Diggia in “full attack mode” against Aprilias in Assen MotoGP Sprint
Fabio di Giannantonio finished as Ducati's leading rider after taking the fight to Aprilia in the Assen MotoGP Sprint.
Only one Ducati rider was able to beat an Aprilia in Saturday's Assen MotoGP Sprint.
But it wasn't factory Ducati Lenovo stars Marc Marquez or Pecco Bagnaia, who have won the previous four races between them.
Instead, VR46's Fabio di Giannantonio climbed from sixth on the grid to hold second, behind only eventual winner Raul Fernandez.
The Italian lost a place to Ai Ogura, but kept title leader Marco Bezzecchi at bay to secure the final podium position.
“I'm really happy,” di Giannantonio said. “We knew that today we started with four riders stronger than us, which are the four Aprilias.
“So being in the mix, trying to be close to Raul for the victory and finishing on the podium is a great achievement on my side.”
Meanwhile, Bagnaia and Marquez took the chequered flag in sixth and seventh.
“Could be at the end of the year, but at the moment, it's just another [box] completed, let's say,” di Giannantonio said of being the top Ducati.
“Everybody can have good days and bad days. I think Marc tomorrow will be super strong. Pecco is doing a great job.
“So for sure it's good [to be top Ducati], but it's not what I'm aiming for. I would be much happier if I'm first [in the race].”
The Aprilias, which locked out the top four places in qualifying, were especially strong through the fast final sector.
“They are super precise on the entry. They do all the things that you should do with the front, with the front,” di Giannantonio explained.
“And they are just better positioned on the exit, so then they use less the rear tyre. So, in these kind of fast long corners is where we struggle a little bit.”
The Catalunya winner felt he had been too impatient in Brno last weekend, but said there was no option but to attack from the start on Saturday.
“Honestly, today I was in full attack mode because it was important to be in the mix if I wanted a chance - I had to be in the middle of the Aprilias,” he said.
“So, I said ‘okay, today is not a day where you need to calculate, just go for it’, and today it worked.”
Di Giannantonio, third in the world championship, starts Sunday's Grand Prix 22 points behind Bezzecchi and 13 behind the other factory Aprilia of Jorge Martin.
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