MotoGP Vinales wins the 2019 Dutch Grand Prix.

GDN - Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP“™s Maverick Viñales didn“™t put a foot wrong this weekend at the TT Circuit Assen and he proved untouchable on race day. He took his and Yamaha“™s first victory since last year“™s race in Phillip Island in style, having to really fight for it in a hard battle at the front.

Viñales had a good start from P2, but a wobble in Turn 1 left him a bit unsettled. He fell back to fourth, which he held crossing the finish line for the first time. There was a small scrap between him and Marc Marquez early on, until the number-12 rider noticed the three front men getting away, prompting him to make his move. As he chased the race leaders, frontrunner Álex Rins crashed. It didn“™t shake up the Yamaha rider though. He passed Joan Mir, and then the battle with Marquez and Fabio Quartararo really started.

The 24-year-old was in third place for a while and was having a good look behind Marquez with 14 laps to go, deciding carefully where he would make his move. He first led the race on lap 16, but Marquez proved difficult to shake. With 9 laps to go, the Yamaha rider ran wide going into Turn 1 and fell back to second place, but it was only briefly. He retaliated that same lap by using the Yamaha“™s nimble character to perfection, reclaiming the P1 spot. It was the right moment to put his head down, and this time he broke free from his rival. He showed his incredible race pace, setting a personal best lap of 1“™33.720s on lap 21. The Spaniard kept his concentration until the very end and took the chequered flag with a 4.854s advantage.

Second place after a spirited battle at The Cathedral sees Marquez walk away with an even greater championship lead. Somewhat cooler than predicted temperatures at the TT Circuit Assen, 44°C track temperature, added an extra challenge to the 26-lap Dutch GP. Losing a place off the line, Marc Marquez quickly worked to make up his lost position. A dramatic third lap soon had the reigning MotoGP World Champion back in podium contention. On lap 11 Marquez pounced into the led again down the back straight but Viñales and Quartararo soon responded, a thrilling three-way breaking out. With his lead in the MotoGP World Championship on his mind, Marquez eased his pace towards the end of the race and settled into a solid second.

Collecting 20 valuable points, Marquez leaves Assen with a total of 160 World Championship points, 44 points clear of second placed Dovizioso. The result also maintains Honda“™s lead in the Constructor Championship, now 22 points ahead of Ducati. Before the start of the race, Kunimitsu Takahashi and Mick Doohan delighted the Dutch crowd as the sound of two-stroke machinery returned to Assen with a demonstration lap aboard the 1959 RC142 and the 1989 NSR500 to celebrate Honda Racing“™s 60th Anniversary.

PETRONAS Yamaha SRT take best overall result of 2019 season to date, with 3rd for Fabio Quartararo and the 5th for Franco Morbidelli. PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team had a superb Dutch GP, with rookie Fabio Quartararo achieving his second consecutive podium finish and Franco Morbidelli taking the chequered flag in fifth. It is the best combined result for the team, and comes on the debut weekend with PETRONAS Sprinta engine oil in the team“™s Yamaha YZR-M1 bikes. Quartararo, who started from pole position, made a great start, allowing him to lead a MotoGP race for the first time. He headed the field for 12 laps, and didn“™t relinquish the lead without a fight. The Frenchman maintained consistent race pace to finish the Dutch GP in third position, giving him sixth in the overall standings with 67 points. He is also currently the Top Independent Rider.

Maverick Viñales #12 Monster Energy Yamaha 1st place "It feels like I'm dreaming. These have been difficult times for me, because I've been out of the three tracks where I thought I had the most potential with the bike. My season has been difficult, but I've tried to keep the momentum from Catalunya, because I felt really good on the bike. I'm so grateful to the team, because they did a great job this weekend and prepared well for the last laps of the race. I was strong, even one-to-one on the brakes, I knew I could make the overtakes. It was very important to relieve some of the pressure by taking a victory. I think the team will be more relaxed now. Being back on the top step of the podium again feels really good and bringing Yamaha back to its winning ways is the most important to me. We knew we had the potential but hadn't been able to show it. It's always a combination between the team's, the rider's, and the bike's efforts. Sachsenring is a track I'm usually fast at, so we'll try our best."

Marc Marquez #93 Repsol Honda HRC 2nd place “An amazing weekend here in Assen overall. I chose the soft tyre and targeted the podium so this is like a victory as we have again increased the advantage in the championship. I saw Viñales was faster than me and I tried to stay with him to avoid a battle with Quartararo at the end. I was behind Viñales for a few laps and then I saw he was faster than me today, congratulations to him on the victory. The most important part is we have extended our lead in the championship at a circuit where we struggle. Thank you Assen, see you next year!“

Fabio Quartararo #20 Yamaha Petronas 3rd place “It“™s been a great weekend, although the race was very tough. Leading the race was one of the best moments of my life. When I was a kid I watched these races, and today I managed to lead one. When I got overtaken for the lead, I knew I couldn“™t do anything to respond because of my arm problems. The chasing pack was further behind, so I chose to manage the distance and ensure I placed on the podium. My arm bothered me a lot because there were several bumps and a lot of wind, which made the bike move around a lot. We have taken another podium, and yesterday I got on pole, so I couldn“™t be happier. The goal in Qatar was to get into the top ten frequently this season, but little by little we have been raising our targets. I“™m looking forward to Germany.“

GP of the Netherlands - Race Classification:

1. Maverick VIÑALES Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 40'55.415
2. Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team +4.854
3. Fabio QUARTARARO Petronas Yamaha SRT +9.738
4. Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati Team +14.147
5. Franco MORBIDELLI Petronas Yamaha SRT +14.467
6. Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati Team +14.794
7. Cal CRUTCHLOW LCR Honda CASTROL +18.361
8. Joan MIR Team SUZUKI ECSTAR +24.268
9. Jack MILLER Pramac Racing +26.496
10. Andrea IANNONE Aprilia Racing Team Gresini +26.997
11. Pol ESPARGARO SPA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +28.732
12. Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia Racing Team Gresini +34.095

13. Miguel OLIVEIRA Red Bull KTM Tech 3 +34.181
14. Francesco BAGNAIA Pramac Racing +34.249
15. Hafizh SYAHRIN Red Bull KTM Tech 3 +34.494
16. Tito RABAT Reale Avintia Racing +48.357
17. Karel ABRAHAM Reale Avintia Racing 1 Lap
Not Classified
5 Johann ZARCO Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
30 Takaaki NAKAGAMI LCR Honda IDEMITSU
46 Valentino ROSSI Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
42 Alex RINS Team SUZUKI ECSTAR

MotoGP Championship Standings:

1. Marc MARQUEZ Honda 160
2. Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati 116
3. Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati 108
4. Alex RINS Suzuki 101
5. Valentino ROSSI Yamaha 72
6. Fabio QUARTARARO Yamaha 67
7. Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha 65
8. Jack MILLER Ducati 60
9. Pol ESPARGARO KTM 52
10. Cal CRUTCHLOW Honda 51
11. Takaaki NAKAGAMI Honda 48
12. Franco MORBIDELLI Yamaha 45
13. Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia 31

14. Joan MIR Suzuki 30
15. Jorge LORENZO Honda 19
16. Andrea IANNONE Aprilia 18
17. Johann ZARCO KTM 16
18. Miguel OLIVEIRA KTM 15
19. Francesco BAGNAIA Ducati 11
20. Michele PIRRO Ducati 9
21. Tito RABAT Ducati 9
22. Stefan BRADL Honda 6
23. Sylvain GUINTOLI Suzuki 3
24. Hafizh SYAHRIN KTM 2
25. Karel ABRAHAM Ducati 2
26. Bradley SMITH Aprilia