Valentino Rossi scored his first victory of the 2017 MotoGP season in the Dutch TT at Assen by the narrowest of margins after a thrilling battle in tricky weather conditions.
Yamaha’s Rossi scored his first win in over a year by beating the Pramac Ducati of Danilo Petrucci by just 0.063s – but it wasn’t all good news for Yamaha, as Maverick Vinales crashed out spectacularly.
From his first-ever pole position, Tech 3 Yamaha’s Johann Zarco led the quicker-starting Honda of Marc Marquez into Turn 1, with Rossi third from Petrucci and Alvaro Bautista (Aspar Ducati). Zarco’s teammate Jonas Folger dropped to the back after straight-lining the Esses on the opening tour.
Zarco was on soft tyres front and rear, as opposed to Marquez on mediums all round, while Rossi had a hard rear to go with a medium front. Marquez had a huge moment in the early stages but stayed upright.
The top four of Zarco, Marquez, Rossi and Petrucci pulled clear of the rest of the field, with another four-bike battle developing for fifth between Pramac’s Scott Redding, points leader Vinales, who started down in 11th, Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso and Bautista.
Rossi moved past Marquez, and then overtook Zarco just before half distance for second. Zarco fought back as Rossi ran slightly wide, touching the rear of Rossi at the apex – which dropped Zarco back behind Marquez and Petrucci.
Shortly after his teammate took the lead, Vinales crashed out at the final chicane. That handed fifth to Dovizioso – now poised to take the championship lead after Vinales’s exit – ahead of LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow, Bautista and Redding. Bautista crashed out at Turn 5. Petrucci caught Marquez napping for second with 10 laps remaining – as light rain began to fall two laps later.
Dovizioso charged past a struggling Zarco and Marquez to take third, as Petrucci put pressure on Rossi out front. Dovizioso and Petrucci swapped second repeatedly as a snarling, four-bike battle for the lead unfolded in moist and tricky conditions.
Petrucci grabbed the lead from Rossi with five laps to go, as Marquez retook third from Dovizioso after the Italian ran wide at Turn 1. That split the pack into two battles: Petrucci versus Rossi, and Dovizioso versus Marquez, with Crutchlow making it a three-way battle for the final podium spot.
Rossi grabbed the lead back with three laps to go, and was helped when the chasing Petrucci was delayed by backmarkers Hector Barbara and Alex Rins over the remaining laps. Despite this, Petrucci was only denied by 0.063s. A charging Crutchlow picked off Dovizioso and Marquez ahead of the final lap. Marquez battled back, just beating Crutchlow by a whisker on the line.
Dovizioso finished fifth, some 18 seconds ahead of last year’s winner Jack Miller (Marc VDS Honda) in sixth, while Karel Abraham took seventh on the surviving Aspar Ducati. Loris Baz (Avintia Ducati), Andrea Iannone (Suzuki) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) completed the top 10.
Zarco bailed out of the lead group and pitted for his wet bike with seven laps to go, but was caught speeding in the pits. The Frenchman eventually ended up a lowly 14th. Starting from 21st, Ducati’s Jorge Lorenzo picked up four places on the opening lap and was running 12 when the rain arrived, and he pitted for his wet bike. He finished 15th.
Aprilia’s Sam Lowes, one of the stars of qualifying, crashed out at Turn 9. Folger fell at Turn 1, and Bradley Smith did likewise off his KTM. Redding was also a late crasher.
