First, Pedro Acosta eased off, then the Spaniard shook out his right arm and coasted towards the pits. On a difficult weekend, the KTM factory rider was forced to pull out mid-race at the Dutch Grand Prix. On lap 13 of 26, Acosta abandoned his machine — according to initial information, he had to call it quits at Assen due to pain. Team-mate Brad Binder (South Africa) crossed the line ninth.
Ai Ogura claimed his first MotoGP victory at the tenth championship round and made history in the process. The 25-year-old is the first winner from Japan in the premier class since Makoto Tamada in 2004.
Ogura took the chequered flag ahead of his Aprilia team-mate Raul Fernández — the Spaniard had edged him out in Saturday’s sprint. Jorge Martín rounded out an Aprilia one-two-three by finishing third.
The race at the “Cathedral of Speed” was marred by a heavy crash: Marco Bezzecchi lost the front at turn 15 on the second lap and was flung off at high speed. The Italian tumbled several times in the gravel but stayed conscious.
The extent of the 27-year-old’s injuries was initially unclear. The retirement saw Bezzecchi lose the championship lead to Martín: the 2024 Spanish champion now tops the standings with 193 points ahead of Bezzecchi (186). World champion Marc Márquez (Ducati) finished seventh and, as fifth in the standings with 153 points, remains in contention. In two weeks, MotoGP heads to the Sachsenring for the German Grand Prix (10 to 12 July).
