Rossi Back on Top Again
As if there were any lingering doubts, Assen was confirmation that Valentino Rossi still has it. “The reason I race is for that feeling that comes for six or seven hours after winning,” said the victor, lapping up the post-race acclaim. It had been 13 mon
The 38-year-old has pulled off some magical feats in his time, wins around Assen in 2007, ’09 and ’15 included. However, with championship leader Maverick Viñales faltering — again — and the championship lead now within reach, Rossi appears destined to be engaged in yet another title scrap. With the top four in the championship — Andrea Dovizioso, Viñales, Rossi and Marc Marquez — now separated by just 11 points, this is fast becoming another vintage year.
MotoGP
From the very first lap, the 68th edition of the Dutch Grand Prix was an allaction, nerve-jangling classic. And, thanks to that ever-present threat of rain, this was an encounter of two parts; the first, on a dry track, a tense
follow-the-leader chase, with Zarco, Rossi, Marquez and Petrucci all together, contesting places one to four; the second, with rain falling, a real test of nerve, with nine-time world champion Rossi’s cunning up against Petrucci’s zeal.
The drama was not restricted to the leading quartet either. Behind, a battle raged for fifth, three seconds back, with Redding initially leading Alvaro Bautista (Aspar Ducati), Andrea Iannone (Ecstar Suzuki), Dovizioso, Crutchlow, and Viñales, all vying to reach the group ahead. A shower deprived riders of working on an already limited dry setup in morning warm-up. Thus a perfect setup was some way away for many. And the racing benefited.
Emboldened by the low temperatures, Zarco opted for his favourite soft front and rear Michelin compounds for the 26-lap chase. From pole, his strategy was clear: go like hell.
And he did just that, putting 0.6 seconds into Marquez on the first lap. Gradually, however, the Frenchman was reeled in, with Rossi and Petrucci clinging to Marquez’s tail. All looked rosy for Marquez, the reigning champ until a huge front-end slide into the Geert Timmer chicane. With memories of those costly falls in Argentina and France still fresh, the Repsol Honda man saw he would have to risk too much to win this one. Rossi duly took advantage on lap 11, passing his adversary at Turn One. A lap later and he was by Zarco at the same spot.
But then it so nearly came to an end. Zarco’s tenacity has been one of his most endearing traits this year, but it came close to costing him here. Reacting to Rossi’s move, he dove back under at Turn Three, found the door closed, and clipped the number 46’s rear Michelin. Rossi kept the lead, the Frenchman falling to third. “Zarco’s not a bad guy,” Rossi said afterwards. “But he just
doesn’t understand the size between one bike and another. As in Austin, he tried something impossible.”
The drama wasn’t limited to the front. It had taken Viñales 11 laps to fight through the second wave to hold fifth. Three seconds lay ahead, but, with Friday’s speed still present, the Movistar Yamaha man believed he possessed the pace to win. “I was pushing myself over the limit,” he said later. A violent wobble through the chicane on lap 12 threw him off, forcing Dovizioso, placed just behind, into avoiding action. His narrowing championship lead was gone in a flash. “The strangest crash of my life,” he later called it.
While the leaders held position, Dovizioso began to hone in, hacking chunks out of a three-second deficit, showing exactly why he was soon to head the championship standings. And with a five-way shoot-out for the win about to ensue, the rain came.
Wrongly sensing an imminent downpour, Zarco gambled, pitting to change to wets. It backfired badly, as he exceeded speed limit in pit-lane, incurring a ride-through penalty. With Zarco gone, surely the advancing rain would slow the leaders? Well, knowing of Viñales’s fate, Marquez and Dovizioso backed off, the risk of falling being too high. “When I saw the rain, I started to cool down,” Marquez admitted.
To his great credit, Rossi ploughed ahead regardless. “With the rain, we had restart,” he said. But he had company. By lap 22, Petrucci, his everpresent shadow, was ahead, only for his illustrious countryman to respond at the chicane a lap later.
Come the last lap, it was still wide open and had it not been for Alex Rins (Ecstar Suzuki) touring through Ruskonhook, Petrucci could have attempted a late and daring move. By the final sector, Rossi had done enough. A 10th win at Assen a fitting achievement for a ride of such bravery and brilliance. “It’s such an important victory,” he said. “We work a lot, change the chassis and I’m able to ride in a better way. At the end I saw Danilo suffer when in front so I started to push more.” Petrucci was aghast at finishing second. “I found Rins at corner six and we nearly crashed trying to pass him. I lost Valentino and we arrived at the line very, very close.” Just 0.063 seconds separated them at the flag.
With the leading pair gone, Marquez and Dovizioso soon found Crutchlow in the podium mix, after the Englishman made stellar ground in the final five laps. A three-way slog ensued, with Marquez getting the nod courtesy of a spectacular last-lap pass on the Englishman at Ramshoek. “We were struggling a lot, especially with the stability of the bike,” said Marquez. “It was shaking all the time. But we got our target: a podium. But when the small rain was there then it was so difficult.”
Crutchlow was fourth, with Dovizioso a place behind. For the first time in 10 years and 11 months the Italian leads a championship. He had exercised caution at the end, he said, but was delighted by his ability to catch the leading group. “We were really fast today,” he said. “I was able to recover four seconds to the first group. I’m so happy to do it at this track, which is not the best for me.”
Following Crutchlow’s lead, Miller kept his head down in the drizzle to finish a fine sixth, his best result since this race a year ago.
Moto2
Starting the last 2.8-mile (4.5 km) sprint of the 24 scheduled, Thomas Luthi (Interwetten Kalex) appeared to have timed a late attack on title rival Franco Morbidelli (Marc VDS Kalex) to perfection. But the wily Italian was back by at Turn Nine, believing with total conviction he could hold Luthi at bay in the final sector. He did. But only just. 0.15 sec was in it.
Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda Kalex) was third, but only after race direction judged Mattia Pasini’s (Italtrans Kalex) cutting of the final chicane on the last two laps to be illegal. The Italian crossed the line third, but was soon demoted a place, much to his comical disdain. Miguel Oliveira (KTM Racing) and Alex Marquez (Marc VDS Kalex) also contributed to the best race in the intermediate category for years.
Moto3
Judging by showings in Qatar, Argentina, and Barcelona, few can match the mettle of championship leader Joan Mir (Leopard Honda) in a last-lap shootout. But Moto3 is rarely straightforward. Here, the Majorcan led a dramatic 11-rider gaggle into the circuit’s final sector for the final time.
It was here that he came undone. Running wide at Turn 10 was enough to allow one, two, three bikes and more through. Taking advantage of his countryman’s error, Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia Honda) resisted Romano Fenati’s (Snipers Honda) advances at the final chicane for a second win of the year, with John McPhee (British Talent Honda) a tight third. Mir was ninth, 0.98 sec behind the winner.