Valentín Perrone saved his best for Sunday at the Dutch Grand Prix as he climbed 15 places to fight among a twelve-rider lead group and finish fourth, just 0.1s off the podium, for his best result since April.
Grand Prix of the Netherlands
Rico Salmela was equally as impressive when jumping from 17th to fight among the podium battle. However, the young Finn was demoted from fifth to eleventh due to incurring a six-second penalty for slow riding on Friday.
Practice
Red Bull KTM Tech3 didn’t just have the fast, technical TT Circuit Assen to contend with on Friday as ambient temperatures hit a sizzling 34 degrees. Salmela immediately showed speed, posting sixth best times in both FP1 and Practice. However, the #27 rider was handed a double Long Lap Penalty for Sunday’s race for riding slow on the racing line in the afternoon. Meanwhile, Perrone had a strong lap cancelled due to a yellow flag at the close of Practice, which left him 26th.
Qualifying
Automatically through to Q2 thanks to his Friday performance, Salmela posted a competitive time on his first run and felt there was more to come before having his final lap time cancelled. Even though he was just one second shy of Maximo Quiles’ pole time, he was down in 17th.
Meanwhile Perrone received a boost by ending FP2 in seventh position. In Qualifying the young Argentine missed out on a place in Q2 by the narrowest of margins. Setting the fifth fastest time in Q1, Perrone was just 0.04s back of fourth which left him 19th on the grid.
Race
An overnight storm cooled temperatures to 28 degrees for Sunday’s main event. Flooding in certain gravel traps left the Long Lap Penalty Lane too wet for use with slick tyres. Race Direction decided it would be safer for Salmela to have six seconds added to his race time, rather than serving his double Long Lap.
Eying the final laps, Perrone and Salmela opted for Pirelli’s medium front tyre, while 16 others went for the soft. The team-mates enjoyed a strong start with Salmela 14th at the close of lap one and Perrone a place behind. By lap six, both had joined a twelve-rider group that was scrapping for the podium.
A mistake at Turn 1 in lap ten dropped Perrone back to ninth place just as Quiles and David Almansa started to edge clear to contest victory. The #73 rider quickly responded with a personal best time on lap 14 to get to the front of the second group. Starting the last lap, the Argentine was locked in a fight with Marco Morelli but a small mistake exiting Turn 10 meant he couldn’t overtake his compatriot. Still, fourth place and just 0.1s behind third represented an excellent result.
Salmela was similarly impressive. By lap 17 he had climbed as high as third and his prowess into the final chicane meant the 18-year-old crossed the finish line in fifth. Once his penalty was applied, he was demoted to eleventh.
After a busy run of six races in eight weekends, Perrone and Salmela have a weekend off before returning to action for the Grand Prix of Germany at Sachsenring from 10-12 July. After today’s result, Red Bull KTM Tech3 holds on to fourth in the Teams’ Championship.
Valentin Perrone: "It was a tough weekend in Assen with a bit of bad luck, especially in Practice where yellow flags stopped us from putting in a proper lap for Q2. Even in Q1 we were very close, just missing out by a small margin. Starting from P19, I knew we had the pace, and in the race, I pushed hard from the beginning, making a lot of overtakes and really enjoying the fight. The feeling with the bike was strong again, like at the start of the season, which is a big positive. In the end, a small mistake cost us the chance to fight for the podium, but the performance was there, and we showed we can be competitive. Thanks to the team for their hard work - now we focus on carrying this momentum into the next race.”
Rico Salmela: "Overall, it was a positive weekend in Assen. We started Friday with a good feeling and improved step by step, although getting the penalty made things more difficult. That double Long Lap Penalty then got changed to a time penalty which I wasn't happy with. In the race, the focus was on gaining experience and doing the best possible job. I was able to fight in the podium group, which was great, and I really enjoyed it. It shows we’re getting stronger. Now the key is to be a bit smarter at the start of the weekend to avoid penalties. Big thanks to the team for their hard work. After a short rest, we’ll be ready to come back even stronger for the next race."
QUALIFYING RESULTS
1. Maximo Quiles (SPA), CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team, 1'40.130
2. Joel Kelso (AUS), GRYD Racing, +0.025
3. Brian Uriarte (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, +0.300
17. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +1.037
19. Valentín Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +0.105 (Q1)
RACE RESULTS
1. Maximo Quiles (SPA), CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team, 33'51.801
2. David Almansa (SPA) Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP, +0.513
3. Marco Morelli (SPA), CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team +2.443
4. Valentín Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +2.551
11. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3, +8.885
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Maximo Quiles (SPA), CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team, 211 pts
2. Álvaro Carpe (SPA), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 121 pts
3. David Almansa (SPA) Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP, 109 pts
8. Valentín Perrone (ARG), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 79 pts
14. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 40 pts
TRACK RECORDS
All Time Record: 2024 - C. Veijer (NLD) - 1'39.703 - 163.9 km/h
Best Race Lap: 2025 - J. Kelso (AUS) - 1'40.395 - 162.8 km/h
Best Pole: 2024 - A. Piqueras (SPA) - 1'39.746 - 163.9 km/h
Top Speed: 2024 - D. Holgado (SPA) - 222.9 - km/h
