The 250th Grand Prix in the history of the MotoGP category will remain in the memory of Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS and more particularly in that of Jack Miller who gave the Netherlands his first success in the premier class. The Australian mastered perilous conditions to win. It had been ten years since any independent team had won in MotoGP.
Miller also became the first Australian since Casey Stoner in 2012 to win a premier class Grand Prix. A success achieved in front of the 105 fans gathered around the track of the Assen circuit.
Starting for 26 laps on a wet track, Miller quickly got the hang of the conditions to move from 19th to 8th place. But on the fifteenth lap, the rain increased in intensity, the race had to be stopped. For an obvious question of safety, the race management then waited for the conditions to improve before giving a second start, the grid for this new Grand Prix planned for twelve laps being established from the positions at the time of the stop. of the race.
Far from being ideal, the track conditions of this new round caused the crashes of many experienced drivers. Miller did perfectly to slip into the top three from the second round. Two laps later, the Australian overtook Marc Marquez to take control of the Grand Prix. He never left them again. Author of a flawless performance, Miller led the proceedings for eight laps to take the checkered flag with a two-second lead and thus offer the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS team its first success since his arrival in MotoGP at side of Honda.
Tito Rabat also mastered the traps set by the Dutch rain to finish the race in eleventh position and thus pocket five new points.
Although the victim of a fall in the fifth round, the Spaniard never gave up. Managing to restart, he pushed himself to the limit to bring back valuable points for the general classification.
Jack Miller: 1st
“I don't say this often, but today I'm at a loss for words... I feel an incredible emotion and I find it difficult to describe what it means to win your first Grand Prix in MotoGP. I was confident and comfortable during the first part of the race, but the decision to bring out the red flag was the right one as the conditions became dangerous. The track was also very slippery after the second start but I immediately felt comfortable. I saw several drivers make mistakes and I tried to stay focused by driving quickly and safely without taking any unnecessary risks. When I overtook Marc, I tried to ignore the fact that I was in a MotoGP Grand Prix for the first time in my career. I tried not to think about the victory and to stay calm. When I saw the checkered flag coming out of the last chicane, the emotion that gripped me was incredible. My family and I have made a lot of sacrifices to make this day happen and it's just incredible. I can't thank the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS team enough. They provided incredible support and always believed in me. I must also thank Honda and its managers who gave me this opportunity by allowing me to show what I am capable of. It's going to take me a moment to realize what just happened to me today, but one thing's for sure we're going to celebrate tonight! »
Tito Rabat: 11th
“It was a difficult race due to the conditions but I am happy in the end to score new points. After the second start I could get into the ten because I felt that I had a very good pace. I'm not used to being so confident in the rain but here I felt really comfortable. I tried to overtake Bautista because I was a little faster than him in the last two sectors but I took a little too much angle in turn 11, a big mistake which sent me to the mat. I was lucky to be able to start again and I'm happy to have been able to finish the race to gain more experience with the bike, the tires and the electronics. I have to congratulate Jack and the whole team on this superb victory. He had an incredible race and deserves his success. »
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“I don’t really know where to start after such a day!” It's difficult to describe the amount of emotions we went through. There are people who work their whole lives to experience a day like this, to enjoy success in MotoGP. This is happening to us today and it is really very strong. I've dreamed of this moment since I started in MotoGP in 2004, and there were sometimes days when I thought it would never happen. But we always believed in it and we worked tirelessly to achieve it. So it’s true that today I have a hard time believing it. I have to congratulate Jack who was incredible. These kinds of conditions always offer an independent team a chance, but you still have to know how to seize it. Jack did it. It was easy to make a mistake but Jack knew how to stay on his feet. It was perfect. The last laps were difficult to watch as the tension was so high. Being the first independent team to win a Grand Prix in ten years gives me great pride for the whole team. We received a lot of criticism for our choice with Jack, but I never doubted his talent and today we showed the whole world that we can do great things together. I must again thank Marc van der Straten for the energy and dedication he gives to our project as well as Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS, Elf and Honda for their support. I hope this is just the first success in a long series. »
