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Assen is an interesting circuit to watch because the track doesn’t need as much power as the other circuits. There are no problems with grip, but it is extremely bumpy and the riders need good balance and the rider needs to be comfortable with the bike. Due to the narrowness of the track, it is difficult to overtake.
Looking towards the future, Maverick Vinales is a rising star. Being a rookie, his main aim was to finish in the points but with the bike as powerful as it is, things have changed. He now targets top ten finishes and is looking to be crowned Rookie Of The Year.
Coming to Moto3, Danny Kent is fairly confident of his team performing well because the team has been in blistering form. Kent is dominating the proceedings in terms of the championship with 149 points to Enea Bastianini’s 98 points. But the Big Question was “Could Valentino Rossi convert pole position to victory?” Rossi wasn’t normally strong in qualifying, but his pole position changed everything.
Moto3
Enea Bastianini scored another pole position with Navarro and Karel Hanika joining him on the front row. Championship leader Kent started fourth with Miguel Oliveira sixth and both separated by Isaac Vinales, the older cousin of Maverick Vinales. Teenage sensation Fabio Quartararo started seventh alongside Fenati and Vazquez. With 24 laps of the circuit to navigate, this could be tasty.
Oliveira got a fantastic start and led the way with Bastianini on his heels. Hanika was the big loser, dropping down to sixth. A surprise attack from Romano Fenati saw him take the lead. So far, the leading group included Bastianini, Oliveira, Fenati, Kent, Quartararo, Navarro and Binder. While all this was going on Niccolo Antonelli slowly started reeling them in dragging another bunch of riders with him.
Isaac Vinales in the second group tangled with Juanfran Guevara and was knocked out. Maria Herrera also exited after Antonelli lost control, which was a pity because she was heading for a career-best eighth position. At the front, Navarro stunned everyone and hit the front with the fastest lap for good measure. Four laps left and still nothing to choose between them.
In the end, Miguel Oliveira won his second race with Quartararo second and Danny Kent in a third-place finish. The real entertainment, however, was provided by Niklas Ajo who had a big high side but somehow managed to stay in the race and crossed the line on his knees!
Moto2
After a thrilling Moto3 race, which saw a seven rider scrap for the lead and Portuguese rider Miguel Oliveira emerge victorious, it was time for Moto2. Johann Zarco started on pole, Tito Rabat in second and Sam Lowes completed the front row. After an edge-of-the-seat Moto3 race, Moto2 was expected to live up to the same level of racing. Zarco went into this race 40 points ahead of closest title rival Tito Rabat on 134 points. As the lights went out Rabat made a blinding start to snatch the lead.
Luis Salom bowed out with a fiery end to his race. Rabat lead Zarco and Folger however the race didn’t last long though because the marshals brought out the red flag due to oil spillage from Salom’s accident, luckily the rider was okay. As a brand new race resumed for a 16-lap sprint, Rabat will have to do it all over again. At the second race restart it was Folger who made a quick start but couldn't last the race and later dropped down the order.
Zarco, to the delight of his team passed Rabat with a small nudge as revenge for an earlier clash between himself and Tito. With one lap left Zarco was on a mission to increase his championship advantage. Would we see another trademark Johann Zarco backflip? Yes we would, albeit with the Frenchman wearing a pair of Crocs "because it was funny", victory went to Johann Zarco with Rabat second and Lowes completed the podium. Zarco now has 159 points to Rabat's 114.
MotoGP
This was the main event that everyone was waiting for with bated breath. Valentino Rossi started on pole for the first time this season, with Aleix Espargaro in second for Suzuki and Marc Marquez third onboard the 2014 spec bike as a drastic step to find Honda's lost rhythm.
Pedrosa started fourth and Jorge Lorenzo all the way down in eighth. Dovizioso and Iannone started in tenth and sixth respectively.
As the lights went out it was a good start by Rossi with Marquez second but the best start came from Lorenzo who went up to third. The big loser was Pedrosa who dropped to twelfth place. Rossi and Marquez scrapped it out while Lorenzo lurked in the background and Iannone began to catch up. Meanwhile, the midfield battle was getting intense. Iannone won a dogfight between himself and several other riders including Pedrosa and Dovizioso. Rossi and Marquez still traded blows.
As the positions stood, Rossi will extend his lead by 10 points. Thirteen laps to go and it was still status quo between Rossi and Marquez. The midfield battle still raged on. Pedrosa was stuck in ninth place. Ten laps to go, Marc was looking very threatening indeed but Rossi’s defense was rock solid. Pedrosa finally moved past Smith. Marc Marquez struck! The Spaniard took Rossi before the line. Marquez led but Rossi hung on to his coattails.
Pedrosa, meanwhile, moved into seventh. Three laps to go and Rossi took a peek down the inside of Marquez’s bike, but the Spaniard covered him off. Rossi attacked and made it stick. Pedrosa moved up to sixth, with Lorenzo in a very lonely third place. Rossi and Marquez clashed at the final corner, which made Rossi run across the gravel but he still stayed upright and in the lead, both survived with contentious explanations and Rossi closed out the victory although he did cut the corner, Marquez finished second and Lorenzo third.
Rossi took his eighty-fifth victory and his first pole to victory since San Marino 2009.
Post-Race
Repsol Honda appealed to the stewards regarding Rossi allegedly “straightlining” the final corner and gaining an advantage. Race control obliged and thoroughly scrutinised the footage but came to the conclusion that not only was the move considered a racing incident, but Rossi was ahead of Marquez going into the corner and hence gained no advantage
Afterthought
All in all, each race provided a load of thrills, which kept everyone guessing. There were times where there was a lull in the race but that is all part and parcel of racing. Now there is a brief moment of respite until round 9 in Sachensenring, Germany. where the action will resume and that i can promise you.
