MotoGP 2014: Assen race results
Marc Marquez continues his winning streak with a Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso in second
TWENTY-ONE-year-old Marc Marquez has taken the 2014 MotoGP season by storm after winning his eighth race at the eighth round in complicated flag-to-flag conditions at Assen.
With the young Repsol Honda man claiming the top step of the podium, he was joined by Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso 6.714s behind with Dani Pedrosa finishing third.
Wet weather conditions meant a delay to proceedings, but as the 26-lap race began the track started to dry and by the seventh lap riders had chosen to change to their dry set-up machines in a flag-to-flag situation.
The young Spaniard, Marquez, wasn’t phased and took the lead early on to break yet another record of becoming the first rider to win the first eight consecutive premier class races since Giacomo Agostini in 1971.
A delighted Ducati team saw Dovizoso cross the line in second whilst his team-mate and Brit Cal Crutchlow finished in ninth 44 seconds behind the leading man Marquez.
Despite starting from pole position, Aleix Espargaro was unable to maintain the pace of the Repsol Honda on his ‘Open Class’ NGM Forward Racing machine and eventually finished fourth.
Valentino Rossi managed to put a Movistar Yamaha MotoGP in the top five, but only just. After a late decision to swap from slick to wets at the start meaning he had to start from pit lane and was therefore unable to catch the leading men.
Rossi’s Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo finished down in 13th over 1 minute off the pace of Marquez.
British rider Bradley Smith finished in eighth whilst his team-mate Pol Espargaro was forced to retire after a crash on slick tyres and wets.
Assen race results:
1. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team 43:29.954
2. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team 43:36.668 (+6.714s)
3. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team 43:40.745 (+10.791s)
4. Aleix Espargaro* ESP NGM Forward Racing 43:49.153 (+19.199s)
5. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 43:55.767 (+25.813s)
6. Andrea Iannone ITA Pramac Racing 43:58.957 (+29.003s)
7. Alvaro Bautista ESP Go&Fun Honda Gresini 44:0.836 (+30.882s)
8. Bradley Smith GBR Monster Yamaha Tech 3 44:0.939 (+30.985s)
9. Cal Crutchlow GBR Ducati Team 44:13.985 (+44.031s)
10. Stefan Bradl GER LCR Honda MotoGP 44:18.616 (+48.662s)
11. Broc Parkes* AUS Paul Bird Motorsport 44:21.817 (+51.863s)
12. Scott Redding* GBR Go&Fun Honda Gresini 44:30.283 (+1:00.329s)
13. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 44:34.595 (+1:04.641s)
14. Karel Abraham* CZE Cardion AB Motoracing 44:35.934 (+1:05.980s)
15. Danilo Petrucci* ITA IodaRacing Project 44:47.565 (+1:17.611s)
16. Hiroshi Aoyama* JPN Drive M7 Aspar 44:49.707 (+1:19.753s)
17. Nicky Hayden* USA Drive M7 Aspar 44:57.584 (+1:27.630s)
18. Hector Barbera* ESP Avintia Racing 44:58.096 (+1:28.142s)
19. Yonny Hernandez COL Pramac Racing 43:41.754 (+1 lap)
20. Mike Di Meglio* FRA Avintia Racing 43:58.159 (+1 lap)
21. Michael Laverty* GBR Paul Bird Motorsport 44:49.966 (+1 lap)
22. Colin Edwards* USA NGM Forward Racing 43:33.704 (+3 laps)
DNF. Pol Espargaro ESP Monster Yamaha Tech 3
