Assen, Netherlands: MotoGP Post-Race Report
The Dutch weekend of motorsport was unreal! It was filled with drama, excitement, tears, adrenaline and a twenty one year old Australian winning his first ever MotoGP race after treacherous conditions took place on Sunday afternoon. Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS MotoGP Rider Jack Miller took victory after the weather got involved and wreaked havoc on the rider’s abilities to stay upright. It was declared a wet race from the start with patches of dry lines appearing as the riders got underway. Rossi looked confident of another win with Dovizioso on his rear end but it was Yonny Hernandez who put his skills on display for the fans. The Doctor and Desmo Dovi did not want to risk their chances and slowly pulled back from the Columbian rider. At one stage we thought the riders would come in for slicks and Yonny was on his way to winning. However, no one expected the heavens to open as they did and the track to become a river within minutes. The riders were incredibly brave to stay out as they did and continue pushing the limits. Yonny was hitting the apex with speed and ended up leading for most of the race until his bike ate the gravel trap! It was a real sad end to Yonny’s race after he put on an impressive amount of passion with his Ducati set up and it will be remembered as a solid display of his talent. The weather got the better of him. Danilo Petrucci was next in line after he managed to overtake Dovizioso, Rossi and Redding to edge closer to his first ever MotoGP victory but that was short lived. Race direction decided to red flag the event due to the amount of standing water on the track and felt that it was too risky for the riders to stay out. Some of the teams saw this as a second chance whereas for those who were in front a total disruption to their mental mindset.
The weather radar was vital to restarting the red flagged event. After a solid break the sunshine came out and was mixed in with clouds and a very wet track. The grid was based on the finishing positions of lap fourteen and it was lights out with the restart looking like a roller derby as riders dropped like flies. Dovi took off as Rossi got in front of him and by trying to stay with Rossi ended up losing the front end and crashing out. The lead for Rossi was getting bigger and bigger until he crashed out as a result of pushing the bike too hard at turn ten. Rossi’s bike was too destroyed to remount and this has resulted in his third DNF for the season of 2016. Rossi was not shy of controversy either with his rain light at the back of his bike turned off in the first part of the race. This is a contravention of the rules and it was lucky that the Doctor was not penalised. Rossi’s bid for the championship has been chopped once again as Marquez has a solid lead over him and fellow rival Jorge Lorenzo. With Rossi down in the wet, this opened up the lead for Marc Marquez who was being chased down ferociously by Jack Miller. The restart for Miller was powerful and he leapt forward with confidence. Within a few laps, Jack was on the back of Marquez and put his best foot forward by tackling the Spaniard on the corners where Marc was slower. He went past on the final chicane on lap four and was unable to be captured from there. He is the first Australian to win a MotoGP race since Casey Stoner in 2012 and is the first rider on a non-factory bike to win since 2006 where Toni Elias won the Portuguese Grand Prix.
Overall, Lorenzo had a disastrous weekend. He ended up second last in the first part of the race and with the crashes managed to bag some points in the top ten. Lorenzo was not confident and after his big crash the day before, felt some pain in his muscles but not his bones and did not want to risk crashing. Marquez now has a twenty-four-point lead over Lorenzo and is happier than ever considering the growth he has undertaken to think before challenging a fellow rival in crazy conditions. This is the mindset of a World Champion.
Scott Redding finished a brilliant third ahead of Pol Espargaro and it was the first time on the podium since Misano 2015 for the British rider. His smile says it all! The same can be said in Moto2 with Takaaki Nakagami winning the race after the rain came down. This is his first win in the World Championship and what a celebration for Japan as a country. It was superb. The same can be said for Pecco Bagnaia who also won his first Moto3 race. It was a weekend to remember!
