MotoGP rookie Marco Bezzecchi rides surprisingly on the podium at the Dutch Grand Prix and honours VR46 boss Valentino Rossi still on the run-out lap
Valentino Rossi’s professional motorbike team VR46 has landed its first trophy for a race in the world championship’s premier MotoGP class. Marco Bezzecchi finished less than half a second behind the winner in second place at the 2022 Dutch Grand Prix in Assen on Sunday. With that, it was the rookie who caused a huge cheer at just the eleventh race of his own MotoGP career and also that of the VR46 team.
On the out lap, Bezzecchi approached a Rossi flag. With it, he greeted the team owner sitting in front of his home television, who has ended his active career in the World Motorcycle Championship at the end of 2021. “I saw one of the sports officials with a ‘Vale’ flag. I immediately stopped and stole the flag from him,” Bezzecchi laughs.
Bezzecchi’s praise for Rossi: “I just wanted him to see me thanking him from home. He was my idol and he is still my idol. It means a lot to me to be the first rider to finish on the podium in his team. Of course, I hope it continues like this. I would like to give him many more results like this in the future, because he simply deserves it. Without ‘Vale’ I certainly wouldn’t be racing in the WRC now. “
Adding another chapter to the story of 46 in Assen DutchGP pic.twitter.com/SD7ghpec7c
– MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) June 26, 2022
“The race was incredible,” Bezzecchi enthused, admitting, “I didn’t really know what to expect. I didn’t expect to be able to go so fast with the soft rear tyre. “
Bezzecchi’s motto in changeable conditions
“In practice we concentrated on the medium tyre. But I wasn’t particularly fast on that. That’s why we decided to go for the soft. It was a risk, but Matteo convinced me that I could get this tyre over the laps,” said the runner-up.
The fact that it started to rain lightly around the middle of the race distance suited Bezzecchi. “I’ve always been comfortable in changeable conditions, even if I’m probably one of the few with them,” grinned the rookie, revealing his motto in such conditions: “As long as the raindrops don’t make my neck hurt, I don’t slow down. “
In fact, Bezzecchi was faster in the drizzle on his VR46 Ducati GP21 than leader and eventual winner Francesco Bagnaia on the factory GP22. Bezzecchi came as close as 0.4 seconds. But he was unable to seriously threaten the panic-stricken start-finish victory of “Pecco”.
Bezzecchi extends lead in rookie classification
With his first podium finish, Bezzecchi has now extended his lead in the rookie standings for the 2022 MotoGP season. The VR46 rider currently stands at 55 points. He now has a 37-point lead over fellow Ducati rider Fabio Di Giannantonio. The rookie from the Gresini team, in turn, finished 14th on Sunday after receiving a new contract for 2023 along with a new team-mate a few hours earlier.
Meanwhile, Bezzecchi’s VR46 teammate Luca Marini had less to smile about at Assen. The half-brother of Valentino Rossi finished in 17th place, 30 seconds behind, after an early contact with Joan Mir (Suzuki) and missed out on the points. In the four races before, Marini had finished in the top 10 four times, most recently at the Sachsenring even in the top 5 for the first time, so the form curve at VR46 absolutely fits.
Bezzecchi was the only VR46 rider on the podium in Assen on Sunday, but not the only one from the VR46 academy. Race winner Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia once also went through the motorbike racing school set up by Valentino Rossi. At the Parc Ferme, Bagnaia and Bezzecchi gave free rein to their joy. A party, where Rossi and Marini will also be present, has been announced for Monday in Tavullia.
Just look at these two! DutchGP pic.twitter.com/CNIZ9oSxJn
– MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) June 26, 2022
By the way, the Ducati GP21 on which Bezzecchi claimed his first podium as a MotoGP rider on Sunday is the exact bike Bagnaia rode in the final races of the 2021 season on his way to the runner-up spot in the World Championship. The bike was handed over to VR46 in the winter, where it was given to the rookie in the team.
Lots of praise from teammate Luca Marini
Bezzecchi’s teammate Marini sits on a current GP22. Commenting on Bezzecchi’s podium finish, Marini says: “Of course it’s fantastic. I haven’t spoken to him yet, but yesterday and also this morning we talked at length. He told me how much he loves this track.”
For all his love, Bezzecchi had never made it onto the podium in the small classes at Assen. In the premier class he made up for it directly at the first attempt.
Marini, meanwhile, is happy not only for Bezzecchi himself, but for the entire VR46 squad: “For the team, of course, this is a great result. We have to enjoy this moment. I can only say congratulations to the whole team for the huge progress we have made compared to the first races of the season. “
