MotoGP Assen: Rossi beats Marquez for victory

Valentino Rossi came out on top after a thrilling duel with Honda’s Marc Marquez to win the MotoGP Dutch TT at Assen on Sunday. Rossi led the race

Valentino Rossi came out on top after a thrilling duel with Honda’s Marc Marquez to win the MotoGP Dutch TT at Assen on Sunday.

Rossi led the race from pole position with Marquez closely following behind in second place, but unable to find a way past. On lap 20th, Marquez finally dived down the inside of the Italian rider at turn 1, taking the lead of the race for the time being.

Rossi held on to the Honda in front and fought his way back with three laps to go, to retake P1. But the battle between the pair was far from over and Marquez made a last gasp attempt to pass Rossi at the final chicane, managing to take the inside line but making contact with the Yamaha rider who took to the gravel trap.

Rossi managed to retain control of his bike, though and gained enough of an advantage to secure his third victory of the season.

With this win, the seven time MotoGP world champion extend his lead at the top of the standings to 10 points over closest rival and teammate Jorge Lorenzo.

Having started from eighth on the grid, the race was never going to be easy for Lorenzo. But it was lack of raw pace and not traffic that prevented the two-time world champion from piling pressure on the leading pair.

Behind the podium finishers came Ducati’s Andrea Iannone and a trail of four cars led by Pol Espargaro, all separated by four tenths of a second. Suzuki riders Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales completed the top 10.

MotoGP Assen: Race Results (Top 10)

Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 40m54.037s
Marc Marquez (Honda) 40m55.279s
Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 41m8.613s
Andrea Iannone (Ducati) 41m13.146s
Pol Espargaro (Yamaha) 41m18.305s
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) 41m18.410s
Bradley Smith (Yamaha) 41m18.479s
Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 41m18.693s
Aleix Espargaro (Suzuki) 41m20.762s
Maverick Viñales (Suzuki) 41m21.275s

Moto2: Zarco extends lead with win

Earlier in Moto2, Johann Zarco took back-to-back victories as Assen, to extend his lead in the championship. The race was been red-flagged briefly due to oil on track.

The Frenchman made a poor getaway at the restart but clawed his way back in the shortened race, eventually overtaking Rabat for race win with three laps to go.

Behind the leading duo, Sam Lowes completed the final spot on the podium with Alex Rins and Thomas Luthi classified fourth and fifth respectively.

Moto2 Assen: Race Results (Top 10)

Johann Zarco Ajo Motorsport (Kalex) 26m 13.410s
Tito Rabat EG 0,0 Marc VDS (Kalex) 26m14.167s
Sam Lowes Speed Up Racing (Speed Up) 26m15.490s
Alex Rins Paginas Amarillas HP 40 (Kalex) 26m17.148s
Thomas Luthi Derendinger Racing Interwetten (Kalex) 26m17.940s
Xavier Simeon Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 (Kalex) 26m18.455s
Jonas Folger AGR Team (Kalex) 26m19.550s
Mika Kallio Italtrans Racing Team (Kalex) 26m21.515s
Alex Marquez EG 0,0 Marc VDS (Kalex) 26m21.786s
Simone Corsi Athinà Forward Racing (Kalex) 26m23.080s

Moto3: Oliveira takes second win of the season

in Moto3 class, Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Miguel Oliveira took his second victory of the season, having made a late pass just before the final chicane.

16 year old rookie Fabio Quartararo finished a promising second with standings leader Danny Kent less than a tenth adrift in third place. Pole sitter Enea Bastianini finished a distant sixth and slipped moved further behind Kent in the riders championship.

Moto3 Assen: Race Results (Top 10)