On-track battle and a fire extinguisher in parc fermé: Iannone’s hard-earned podium in Bagger Race 1 at Assen

Eventful Bagger Race 1 for Andrea Iannone at Assen, first championship triumph for Granado. Report and standings.

A very hard-fought third place for Andrea Iannone on Saturday at Assen, with an unexpected incident in parc fermé, but the consequence of a complicated race. The “smoke” we see in the photo was caused by a bit of oil leaking from the left side of the #29 Bagger, but it all started at the race start, as Iannone himself explained afterwards. The situation was quickly resolved thanks to the prompt intervention of a Joe Rascal Racing mechanic armed with a fire extinguisher. Meanwhile, the team was celebrating with Eric Granado who, after three pole positions in three rounds, also took his first Bagger World Cup victory, with Oscar Gutierrez in second place on the podium. Tomorrow it’s time for Race 2 after the MotoGP race (all the times); here’s how today went in the meantime.

Pole position for Eric Granado with Andrea Iannone lurking right next to him. The Brazilian’s wheelie off the line works in his favor; he’s immediately in command of the race with the clear goal of repeating the triumph from Iannone at Mugello. Nine laps on the schedule, they’re all close and the battle is tight, but something doesn’t seem to be working as it should for Iannone. “From the start I began losing oil on my boots,” he said after the race. “On the second lap I started sliding a lot; changing direction was difficult and I also felt a drop in power. But we finished on the podium; it wasn’t easy.” His rivals were ready to pounce and took advantage: Archie McDonald, Eric Granado and Oscar Gutierrez in particular, until the Brazilian managed to impose himself decisively, determined to claim the win that finally arrived. Gutierrez confirms himself among the frontrunners with second place; third seemed destined for McDonald, who had an important personal reason, recalled with the special livery (our in-depth piece below). Iannone, however, pushed it to the very end and prevailed, securing the final P3.