During the fourth meeting of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2026 in Assen, Guillem Planques realized his very first pole position and was therefore expected to start from pole position for both races of the weekend.
Unfortunately, while on-track performance is one thing, the regulations are another, and the FIM MotoGP Stewards then penalized four pilots, including Guillem Planques, for driving too slowly during qualifying.
This penalty caused him to be relegated from first to second place. fifth line from the starting grid for Saturday's 15-lap race.
Starting 13th, just behind his compatriot David DaCosta, The 18-year-old from Lyon was able to climb back up to 8th position, after briefly occupying 4th position, just one second behind the winner!
A very good performance which bodes well for a great opportunity this Sunday…
Indeed, the penalties for slow driving do not apply to race 2 on Sunday, Guillem Planques was able to maintain his starting position for this second race.
Yesterday, after 15 laps of typical Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup intensity, contested in 31°C heat, the Spaniard Carlos cano, 15 years old, became the fifth different winner of this first half of this 20th season.
The league leader, his compatriot Benat FernandezThe 18-year-old crossed the finish line in second place at Assen, but he had exceeded track limits in the sequence leading to the final chicane. The penalty consists of losing one position, theAmerican Kristian Daniel Jr., 17 years old, thus regained second position, while Fernandez finally climbed onto the third step of the podium at the Dutch TT.
Ryota OgiwaraThe 17-year-old Japanese rider, a two-time winner at Mugello, led the KTM group from the start, but was unable to widen the gap.
The Englishman Sullivan MounseyThe 19-year-old, who started from pole position, took the lead at the end of the first lap. He was one of about ten drivers to take turns at the front of the race, before crashing while still in the leading group with only one lap to go.
Kiandra Ramadhipa et Travis Borg They also crashed with Mounsey. None of the three riders were injured, but they lost all chance of reaching the podium.
David DaCosta also crashed, on lap 9 when he was in 10th position.
Upon arrival, only 0 "777 separate the first seven.
The second half of the season will begin this Sunday morning, with Benat Fernandez still leading the championship, a position he has held since the first race in Jerez.
Rookies Cup Assen Planques
