VALENTINO Rossi won a race-long battle with reigning world champion Marc Marquez at the Motul TT Assen.
Nine-time former world champion Rossi took his 111th Grand Prix victory to extend his championship lead despite making contact with Marquez as they entered the final chicane.
Movistar Yamaha’s Rossi, starting from pole for the first time since Valencia last season, led the field into the first corner, but it didn’t take Marquez long to join the party from third on the grid.
Marquez sat behind Rossi for the majority of the race before making his move and taking the lead into turn one on lap 20.
Rossi responded with three laps to go to re-take the lead at turn 10. The Italian put in his fastest lap of the race in an attempt to break away from the Spaniard. They were evenly matched into the final chicane.
Marquez made a move on Rossi that forced the Italian to run straight on through the gravel. Rossi managed to stay upright to take the chequered flag 1.242s ahead of Marquez.
Rossi’s Movistar Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo had a lonely race after a great start saw him move from eighth on the grid up to third after the first lap. Rossi and Marquez pulled away from Lorenzo, and he eventually crossed the line in third place, 14.576s behind Rossi.
The Ducati Team’s Andrea Iannone finished a further four seconds back in fourth place, after spending the majority of the race on his own.
The battle for fifth was won by Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Pol Espargaro as all four rider finished within 0.4s of each other. The Spaniard also finished as top Satellite rider, 0.105s ahead of CWM LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow.
Espargaro’s team-mate Bradley Smith crossed the line in seventh place ahead of Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa, who fought back after a crash in warm up and a disastrous start which saw him down in 12th after the first lap.
The Team Suzuki Ecstar duo of Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales were next across the line in ninth and 10th place respectively, ahead of Octo Pramac Racing’s Danilo Petrucci (11th) and the second Factory Ducati of Andrea Dovizioso in 12th.
Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS’s Scott Redding finished 46.663s back from Rossi in 13th. Loris Baz (Athina Forward Racing) took the Open class victory, and the final championship point that was up for grabs in 15th, just ahead of Aspar MotoGP Team’s Nicky Hayden, who crossed the line in 16th.
Hector Barbera and Jack Miller crashed on the first lap. Barbera was taken to the medical centre for checks on his right leg, but has been declared fit.
Alex De Angelis, Eugene Laverty and Stefan Bradl also crashed out. Bradl underwent examinations and an X-ray at the medical centre to discover he has a fractured scaphoid in his right wrist.
Race results:
1. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 40:54.037
2. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team 40:55.279 (+1.242)
3. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 41:8.613 (+14.576)
4. Andrea Iannone ITA Ducati Team 41:13.146 (+19.109)
5. Pol Espargaro ESP Monster Yamaha Tech 3 41:18.305 (+24.268)
6. Cal Crutchlow GBR CWM LCR Honda 41:18.410 (+24.373)
7. Bradley Smith GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 41:18.479 (+24.442)
8. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team 41:18.693 (+24.656)
9. Aleix Espargaro ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar 41:20.762 (+26.725)
10. Maverick Viñales ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar 41:21.275 (+27.238)
11. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Racing 41:23.075 (+29.038)
12. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team 41:23.455 (+29.418)
13. Scott Redding GBR Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS 41:40.700 (+46.663)
14. Yonny Hernandez COL Octo Pramac Racing 41:43.342 (+49.305)
15. Loris Baz FRA Athina Forward Racing 41:46.433 (+52.396)
16. Nicky Hayden USA Aspar MotoGP Team 41:50.042 (+56.005)
17. Alvaro Bautista ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini 41:53.894 (+59.857)
18. Mike Di Meglio FRA Avintia Racing 42:8.550 (+1:14.513)
19. Marco Melandri ITA Factory Aprilia Gresini +1 lap
DNF. Alex De Angelis RSM E-Motion IodaRacing
DNF. Eugene Laverty IRL Aspar MotoGP Team
DNF. Stefan Bradl GER Athina Forward Racing
DNF. Hector Barbera ESP Avintia Racing
DNF. Jack Miller AUS CWM LCR Honda
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