Michelin rain tires were used in the race for the first time this season. In the rainy conditions that marked the Dutch TT in Assen (Netherlands), Australian rider Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) took his very first victory in MotoGP™.
Due to the torrential rains which fell on the Assen circuit (4,452 km) shortly after the start of a race scheduled for 26 laps, all the drivers started on MICHELIN Power Rain tires. The start was very intense with several changes of leaders, before the track was literally submerged, leaving the race director no choice but to wave the red flag after 14 laps.
After the restart, there were only 12 laps left to cover. The race then resumed on a wet track, even though the rain had stopped. The motorcycles, all shod with soft MICHELIN Power Rain tires at the front and rear, formed a starting grid in the order of the classification established at the end of the 14e lap, with Andrea Dovizioso on pole position for Ducati Team, Danilo Petrucci on OCTO Pramac Yakhnich Ducati alongside him and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) in 3e position. Miller started in 8e position from 3e line. Dovizioso was quickly overtaken by Rossi who seemed to be heading towards another success at Assen. But the Yamaha rider, then in the lead, fell to 3e round. Championship leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) inherited the reins of the race, but only for one lap before being overtaken by Miller. At 21, the Australian rider took control of operations aboard his Honda and never left first place, crossing the finish line with a two-second lead.
This year, the Dutch TT was organized for the first time in its history on a Sunday, and despite the torrential rain, some 105 spectators – the highest attendance of the season – made the trip to watch a surprising race. Miller also won the First Independent Rider award, becoming the first unofficial rider to win in MotoGP since 000. Marquez finished second ahead of Scott Redding (OCTO Pramac Yakhnich Ducati) who fought an interesting battle with the Monster Yamaha Tech 2006 rider Pol Espagaro until the last meters. Andrea Iannone took fifth place for Ducati Team, ahead of Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) and Eugene Laverty (Aspar Team MotoGP), forming a compact Ducati trio. Stefan Bradl (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) finished eighth ahead of Maverick Viñales, best representative of Team SUZUKI ECSTAR. World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha) completes the top ten.
Before this very wet race, the MICHELIN Power Slicks tires had worked very well, offering excellent grip and a good feeling to the drivers during the three free practice sessions. The rain then appeared in free practice 4 and for qualifying. The data collected this weekend in wet conditions, over both parts of the race, as well as those collected in the dry, are very valuable for Michelin technicians for the rest of the season.
The MotoGP paddock will now cross the Dutch border and travel to the Sachsenring (Germany) for the 9e round of the season scheduled for Sunday July 17.
Jack Miller – Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:
“It was an incredible day!” We had two races, a bit like in Superbike. We had ridden very little in the rain this year, so it was important to get feedback on the Michelin rain tires, how they work and how the bike behaves with these tires. Yesterday, I had two small falls, due to poor bike settings with different tires. We modified the set-ups for the race. After the first game, we made a few more changes before the restart. It was even better and the tires performed really well. In some time, we will be able to push even further with Michelin tires. »
Nicolas Goubert - Deputy Director, Technical Director and MotoGP Program Supervisor at Michelin Motorsport:
“This is the first time we have used rain tires in a race. In the first part, despite the red flag, they behaved very well. All the drivers had time yesterday to test them and adapt the set-ups. Despite the torrential rains and all the water on the track, everything went well. The second part of the race was completely different, because due to the few laps remaining, the drivers attacked very hard and made a few mistakes. Miller put in a superb performance and I was impressed by his driving in these conditions. He fully deserves his victory, congratulations. »
“In the dry on Friday and Saturday, we were also very happy with the performance of the tires, and if these conditions had continued today, I am sure the pace would have been very high. But we will never know... We learned a lot from this circuit, especially with the wet tires, and we will study all the data to be sure to provide the drivers with the best tires for all conditions. »
