ROAD RACE
FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 8 / JUNE 26, 2016
TT CIRCUIT ASSEN / ASSEN, THE NETHERLANDS
P54
The first to go, on lap one, was
Pedrosa. A little further round, also
Crutchlow. On lap two, Dovizioso
crashed out of second, while ear-
lier contender Petrucci sputtered
to a stop by the track, his engine
dead. Next time round Bradley
Smith (Monster Yamaha) and Aleix
Espargaro (Ecstar Suzuki) fell.
Most sensationally, also on
lap three and out of the lead was
Rossi, losing the front on the entry
to Mandeveen, the first of the clas-
sic double-rights at the far end of
the track. He tried to restart, but to
no avail.
Marquez was a close specta-
tor, with Miller by now on his back
wheel. The Australian observed
at once that Marquez "calmed
down—obviously thinking of the
bigger picture." It was time for him
to take his chance, and he slipped
past into the chicane at the end
Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa,
who had come through from 16th
on the grid after failing to make it
into Q2.
Miller also had a strong first
race, and started the second from
the middle of row three, between
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) and
Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha).
Second Movistar Yamaha rider
Jorge Lorenzo was completely
out of sorts in the wet, and started
from 19th place, with only Pirro
behind him.
The rain had stopped and the
track was drenched but drying when
they got under way again, all riders
now on the softer rear wet Michelin
option, and with many of them in
sprint mode, with just 12 laps to go.
There had been many crashes
(losing the front on the wet track)
the day before. They continued
apace in the race.
(Left to right)
Marquez, Miller
and Redding
celebrate on
the historic
Assen podium.
(Right) Jorge
Lorenzo
(99) saw his
championship
hopes take
a big hit at
Assen.
