company by moving himself into the upper echelons of the history books. That, and more, in your post-Dutch Grand Prix stats:
179.167– Almost 180,000 people attend the 2023 Dutch TT across the weekend, more than 105,000 on Sunday alone. The Saturday attendance was a record for Day 2 of the event: 46,276.
2006 – With Francesco Bagnaia winning at the Dutch TT, this is the first time there are six wins for Italian riders over the opening eight MotoGP™ races since 2006 with Loris Capirossi, Valentino Rossi and Marco Melandri.
50% – Bagnaia has won half the MotoGP™ races this season.
34 – With Bagnaia and Marco Bezzecchi, Ducati is on a streak of 34 MotoGP™ Grand Prix races in a row with at least one rider on the podium.
15 – Bagnaia took his 15th MotoGP™ win at the Dutch TT and is now tied with MotoGP™ Legend Andrea Dovizioso in third on the list of the most successful Italian riders in the premier class. MotoGP™ Legend Valentino Rossi leads with 89 wins ahead MotoGP™ Legend Giacomo Agostini (68).
15 – Bagnaia’s 15th win, all with Ducati, also sees him move above Dovizioso into second on the list of the most successful Ducati riders in the premier class, behind Casey Stoner (23 wins).
9 – Aleix Espargaro was classified third (following Binder’s penalty) and stood on the podium for the first time since he was also third in Aragon last year. This is his ninth podium in MotoGP™. This is also Aprilia’s second podium of the season along with Maverick Viñales’ P2 in Portugal.
6 – Fun fact: at the Dutch TT, Bagnaia’s win comes exactly six years after Valentino Rossi took his final win in Grand Prix racing (June 25, 2017).
5 – Bezzecchi finished second for his fifth podium in MotoGP™ and his second at Assen after he took his maiden rostrum here in the class last year. It’s his fourth so far this season.
3 – For the second successive year at Assen, Ducati and Aprilia lock out the podium. Bagnaia won from Bezzecchi in both events, and Maverick Viñales was third last year but Espargaro third this year.
2 – Bagnaia became the first rider to take back-to-back MotoGP™ wins at Assen since Valentino Rossi did it back in 2004 and 2005.
2 – With Fabio Quartararo crashing out, only two riders have scored points in all the opening eight MotoGP™ races: Franco Morbidelli and rookie Augusto Fernandez.