Despite a very premature end to the race at home, Maverick Viñales set the record straight during the test day in Catalonia by recording the best time. His goal now is simple: Win races starting in Assen.
Currently occupying eleventh place in the championship, Maverick Vinales does not intend to rest and it is with unparalleled motivation that he heads to Assen for this eighth Grand Prix of the season. Last year, the Spaniard achieved his best result on this track in the premier category, grabbing a third place, won following a rather close fight against Alex Rins to obtain second place. The driver has often achieved good results on the Dutch circuit during his last eight years of Grand Prix racing. He won two victories, one in 125cc in 2011, the other in Moto3 in 2012, followed by two second places in a row in 2013 and 2014 in the intermediate category.
This week-end, Maverick Vinales has the mission to maintain the good feeling obtained during the tests and the previous Grand Prix and, this time, to get on the podium or, why not, take victory.
Maverick Vinales: “After the Montmeló tests, we arrive in Assen with great motivation. The tests were very positive for us and it confirmed the good feeling I had during the last Grand Prix. I think we achieved the best configuration of the season, as was demonstrated in Catalunya before the accident. I really want to come back to the M1 to confirm that the bike is working well and that we can be competitive. Unfortunately, the championship is already slipping away and it will be virtually impossible to win it. So we will focus on the end of the season trying to get as many podiums as possible, with an eye on the future and next season.”
This season, the Spaniard has only been on the podium once, in Jerez, securing a third position. Will he succeed in winning at Assen? The answer this weekend!
Provisional ranking of the World Championship:
1 Marc MÁRQUEZ – Honda 140 points
2 Andrea DOVIZIOSO – Ducati 103
3 Alex RINS – Suzuki 101
4 Danilo PETRUCCI – Ducati 98
5 Valentino ROSSI – Yamaha 72
6 Jack MILLER – Ducati 53
7 Fabio QUARTARARO – Yamaha 51
8 Takaaki NAKAGAMI – Honda 48
9 Pol ESPARGARÓ – KTM 47
10 Cal CRUTCHLOW – Honda 42
11 Maverick VIÑALES – Yamaha 40
12 Franco MORBIDELLI – Yamaha 34
13 Aleix ESPARGARÓ – Aprilia 27
14 Joan MIR – Suzuki 22
15 Jorge LORENZO – Honda 19
16 Johann ZARCO – KTM 16
17 Miguel OLIVEIRA – KTM 12
18 Andrea IANNONE – Aprilia 12
19 Michele PIRRO – Ducati 9
20 Francesco BAGNAIA – Ducati 9
21 Tito RABAT – Ducati 9
22 Stefan BRADL – Honda 6
23 Sylvain GUINTOLI – Suzuki 3
24 Karel ABRAHAM – Ducati 2
25 Hafizh SYAHRIN – KTM 2
