Michelin and Valentino Rossi produced incredible performances in tricky conditions. The nine-time MotoGP World Champion emerged victorious at the Motul TT Assen in the Netherlands.
Party of 4e place on the grid, Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) was in the chasing group of a peloton led by pole sitter Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3). The Frenchman led the race for 11 laps ahead of Rossi, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and Danilo Petrucci (OCTO Pramac Racing). At 12e lap, Rossi managed a superb overtake, an important step in his quest for victory, even if he still had a lot of work to do…
The weather was unstable, going from very hot and sunny on Friday to heavy rain on Saturday. The race started under overcast skies and rather cool temperatures. But rain started to fall on the 4,452 km circuit on the 18e round. The white flags waved offered drivers the opportunity to return to the pits to change machines. Some riders chose to return, but the leaders remained on track to engage in very intense battles, with Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) joining the leaders in the rain. Despite the tricky conditions, the MICHELIN Power slicks still offered impressive grip and the times barely changed, while the drivers exchanged positions. At the end of the race, Rossi and Petrucci went wheel to wheel for victory, before Rossi managed to take the advantage by overtaking a backmarker. Even though Petrucci pushed all the way, Rossi won by 0,063 seconds. Petrucci won the First Independent Rider award and reached his second podium of the season.
Behind them, it was a four-way battle for the final step of the podium, with Marquez having the last word despite Crutchlow's efforts. Dovizioso finished 5e which allows him to take the lead in the Drivers' championship since Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) fell while he was attacking hard to catch up with the leaders. Behind, Jack Miller (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) came up from 13e place on the grid at 6e final place. Karel Abraham (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) achieved his best result of the season with 7e place ahead of Loris Baz (Avintia Reale Racing) and Andrea Iannone (TEAM SUZUKI ECSTAR), respectively 8e and 9e. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) completes the top ten ahead of his brother Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing). Thus, six different brands make up the top-11, which underlines the competitiveness of MotoGP. The entire range of Michelin tires was used this weekend, with five of the six MICHELIN Power slicks chosen in different configurations for the race, which again underlines the vast choice offered to all drivers to offer them the best performance depending on of their piloting and their machines.
105 spectators attended this Grand Prix – the largest attendance of the year – and were able to enjoy the spectacle of MotoGP which has already seen five different winners this season. The championship is very open with the first four grouped in 000 points. Michelin and MotoGP are now heading to Germany for the 11e round of the season at the Sachsenring on Sunday July 2 which will mark the mid-season and the last race before the summer break.
Valentino Rossi – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP:
“I am very happy because the bike and the tires worked perfectly all weekend and in all conditions. The choice was delicate because with the medium, we know that we are very fast, but the conditions were not very favorable. So we had to wait until the last moment. Finally, we took a risk by choosing the hard, we know that it is a little better on the Yamaha and it worked. It was a great race, I'm very satisfied. »
Nicolas Goubert – Deputy Director, Technical Director and MotoGP Program Supervisor, Michelin Motorsport:
“We are satisfied with the performance of our tires here at Assen. In the wet and dry on Saturday, the wet tires worked very well, the times were much faster than in similar conditions the previous year and there were few crashes despite the poor grip of the track announced by the drivers . Today, most rubbers have been used in different combinations, but it was very difficult to predict the final result. When the rain appeared, we expected the times to be slower, but the leaders hardly slowed down. They had a magnificent race and showed all the confidence they had in their tires to push so hard in these tricky conditions. We always seek to design the best tires for each circuit to allow the drivers to offer a magnificent show to the fans and we will continue with this in mind. Next week we will be in Germany. It will be a new test because the track has been re-surfaced and we don't have any information, but we are sure we have the right tires for this Grand Prix and we are ready to take on this challenge. »
