Red Bull Motorsports
MotoGP
Here's what you need to know about the Dutch TT
Marc Márquez took the win for Honda in front 160,000 fans basking in the Assen sunshine at thrilling Dutch TT.
The big questions heading into the seventh round of the MotoGP championship at the Dutch TT in Assen was whether Jorge Lorenzo could take his third win in a row for Ducati or Valentino Rossi would claim a staggering 11th career win at the historic Assen circuit.
Lorenzo makes an amazing start
Jorge Lorenzo hadn't looked quick during practice or qualifying, and could only manage a place on the fourth row of the grid. The Spanish rider made a sensational start to the race however and was in the lead by the end of the first lap.
The Ducati rider pulled off a stunning pass on Márquez and soon did what he does best, establishing a small gap before the Honda rider turned the tables and passed him back heading into the chicane. All the while the master of Assen, Rossi, was lurking in third place.
The opening laps saw a fascinating three-way scrap between Lorenzo, Márquez and Rossi, with the Yamaha rider soon taking second place and getting very, very close to Lorenzo…
The GOAT rams Lorenzo
With 21 laps to go, Rossi slammed into the back of Lorenzo’s Ducati at around 240kph, and somehow both riders stayed on!
Ducati show their power
During the early stages of the race, the leading pack of riders ran a slow pace, and Dovizioso was the first to show his true speed on the straights of Assen.
Nothing to choose between the leading pack
There was action everywhere, as riders constantly swapped positions, and it was clear even during the early stages that the 2018 Dutch TT was shaping up to be a classic.
Suzuki's Álex Rins joined the eight-way lead battle with 18 laps to go, mixing it with the leaders and looking for a podium as the leading pack held back and weighed up their options.
By the midway stage, Márquez fell as low as fourth and Rossi as far back as seventh, while Maverick Viñales sneaked up into third. The only constant on the timing screens was Lorenzo at the top of the pile.
Ducati duel spells beginning of end for Lorenzo
With 10 laps remaining, the Ducati pairing almost touched at the final chicane and the loss of momentum pushed Lorenzo back to fifth, allowing the rapid Viñales to take second and challenge Dovizioso, eventually take the lead with eight laps remaining.
As Viñales broke for the lead, he took Márquez with him, and dragged Dovizioso along in third. This was the significant move of the race, as it halved the leading pack from eight riders down to four, with Rossi completing the quartet.
Márquez makes his move
Márquez showed his hand with seven laps remaining, passing Viñales to open up a gap of nearly three tenths of a second. He was lucky to survive some close contact racing with the hard-charging Yamaha, though.
With three laps remaining, Márquez pulled the pin and set his fastest lap of the race. As Rossi, Dovizioso and Lorenzo faded, he crossed the line over two seconds ahead of Rins and Viñales to make it an all Spanish podium in The Netherlands .
Welcome podiums for Rins and Viñales
Second place, and a second podium of 2018 for Álex Rins capped off an amazingly measured performance by the Suzuki rider.
The rider mixed maturity with speed to emerge from the leading pack in good shape to outpace the likes of Rossi, Lorenzo and Dovizioso, and pip the equally impressive Maverick Viñales for the runner-up spot.
How the championship looks after the Dutch TT
Despite a storming start, Lorenzo couldn't make it three wins in a row and eventually finished seventh, halting the Ducati rider's hopes of catching Marc Márquez at the head of the championship standings.
Following his fourth win of the year, Márquez now has 41 point lead in the MotoGP World Championship standings heading to the German Grand Prix on July 15.
With Dovizioso and nearest challenger Rossi fading to allow Rins and Viñales to take well-earned podiums, the result in Assen could be vital in giving Marquez the breathing space needed to firm his grasp on a fifth MotoGP crown.
