2016 Dutch MotoGP: Rookie Miller takes debut win

There was no doubt that the race in Assen would be an interesting one given the tricky weather conditions and it was the first occasion that the race was being held on a Sunday. The qualifying session had its fair share of drama that saw Andrea Dovizioso take pole position followed by Valentino Rossi and Scott Redding on the front row. Reigning champion Jorge Lorenzo struggled as he qualified 11th while Marquez, who crashed in qualifying, was lucky to reach pits on a borrowed scooter to qualify fourth.  

It was declared a wet race as rain showers started a few minutes prior to the race and all the riders went out on the wet-spec bikes. As the lights went off, it was Rossi who took the race lead with Dovizioso in second and Pol Espargaro in third place. Redding made a torrid start that resulted in him falling to ninth position. Down the grid, Yonny Hernandez was making steady progress on the Aspar Ducati. The rain had picked momentum with Rossi and Dovi struggling to maintain pace. The Colombian rider was on the charge and in the third lap of the race passed Rossi to take the race lead. Hernandez also clocked the fastest lap of the race and was soon building a sizeable lead over Rossi. Another rider who was flying in the rough conditions was Danilo Petrucci who was up in fourth place as he passed Marquez.

Rossi was coming under huge pressure from his fellow countrymen and was soon relegated to third position. Among all this action Lorenzo was having the worst race of the season as he was pushed down to 15th position. With 18 laps remaining in the race the track started to dry up and Rossi was able to increase his race pace and was closing down on Dovizioso. It seemed that the riders would soon switch bikes but suddenly it started to pour heavily. Yonny Hernadez was the first causality of the abrupt change of weather as he crashed out of the race. 

This promoted Dovi into the race lead while Rossi’s race pace had fallen with Petrucci trying hard to overtake him. In the following lap, Petrucci was able to make his move stick on the MotoGP legend as he grabbed second position. Scott Redding had made a marvellous recovery despite the bad start and was soon on the tail of Rossi’s M1. Weather conditions had deteriorated further with water flowing on the race track and the riders struggling for grip with the tyres spinning. The Repsol Honda duo had also suddenly increased their race pace and it seemed a seven-rider battle for victory. Rossi and Redding were constantly switching places before red flag came out on lap 14. Race Direction decided to restart the race based on the grid position when the red flag came out and it would be a 12 lap race. 

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Valentino Rossi was on charge as he took the race lead after the restart with Dovizioso following him in second place while Marquez was up in third place. Redding was struggling again as he slipped to 11th place. Pedrosa was the first rider to crash out of the race post the restart and was soon joined by Andrea Dovizioso and Petrucci as the riders struggled to adjust with the tricky track conditions. With Dovi out of the race, Rossi had a considerable lead over Marc Marquez. But with 10 laps remaining in the race, the unthinkable happened as Rossi also lost his front and crashed out of the race. Despite his best attempts, The Doctor couldn’t start his M1 and had to return to the pits dejected. 

Marquez had the race lead for a short time as rookie rider Jack Miller clinched it with eight laps remaining and was able to soon etch out a few seconds lead over him. Redding was also in top form as he passed Aleix Espargaro for third place with just three laps in the race remaining. Marquez seemed to ride very cautiously as he knew that if he finishes the race, he could extend his championship lead significantly over Lorenzo and Rossi. Miller maintained his composure as he popped a stunning wheelie across the finish line to clinch his debut MotoGP win and became the first non-factory rider since 2006 to win the premiere class. An ecstatic Marquez came home in second and was followed by Redding in third. Miller became the first Australian rider since Casey Stoner to win in MotoGP and was visibly emotional with the result. Marc Marquez couldn’t have asked for a better weekend as he now leads the championship by 24 points ahead of Lorenzo and 42 points in front of Rossi.