Marco Bezzecchi explains Dutch MotoGP cooldown lap crash
Marco Bezzecchi says a mix-up over an Italian flag led to his fall on the cooldown lap of the Dutch MotoGP.
Following a second Sunday podium for Aprilia in the Dutch MotoGP, there was a moment of minor embarrassment after the finish as Bezzecchi fell on the cooldown lap.
For Bezzecchi, it was not the first post-race crash of his grand prix career, after his memorable cooldown lap crash at the 2020 Moto2 Andalusian Grand Prix.
On that occasion, he fell while celebrating with Luca Marini after they both secured podium finishes – a first in the intermediate category for Bezzecchi.
In Assen, it was a similarly innocent cause for Bezzecchi’s fall.
“I saw a marshal with an Italian flag and I wanted to take the flag,” Marco Bezzecchi told MotoGP.com’s After the Flag show following the Dutch TT.
“So, when I stopped, I went to take the flag, [but] I saw that it was full of autographs and I didn’t want to steal the flag with all the autographs for the marshal.
“So, I lost the concentration and I lost also the balance and I crashed.
“Fortunately, my bike stayed on, then the marshal helped to start again and I gave the flag back to the girl and I [continued] without the flag.”
Rider of the Race: “If they are happy, I’m happy too”
MotoGP’s new ‘Rider of the Race’ fan-voted award, introduced for this year, was given to Bezzecchi in the Netherlands.
The Italian was appreciative of having taken such an award at a historical track such as Assen which has featured on every grand prix world championship schedule since 1949 with the exception of the Covid-affected 2020 season.
“I have beautiful memories here,” the Aprilia Racing rider said.
“First of all it’s an historical track, [...] it’s the track with the most races on the calendar, so since the first year of the World Championship.
“A special place, and I have to say that the fans are unbelievable.
“I took my time to make the lap after the chequered flag, to say ‘Hi’ to everyone, because the support that they’ve been showing to me through these years, especially when I jumped to MotoGP, has been amazing.
“To make a double-podium here, to celebrate in the middle of the last chicane [after the Sprint], but also today with the podium in front of the grandstand is amazing.
“I feel very lucky, I feel very proud to achieve this result. If they are happy, I’m happy too.”
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Alex joined the Crash.net team in August of 2024 having covered consumer and racing motorcycle news at Visordown for two years.
