Having shown race winning
pace all weekend in all conditions ‘The Doctor’ was faultless in today’s TT
race. The nine-time World Champion held his fourth position from the grid into
the first turn then started looking for a way past Stefan Bradl for third. By
the second lap he was past and with just 22 laps to go he moved past Marc
Marquez into the first corner for second, beginning the hunt for Dani Pedrosa
and victory. It took just one lap more and Rossi was able to dive past Pedrosa
into the final chicane for a race lead he would hold to the flag, crossing the
line to a sea of yellow flags and a well deserved return to form. The win puts
Rossi on 85 points, now just two behind Cal Crutchlow in fourth place.
While his teammate rightly
deserved the honours for an amazing victory, Jorge Lorenzo also shone today.
The World Champion gave everything he had and more, defying the pain from
collarbone surgery just 36 hours ago in a heroic effort to race. Lorenzo had
started from 12th on the grid but had risen to eighth by turn three. By the
second lap he had climbed to fifth and was chasing down satellite Yamaha rider
Cal Crutchlow in fourth. With 23 laps to go he had passed Crutchlow and began
to close the gap to Marquez in third. As the laps wound down exhaustion set in
and with 11 to go Lorenzo was re-passed by Crutchlow. With grim determination
he managed to maintain pace for fifth position and rolled into the Yamaha pits
to an applauding team. The remarkable feat means Lorenzo holds second in the
Championship and is just nine points behind Pedrosa as they head to Sachsenring
in two weeks time.
Valentino Rossi 1st /
41'25.202 / 26 Laps: "Today was something
special, this is one of the best victories in my career because it is one of
the most wanted and expected for such a lot of time. I’m so happy because I won
a real race where all my opponents were very strong and very fast, apart from
Jorge with his injury. It was great from the beginning, I had a good feeling, I
could overtake on braking and I felt good on the bike. It was difficult but the
finish line was calling me so I had to arrive as fast as possible. We have made
a step with the bike, I can ride in a better way so we have to try and stay
with the top guys every weekend. Jorge rode an incredible race, we have to say
a special great congratulations because he had great courage to do this and
also he made an important step for his Championship.”
Jorge Lorenzo 5th / +15.510
/ 26 Laps: "It would have been
impossible to believe some minutes after my crash that this could happen. We
were brave to make the operation the same day, if I had waited to Friday the
doctors would not have let me race. We made the race today and I was very brave
in the first laps because passing the riders with a collarbone like this under
braking was really hard. I felt quite good physically at the beginning of the
race but after lap seven every lap was worse; it was more difficult to change
direction, to brake and to accelerate so I couldn't do more than fifth
position. We only lost two points to Dani who is leading the Championship. This
fifth position is better than any victory I have had in my career. I hope to
have a good recovery for Germany, I will not be 100% but I hope to be better
than here. The victory for Valentino and the third for Crutchlow are good for
the Championship, I would have preferred Cal to finish in front of Marc but you
can’t always have perfection! I am happy for Valentino, more than two years
without winning has been hard for him so I’m happy for my box partner. After
Aragon I think he made some improvements and here he took profit from the
opportunity. Lets see what happens in Sachsenring as last year we had some
issues and the Hondas were strong but I think if I can improve my physical
condition I can be more competitive than this race.”
Wilco Zeelenberg - Yamaha
Factory Racing Team Manager: "If you would have asked me
a quote before the race I would have said we need to finish and get some
points. To fight for the first fifteen laps at least and to be there with the
front boys was unbelievable for Jorge. Finishing fifth, having Vale winning the
race and having Cal also on the podium is great for Yamaha. The result is great
for us as we lose just two points to Dani. I think that is what this race was
all about, damage control, we had to try to finish and for sure not to crash.”
Massimo Meregalli - Yamaha
Factory Racing Team Director: "It has been a double
victory today, so great for both results. Vale is back with a victory after two
years and eighth months and the last one was also with Yamaha so it has been a
great result for all of us. We were also able to gain some points against our
competitors so for me it was a very special victory. Jorge did something really
incredible. He showed he has the determination that is not normal. That he
could race having had surgery just two days ago, has been very impressive, I
know what a rider can physically feel when you are on the bike and injured. At
the end we also only lost two points to Pedrosa. For me this is going to be an
unforgettable weekend. We will leave this place in a really good mood and for
sure we are going to start the next weekend totally full gas.”
Crutchlow returns to podium
in Assen thriller
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team
rider Cal Crutchlow made a stunning return to the podium in a classic Dutch TT
encounter this afternoon. The 26-lap battle was a nail-biting affair from start
to finish and a fantastic charge in the second half of the race secured British
rider Crutchlow a third rostrum in the last four races and ensured once again
that he was unmatched as the outstanding non-factory rider.
Starting from pole position
for the first time in his premier class career after a sensational qualifying performance
yesterday, Crutchlow found himself down in fifth place in a frenetic opening to
the 65th running of the historic Dutch TT. With 90,000 fans gripped by the
exciting action, Crutchlow’s podium challenge commenced when he seized fourth
from heroic reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, who just 48 hours after
breaking his left collarbone in practice was producing a superhuman effort to
keep the podium in his sights early on. Crutchlow disposed of Lorenzo’s threat
at the final chicane on lap 15 and he then moved into the rostrum places with
an identical move to get by World Championship leader Dani Pedrosa on lap 21.
The former World Supersport’s blistering speed then saw him brilliantly hunt
down Marc Marquez for second as the race reached an enthralling climax. Eager
to equal the career best second place he scored in Le Mans last month,
Crutchlow came close to pulling off a thrilling overtake at the first corner on
the final lap. Marquez though was not to be outdone and after coming close to
contact, Crutchlow momentarily ran off track before recovering to claim a
richly deserved fifth MotoGP podium that keeps him in fourth position in the
World Championship standings.
Bradley Smith produced yet
another hugely encouraging display, the British rookie finishing inside the top
10 for the fifth race in a row. Starting alongside eventual winner Valentino
Rossi and Pedrosa on the second row after a career best qualifying performance,
Smith did his best to keep himself in the hunt for the top six in the early
stages to try and gain vital experience from the fastest riders in the world.
Struggling in the hard braking zones with discomfort from a recovery left wrist
injury, Smith slipped outside of the top 10 but refused to settle for an 11th
position he held from the fifth to the last lap. Locked in a battle with Nicky
Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso, Smith produced a stunning last lap attack to
finish ahead of both to claim ninth for the third time in the last four races.
Cal Crutchlow 3rd – 87
points: "I am really happy to be
back on the podium after the disappointment of Barcelona. It was a great battle
right to the end and once again I showed my speed and I was close to finishing
second and that would have matched my best result in MotoGP. But obviously
after starting from pole position I wanted to win the race and had it not been
for me struggling with the full fuel tank in the first five laps, I think I had
a chance to fight with Valentino. I can’t turn the bike on a full fuel load and
then Jorge passed me and he was riding amazing considering his physical
condition. It took me a while to get back by him but then I chased down Dani
and Marc but it was a case of too little, too late. It was close with Marc on
the last lap and I think we touched, so we were lucky he got back on the
throttle when he did otherwise both of us could have been in the grandstand!
Being back on the podium is great for Monster, Tech 3 and Yamaha and it is
another positive result for the Championship. Before the start of the season,
if somebody had said I would have been on the podium three times in seven races
and been so consistently fast with the best riders in the world, then I would
have been happy. Now we go to Germany in a positive frame of mind and hoping to
get back on the rostrum again.”