Starting from 22nd position Tom Luthi will be the sole representative for Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS in the Dutch TT with Franco Morbidelli out with a fractured hand.

The warm but windy summer weather continued today at Assen for the final free practice sessions and qualifying in advance of tomorrow’s 26 lap Dutch TT.

However Morbidelli’s weekend ended early when he fractured the third metacarpal in his left hand in a high speed crash in this morning’s FP3 session.

The Italian rider barrel-rolled through the gravel when he fell entering turn 7 at the end of the fast Veenslang straight.

Luthi’s frustrating weekend at the iconic Assen venue was boosted by a qualifying time of 1’35.192, the best by the Swiss rider so far this weekend.

It was a gain of 0.7s over his previous best in FP3 with the target of further improvement in race set-up in the Sunday warm-up session.

The warm-up will be at 9:40am with the race scheduled for 2pm.

Tom Luthi: 22nd, 1’35.192
“I improved a little today with a much better lap time but still not enough, it has not been easy. I am still fighting with the bike, it feels unstable but we are hopeful of finding a better balance in the warm-up and faster rhythm for the race.””

Franco Morbidelli: DNQ
“This crash and the injury to my left hand is a real pity. Doctors still have to confirm how long my recovery is going to take and how it impacts my chances of becoming the rookie of the year. I want to thank everyone who was worried about my condition after the crash. Besides the fracture, I have a lot of pain due to the high speed crash.”