A sensational charge through the field ends with a top-five finish at Assen

Friday, June 26th

With a temperature of 28°C, the Dutch GP weekend gets underway as the first Free Practice session kicks off at the technical and demanding TT Circuit Assen.
For Team Snipers, the opening session is particularly important given the unique characteristics of the Dutch track, which requires riders to find a strong feeling with the bike and deliver precise riding from the very beginning.
Jesus Rios gets off to a strong start, immediately running close to the top 10 in the opening minutes of the session. Throughout FP1, the young Spanish rider works closely with the team to refine the bike's setup and steadily improve his feeling with the circuit. Although aware that there is still room for improvement, Rios ends the session with positive feedback heading into the rest of the weekend.
Nicola Carraro also dedicates the session mainly to bike development. After an encouraging start, the Italian rider focuses on a long run, collecting valuable data on both the bike's behaviour and tyre performance. A single stop in the pits towards the end allows him to debrief with the engineers and provide useful feedback ahead of the afternoon Practice session.

The afternoon Practice takes place under blazing sunshine, with high temperatures pushing the track surface to extreme levels, significantly reducing grip and making it particularly challenging to extract maximum performance over a single lap.
Team Snipers begins the session with a race-pace approach: Jesus Rios completes an opening run of nine consecutive laps, while Nicola Carraro finishes a ten-lap stint, gathering valuable information on bike behaviour and tyre wear in the demanding conditions.
After switching to fresh tyres, both riders significantly improve their lap times, moving up the order and showing strong potential ahead of qualifying. However, two consecutive yellow flags in the closing stages prevent every rider on track from completing their final time-attack laps, effectively ending any chance of further improvement.
Team Snipers wraps up Friday with encouraging signs, although both riders will have to go through Q1 on Saturday in their fight for a place in the decisive stage of qualifying.

Sturday, June 27th

Saturday morning begins with very positive signs for Team Snipers, especially for Jesus Rios, who reaps the rewards of the hard work carried out with the team on the bike's setup. Despite the challenging conditions caused by the high temperatures, the young Spanish rider finds an excellent feeling with the Honda, improving his time attack by more than seven tenths compared to Friday's Practice and by almost two seconds compared to FP1. This progress allows him to finish the session just outside the top 10, with only a small gap to the front runners.
Nicola Carraro takes a different approach, using FP2 primarily as a working session ahead of qualifying. The Italian rider chooses not to focus on outright lap time, instead dedicating the session to evaluating different technical solutions and bike components, with the aim of improving his feeling and arriving in Q1 in the best possible conditions.

Jesus Rios' qualifying session consists of two four-lap runs. The young Spaniard sets his fastest lap during his first outing before returning to the pits for a tyre change ahead of his final attack.
The second run also proves highly competitive, but Rios is unable to improve on his benchmark. On both of his decisive flying laps, traffic in the third sector compromises his efforts, preventing him from carrying through a pace that, up to the halfway point of the circuit, was virtually putting him inside the top four. A missed opportunity, but one that still leaves plenty of optimism heading into a race that is expected to be fought in a close group.
Traffic also affects Nicola Carraro's qualifying session. The Italian rider completes three time-attack attempts but struggles to find clear track when it matters most, preventing him from fully converting his pace into a stronger result. Although the final classification does not fully reflect his potential, the data gathered provides positive indications for Nicola heading into the race.

Sunday, June 29th

Jesus Rios gets an excellent launch off the line, immediately gaining several positions and finding the pace needed from the very first metres to stay with the leading group, during the crucial opening phase of the race when the field quickly begins to spread out. Nicola Carraro, meanwhile, makes a more measured start, holding his position while trying to stay in touch with the riders ahead.

On lap three, Carraro suffers a crash at Turn 5, a corner well known for this type of incident at Assen. The Italian rider quickly gets back on his feet and rejoins the race, continuing with determination and making the most of every opportunity to recover positions, also capitalising on mistakes made by his rivals.
Meanwhile, Jesus Rios' charge through the field continues at an impressive pace. The young Spaniard keeps gaining positions, even setting the fastest lap of the race in the early stages and quickly establishing himself inside the top ten.

The battle for victory remains wide open throughout the race, and Rios becomes one of its main protagonists. After breaking into the top five, the Snipers rider is repeatedly involved in the fight for the podium, even crossing the start/finish straight in second place at one stage during the race.
Despite his earlier crash, Nicola Carraro continues his comeback with great determination, completing every lap at a consistent pace and recovering several positions, although remaining outside the points.

The battle intensifies even further in the closing laps. After a few more difficult laps, Rios finds the pace needed to stay with the group fighting for the podium. In a race full of overtakes and close battles, the young Spaniard crosses the finish line in a sensational fifth place, securing the best result of his career after making up an incredible 16 positions.
Shortly afterwards, Nicola Carraro also reaches the chequered flag. Despite his early crash, the Italian rider completes a six-position comeback to finish the Grand Prix in 19th place.

Jesus Rios' performance is a hugely significant result for Team Snipers, confirming both the team's steady progress and the young Spaniard's remarkable ability to be competitive even on circuits he is racing for the first time. With his fifth-place finish at Assen, Rios ends the Dutch Grand Prix as the highest-finishing Honda rider and the top rookie, scoring valuable championship points and delivering one of Team Snipers' strongest weekends of the season.

Comments

Nicola Carraro is already focused on the next round:
"I was starting quite far back on the grid, and while trying to recover positions straight away, I lost the front at Turn 3 on the third lap. I managed to rejoin the race and took the opportunity to complete as many laps as possible to bring valuable data back to the garage. Now we have a week off, and we'll be ready to get back on track in Germany."

Jesus Rios is pleased with his impressive comeback:
"It was a race with a lot of overtaking. Starting from 21st on the grid, I knew from the very first laps that it was crucial to pass riders quickly so I wouldn't lose contact with the leading group. We fought for the podium positions, but in the end, finishing fifth leaves us really satisfied. Now our focus is on Germany."