2015 Assen MotoGP Results
Spoiler Alert – 2015 Assen MotoGP Results from the Dutch Grand Prix listed below.
The TT Circuit Assen – known as the “Cathedral of Speed” due to its fast and flowing nature – hosted Saturday round eight of 18 in the 2015 MotoGP Championship.
Assen is the only venue to host a GP race every year since World Championship racing’s inception in 1949, and the only track to host a Saturday race – though this changes in 2016, Assen going to the traditional Friday-Sunday schedule.
As MotoGP headed to The Netherlands, all eyes were on the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP duo of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo. The nine-time World Champion Rossi, who finished on the podium at every round leading up to Assen including two wins at Qatar and Argentina, held a mere one-point lead over teammate Lorenzo.
Rossi was a favorite due claiming the most wins at Assen – eight across all classes including six in the premier class. But Lorenzo had equal clout aboard his respective YZR-M1; the two-time MotoGP Champion had won the past four-consecutive rounds in dominating fashion – leading all laps of all four races.
From outset of The Dutch Grand Prix, Rossi – the oldest rider in MotoGP at 36 – showed nothing but dominance. The Italian led two of four free practices, and followed that up with a record-breaking qualifying performance to earn the Assen MotoGP pole – his first pole since Valencia last season.
Rossi carried this momentum into Saturday’s 26-lap MotoGP that took riders nearly 74 miles, only losing the lead for three laps to Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez.
Following a duel at 2015 Assen MotoGP that came down to the final chicane, Rossi would beat the 22-year-old two-time MotoGP Champion Marquez by 1.242 seconds to earn his third win of 2015 MotoGP. Taking the final podium position – 14.576 seconds back – was Lorenzo.
This was Rossi’s 111th GP win across all classes – 85th in the premier – and also his first win from pole since Misano MotoGP in 2009.
“I pushed, and I don‘t want to say I did a perfect race, but close. I saw I was not able to get distance from Marc. It‘s always difficult with him and you know the battle will be very hard, but I was confident that I was competitive and I wanted to try for victory. In the last laps I pushed a lot and I arrived at the last chicane when Marc tried to overtake but he arrived a little bit too late, I was already into the chicane and we touched a little bit and I had to cut the corner,” Rossi said after 2015 Assen MotoGP.
“Essentially I had no choice and I was lucky, because I got on the gravel, but I stayed on the throttle even though I didn‘t know how deep it was and I thought there was a chance I could lose control. When I returned to the track I checked the position of Marc, but he had slowed down more than I did. It has been a great weekend and it‘s very important because I increased my point advantage over Jorge. I think that in a championship as close as this, it is very important you take the maximum profit when you are competitive and when you like the track, because for sure we will have some more difficult moments. It was fantastic to come back here with a victory.
“I think we deleted the results of Jerez, where Jorge gained nine points over me and now we have to try to delete also Mugello‘s results where he did the same thing. Apart from the joke, it is very important because Jorge did fantastic to cut down a 28 points gap to just one. So to take nine points now is crucial, also because I think this championship will arrive to the last race and the last lap.”
When 2015 Assen MotoGP began, Rossi led into the first corner. Marquez, who started from third on the grid, quickly overtook second-place starter Aleix Espargaro on the Team Ecstar Suzuki GSX-RR.
Aboard his Honda RC213V, the Spaniard Marquez stalked Rossi for the opening 19 laps, but made his move on turn one of lap 20. The duel that defined 2015 Assen MotoGP began, and Rossi reclaimed the lead at turn 10 with three laps remaining. Rossi then recorded the fastest lap of the race trying to shake Marquez. But the reigning champ was not about to give up.
Marquez’s last effort was on the final chicane, where he contacted Rossi. But Rossi kept his YZR-M1 straight through the gravel, and was able to quickly regain compsure and finish 2015 Assen MotoGP 1.242 seconds ahead of Marquez – who suffered three DNFs this season. Lorenzo, who started from eight on the grid, battled his way to a lonely third, not allowing Rossi to stretch his points lead.
Fourth-place finisher, Ducati Team’s Andrea Iannone, took the checkered flag over 19 seconds behind. He also finished alone, over four seconds behind Lorenzo and four secons ahead of Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Pol Espargaro. The Spaniard Espargaro won a spectacular battle for fifth, finishing just ahead of CWM LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow and the other Monster Yamaha Tech 3 pilot, Bradley Smith.
Following a crash during warm up and a horrible start that dropped him from fourth to 12th, Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa took eighth, 24.656 seconds behind Rossi. Rounding out the top 10 were the Team Suzuki Ecstar GSX-RR duo of Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales, respectively, who finished ahead of Octo Pramac Racing’s Danilo Petrucci (11th) and the second Factory Ducati of Andrea Dovizioso (12th).
Earning the 2015 Assen MotoGP Open Class victory with 15th at 2015 Assen MotoGP was Athina Forward Racing’s Loris Baz, who finished over 52 seconds behind Rossi. The sole American in MotoGP – Aspar Honda’s Nicky Hayden – took 16th.
As for crashes at 2015 Assen MotoGP, Avintia Racing’s Hector Barbera and CWM LCR Honda’s Jack Miller wrecked on the opening lap, both unharmed. Also crashing out were E-Motion IodaRacing Team’s Alex de Angelis, Aspar MotoGP’s Eugene Laverty and Athina Forward Racing’s Stefan Bradl. The German Bradl was later diagnosed with a fractured right wrist.
After eight of 18 rounds, Rossi now has 163 points, 10 ahead of Lorenzo. Iannone is in third with 107 points.
The series now breaks for two weeks before heading to Sachsenring in Germany for round nine July 10-12.
2015 Assen MotoGP Results
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 40’54.037
2. Marc Marquez (SPA) Repsol Honda Team + 1.242
3. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Movistar Yamaha MotoGP + 14.576
4. Andrea Iannone (ITA) Ducati Team + 19.109
5. Pol Espargarò (SPA) Monster Yamaha Tech3 + 24.268
6. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) CWM LCR Honda + 24.373
7. Bradley Smith (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech3 + 24.442
8. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team + 24.656
9. Aleix Espargarò (SPA) Team Suzuki Ecstar MotoGP + 26.725
10. Maverick Viñales (SPA) Team Suzuki Ecstar MotoGP + 27.238
11. Danilo Petrucci (ITA) Pramac Racing + 29.038
12. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Ducati Team + 29.418
13. Scott Redding (GBR) Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS + 46.663
14. Yonny Hernandez (COL) Pramac Racing + 49.305
15. Loris Baz (FRA) Athinà Forward Racing + 52.396
16. Nicky Hayden (USA) Aspar Team MotoGP + 56.005
17. Mike Di Meglio (FRA) Avintia Racing + 1’14.513
18. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Aprilia Racing Team Gresini + 1’59.857
19. Marco Melandri (ITA) Aprilia Racing Team Gresini After 1 laps
20. Alex De Angelis (RSM) Octo IodaRacing Team N.C. (3 laps)
21. Eugene Laverty (IRL) Aspar Team MotoGP N.C. (11 laps)
22. Stefan Bradl (GER) Athinà Forward Racing N.C. (21 laps)
23. Hector Barbera (SPA) Avintia Racing Not starting
24. Jack Miller (AUS) CWM LCR Honda Not starting
MotoGP Point Standings (after eight of 18 rounds):
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 163
2. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Movistar Yamaha MotoGP 153
3. Andrea Iannone (ITA) Ducati Team 107
4. Marc Marquez (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 89
5. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Ducati Team 87
6. Bradley Smith (GBR) Monster Yamaha Tech3 77
7. Cal Crutchlow (GBR) CWM LCR Honda 57
8. Pol Espargarò (SPA) Monster Yamaha Tech3 56
9. Maverick Viñales (SPA) Team Suzuki Ecstar MotoGP 52
10. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team 47
11. Danilo Petrucci (ITA) Pramac Racing 44
12. Aleix Espargarò (SPA) Team Suzuki Ecstar MotoGP 38
13. Scott Redding (GBR) Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS 30
14. Yonny Hernandez (COL) Pramac Racing 28
15. Hector Barbera (SPA) Avintia Racing 16
16. Loris Baz (FRA) Athinà Forward Racing 14
17. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Aprilia Racing Team Gresini 11
18. Jack Miller (AUS) CWM LCR Honda 11
19. Stefan Bradl (GER) Athinà Forward Racing 9
20. Nicky Hayden (USA) Aspar Team MotoGP 8
21. Eugene Laverty (IRL) Aspar Team MotoGP 7
22. Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Repsol Honda Team 5
23. Mike Di Meglio (FRA) Avintia Racing 2
24. Alex De Angelis (RSM) Octo IodaRacing Team 1
2015 Assen MotoGP Results – Photo Gallery
