La MotoE began the second part of the 2024 season, completing round five, at Assen. In the two races on the Dutch circuit, two riders won their first victory in 2024: Hector Garzò and Alessandro Zaccone. The top of the MotoE standings is increasingly compact, with four riders in 11 points.
The analysis of the Dutch GP of MotoE 2024 in Assen – The races of MotoE Assen saw two excellent victories by Hector Garzò and Alessandro Zaccone but also two great comebacks by Oscar Gutierrez, who started eleventh and finished second in both races. It is therefore difficult to decide where to start when analyzing the two Dutch matches of MotoE 2024. There were many protagonists and stories, so let's start, not necessarily in order of importance.
1 – The first point of our analysis is Alessandro Zaccone's magnificent performance in Race 2. Zaccone did not just win; he dominated the race, which is extremely rare in MotoE. The electric MotoGP category is characterised by hard-fought races with frequent sprint finishes; winning by distance is almost impossible. On Saturday, Zaccone won by almost two seconds over the second, but during the race, the Tech3 rider's advantage was almost four seconds, which is an enormous advantage in MotoE. In addition to the victory, Zaccone took pole position and the new circuit record, a masterful performance. A pity for the disqualification for irregular pressure in Race 1 that keeps Zaccone still far from the top of the general classification. However, with similar performances, he can be a contender for the title in the final round at Misano.
2 – One who is already high up in the standings and has been for several races is Oscar Gutierrez, a surprising MotoE rookie. The Spanish rider is the revelation of the 2024 season; with one win and five other podiums, he is third in the overall standings, behind Casadei and Zannoni. What makes Gutierrez's season even more fantastic is that some tracks, such as Le Mans, are completely new to him. The correct term to describe Oscar Gutierrez's season to this point is impressive.
3 – The third big star of the Dutch MotoE round was Hector Garzò. The rider from Valencia returned to victory after a year's wait since the Sachsenring 2023 race. Garzò was fast throughout the weekend, and in addition to the victory, he also took third place, which puts him back in the top positions of the classification. One thing to remember from Race 1 is the beautiful final overtaking move at the very fast Turn 13, where Garzò passed Alessandro Zaccone on the outside and took his first win of 2024.
4 – Who was missing all weekend was world champion Mattia Casadei. The LCR rider led a lacklustre qualifying session, forcing him to make two comeback races. Unfortunately, Mantovani's mistake at the first corner of Race 1 forced Casadei to retire. Race 2 could have been an opportunity to gain important points for the classification. Still, the 2023 World Champion only finished eighth, at least managing to limit the damage by finishing behind Zannoni. At Sachsenring, we will see if Casadei will return to being a protagonist like in previous MotoE rounds or if the lead will become even more compact.
5 – At Assen, Lukas Tulovic, back from his bad crash at Mugello, was seen again. Tulovic did not just make a presence and try to make it to the finish line in the aftermath of the crash in the Italian GP. On the contrary, on Friday, he was already a protagonist in qualifying, setting the second-best time in Q1 and finishing seventh on the grid. His fourth place in Race 2 was surprising and is a sign that the Dynavolt Intact GP team rider will be a protagonist at his home round in Germany in a few days' time.
6 – Nicholas Spinelli's weekend in Holland was surprising in a negative way. For Spinelli, it is the second time this year that he has finished both races of a MotoE round without points. It happened in Barcelona, and it happened again in Assen. Certainly, the injury sustained in the crash during the Catalan GP affected the subsequent races, but it remains a shame to see the most victorious rider of the season retire twice on the same day.
7 – A year ago, Matteo Ferrari scored a one-two at Assen. This year, the Team Gresini rider achieved his best result in Holland, finishing fifth in Race 1 before dropping to ninth in Race 2. It is incredible how this year, a rider who has always been very fast but, above all, consistent in his performance is struggling so hard to climb back to the top positions. It's hard even to think that in 2024, Ferrari could end the season without any wins or podiums.
8 – The Dutch public has historically been one of the most interested in MotoE. Electric mobility in the Netherlands is not as invisible as it is in other countries, as the crowd in the stands at Assen proved. The Dutch public once again lived up to the reputation of the Cathedral of Speed.
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MotoE World Championship
The standings of the MotoE 2024
Photos: MotoGP
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