Alex Rins places third and Alex Marquez fifth in tight Dutch TT, decided on final corner.
Alex Rins and Alex Marquez were once again protagonists in the Dutch TT. Both Repsol riders were contenders for victory until the last lap of an intense race –eventually won by Luis Salom. The two proteges of Emilio Alzamora were part of a group of five riders, alongside Salom, Viñales and Oliveira, who fought for victory right to the end.
These five riders broke away from virtually the first lap of the race. Distancing themselves from the rest of the field, they stalked one another and put in some tight overtaking moves for good measure. Rins escaped mid-race and enjoyed a lead of just over 1.5 seconds, but after a few laps he was reeled in once more. From there, the race would be decided in the final stages.
Although both Rins and Marquez would lead the race, Salom would eventually win out. Viñales and Rins completed the podium and Alex Marquez finally had to settle for fifth place. With this result, Rins strengthens his third position in the overall standings and Marquez lies fifth.
Alex Rins >> Audio
3rd at 0.282 sec.
“It was a rather difficult race. We had a good start and that allowed us to slot into second. On the first few laps I tried to escape and I managed to get 1.5s ahead but, as we saw in practice, Maverick [Viñales] had better pace and caught me up. From that moment the battle with Salom, Oliveira and Marquez began, with some overtaking moves that are a part of racing. In the end we achieved a third place that is a good result for us, because in every race that we have finished so far, we have been on the podium. We hope to finish all the remaining Grands Prix in the same way.”
Alex Márquez >> Audio
5th at 0.416 sec.
“We missed out on the podium by very little. The race was pretty hard; at first I did not feel entirely comfortable on the bike as I had grip problems with the rear when accelerating. Little by little I gained confidence and I was able to catch Alex [Rins]. In the end, I wasn’t aware that it was the last lap until we came to the slow corner at the back of the circuit. Then everyone swamped me and I couldn’t do anything. I’m happy with the result today, and we fought for victory until the final lap. We can be very satisfied with our first race at Assen, and now we just have to continue in the same way.”
