Iannone attacks but takes silver: Bagger show at Assen—how Race 2 unfolded

Andrea Iannone gives it a shot, but in the end wraps up with a solid 2nd place in the second Bagger race at Assen. A small incident on the cool-down lap for another rider... Race report and standings.

Same people on the podium, but different positions. Today Oscar Gutierrez wins, taking the lead right away and never letting it go until the checkered flag. Andrea Iannone immediately tries to challenge for the top, but the Spaniard has a little more and he has to “settle” for 2nd place. Another less-than-perfect start for polesitter Eric Granado, who perhaps loses the right launch at lights out to set up his race... But thanks also to yesterday’s win, he leaves the TT Circuit Assen as the new overall leader, with Gutierrez very close and former leader Archie McDonald now 3rd. Noted after the checkered flag: Jake Lewis is down on the cool-down lap, and one of the marshals coming to help also takes a small tumble, but everyone is fine.

After yesterday’s Race 1, several riders are dreaming of the top result, including Granado, who, after breaking the ice with his first triumph, is aiming for a repeat. We’re off: Oscar Gutierrez immediately takes the lead, Andrea Iannone is 2nd, followed by Jordi Torres, making his championship debut this round, with polesitter Eric Granado 4th. The race leader, however, is anything but safe: Iannone and then a charging Granado spend a long time trying to unsettle him, hunting victory in this second and final race at Assen. By lap 4 of 9, though, it’s clear that Gutierrez has a little extra: Iannone loses ground and Granado stays with him, then drops back.

In the last two laps the positions are effectively frozen: Oscar Gutierrez sails confidently to the Race 2 win at Assen, Andrea Iannone crosses the line in second, Eric Granado finishes 3rd and retains the new lead in the standings. “To be honest, I struggled a bit,” Iannone admitted in parc fermé, summing up his weekend. “But we managed to take two podiums, not bad. We need to improve, but now we know the bike better—above all, I know how it behaves when I’m behind other riders.” There’s no shortage of thanks to Harley-Davidson and Niti Racing: “They worked through the night to sort my bike.”