The magnificent seven react to an unforgettable Dutch GP

Hear what the top seven finishers had to say about the breathtaking battle at Assen

The Motul TT Assen was nothing short of spectacular. 100+ overtakes, six different race leaders and numerous faring-bashing clashes made for one of the best premier class races of all time – but what did the riders involved have to say about the unforgettable 2018 Dutch GP?

Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) - 6th:

“Yeah it was really good, I didn’t like to be in the battle too much, I’d have preferred to be four guys because it would have made it a little bit easier but this is the situation. I said I thought seven or eight guys could be on the podium and it seemed that way… I just think the last two laps were my downfall because it went past the 100% wear gage on the tyre it seems and I made a big mistake. I passed Valentino and thought I could push for the guys at the front but I ran really wide in Turn 8 and just stayed on the bike and had to settle for sixth position.”

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) - 1st:

“Yeah it was a crazy race, yesterday I already expected a little bit but not like it was. It was a wild group, it was everybody fighting against everybody, we were trying to attack but at the same time defend the position, and it was crazy to analyise and to try to find the best strategy. But in the end I say ok we wait, we fight and we will see in the end and the last six laps we said now it’s time to give everything, it doesn’t matter about the Championship. It was difficult but when I saw on the last lap that I had a 1.5 second advantage I was like ok, now it’s time to breath, finish the lap and yeah to finish in first position was the most important thing.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) – 4th:

“It was crazy. A nice battle but it was very difficult because there was a lot of wind and there was a lot of bikes and the riding style of the riders is completely different so it was crazy for that. To fight for the almost-victory, at Assen, for me is something very important and I think I did everything in the right way. The negative point was we didn’t have the power at the end to get our rhythm and to try to fight with Marc. That is that bad point but it’s ok.”

Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) – 5th:

“It was a wild race. I’m so happy to have been there because it was so exciting for the whole race. I’m sad for the podium because I thought I had the potential to arrive on the podium but the problem is that at the beginning, I was very lucky with Lorenzo because he touched the curb and lost the front at very highspeed, but I touched him in a good way… we didn’t crash, so it was very good. With four or five laps to go, I tried to attack and it was good because I was in 2nd place but fighting with Dovizioso… Dovizioso tried to overtake me on the first corner but he arrived a little bit in the way and, unfortunately, I had to go out of the track and we lost… I lost especially… but we lost a lot. I think it was an aggressive overtake, like a lot of the aggressive overtakes during the race but especially it was not strategically very clever, because I think that me and Dovi had the potential to get on the podium and because of this we arrived 4th and 5th.”

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) - 7th:

“Today has been an unexpected first part of the race because I didn’t have the pace, I struggled so much especially with the wind, it was a windy race so I expected to suffer so much. But actually, I started very well, gaining a lot of positions and I was lucky that everyone went to the inside line so I have a free track to make a very fast first corner... The Vale incident was a frightening moment, a very dangerous moment, we’ve been very lucky not to crash together, the front closed in high speed, fifth gear, I entered too much on the inside and I touched the curb and the front close, I almost crash but I have to reduce a lot of speed and Valentino didn’t expect that I’d reduce so much speed and he hit me from behind”

Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) – 3rd:

“For sure I’m happy because we were struggling a lot in the first laps but it seems that today we worked hard and it was good. It was good, honestly to be strong. In the middle of the race I felt really strong but then the tire made a big drop, which, I think, we can solve pretty easily. But, for the next races, we have to think the way to go fast. Here in Assen the track helps a bit because I’m fast here, but in the other tracks we need to continue working hard.”

Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) – 2nd:

“It was a fantastic battle, I understood and learnt a lot of things in the race, I was feeling strong and our race pace was good so I just enjoyed the race. A lot of riders overtook at Turn 5, I saw two laps before I overtook Marc on the same corner that he was overtaking a lot of riders there so I tried to do the same. When I was in fourth or fifth they had gone a little bit, I was always trying to push push push because I knew they would start to overtake and to rider slower than me and finally I arrived.”

After a true classic in the Netherlands, what will Round 9 of the 2018 MotoGP™ World Championship serve up at the Sachsenring? You won’t want to miss a single lap when the premier class go racing in Germany on Sunday, July 15th!