- Round: 7 - Assen TT
- Circuit: Assen
- Crowd: 90,731
- Temp: 24ºC
- Weather: Dry
- Circuit Length: 5,997
- Lap Record: 2' 0.991 (Valentino Rossi, 2005)
- Fastest Lap Ever: 1' 58.936 (Valentino Rossi, 2005)
Valentino Rossi became the first Yamaha rider ever to win five consecutive premier-class races after another authoritarian performance in the 75th anniversary Gauloises Dutch TT, where he was joined on the podium by his Gauloises Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards. Rossi did not get the best of starts from pole position but worked his way up from fifth after the first lap to take the lead by the midway stage, taking over from Marco Melandri (Honda) on lap ten and gradually opening out a crucial advantage.
Edwards followed his team-mate through the opening few laps to make up some important positions from sixth on the grid, quickly settling into the excellent race pace he had found during practice and finally getting the opportunity to impose it on the front group. One lap after seeing Rossi take the lead, Edwards passed Sete Gibernau (Honda) for third place and did everything he could to catch Melandri for second, before deciding to settle for a podium finish.
As Melandri eased away from the American he also began to close the gap on his Italian compatriot at the front, but a stunning final lap of 2'00.991 from Rossi was the fastest of the race and sealed the win by 1.583 seconds.
The Fortuna Yamaha riders both completed the race with performances that got stronger and stronger, typifying their display over the whole weekend. Ruben Xaus, who did not get a good start, finished in 12th place and with the bodywork on his YZR-M1 badly damaged after being hit by a stone that had been thrown up by the bike of the Japanese rider Makoto Tamada (Honda) who was in front of him. Xaus posted his best lap three laps from the end and his rhythm got stronger as the race progressed. On the last lap he produced a fine finish and even managed to edge past Hopkins just a few metres from the line.
The same incident with Tamada also had an impact on the other Fortuna Yamaha rider, David Checa, who has replaced the injured Toni Elias for the third consecutive race. The Spaniard was hit on his right arm by the debris just five laps in and it caused severe bruising that impeded him throughout the race. Checa managed to finish the race in 15th position and produced arguable his best display in the three races.
Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team) 1st;
"Today was another hard battle, as it has been every race this season. At the start the grip was tricky because of the rain this morning and I lost some places and had to overtake Loris and Nakano to arrive behind the three Hondas. I knew I could go a bit faster and after I passed them all I made some good laps and it became easier to ride on the limit, as there was less fuel. Melandri was very strong today and he came back to fight until the end. I had to keep pushing at 100% and really concentrate, especially on the last lap, when I made no mistakes and the fastest lap of the race. It was incredible for everybody. My bike worked perfectly again, so thank you to Yamaha and my team for all the brilliant work they've done, and to Michelin because the tyres were really good. We have a great atmosphere in our team and this makes it very easy to relax and give 100% every time. It's a pleasure to try to win together. I can't believe that I am the first Yamaha rider to win five races in a
row, when you look at the company I am in with Yamaha's former World Champions - Agostini, Lawson, Roberts and Rainey, its great."
Colin Edwards (Gauloises Yamaha Team) 3rd;
"Of course it could still have been better, but it was a good race. We made a breakthrough with the bike set-up this week and it just felt really good, better than its felt all season I think. I had a bad start, then I saw Valentino and realised his wasn't great either! The first corner I passed a couple and then on the back straight it was chaos with everyone trying to pass anywhere! I tried to follow Valentino through the traffic, then I got stuck behind Gibernau for a bit when he started to slow down. I got some time back when Marco made his big mistake and I saw red and really pushed hard to catch him! With four laps to go I was on the limit and lost the front really badly at turn two. When exactly the same thing happened on the next lap I decided it was safer to take it easy, get home on two wheels and make it onto the podium. I want to say a big thank you to my team and my Crew Chief Daniele Romagnoli, they've worked hard to find the right way forward and now I am going to Laguna in great shape."
Davide Brivio, Gauloises Yamaha Team Director;
"It was a very good day and once again both riders are on the podium with Valentino taking victory. Every race is different and this time it was a great fight with Melandri and with Colin also in the fighting group. It was very exciting to watch such good racing. This also shows the big progress that Yamaha has made and in this sense our engineers and team crew are really working very well. I'm just very lucky to be a representative of such a fantastic team. It's also very encouraging to be going to Laguna Seca in this situation, when we will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Yamaha."
Ruben Xaus (Fortuna Yamaha Team) 12th;
"I made a mistake at the start and I did not feel comfortable for the first few laps, I did not have the right feeling. When Tamada passed me, it took me a while to get back in front of him because I had been struggling for a while. Then I battled with Bayliss, Roberts and Hopkins and improved my rhythm and the bike began to get lighter by the halfway point. I have to learn to improve my rhythm in the first five laps of the race because in the last few races it's only been on the last few laps that I felt like I could challenge for the top eight. I have to improve a lot in that respect."
David Checa (Fortuna Yamaha Team) 15th;
"I felt very comfortable at the beginning. I was able to get away quite well and even got in front of Tamada and Ruben. But when Tamada went back past me he threw up a stone at me in the chicane that unsettled me a lot. I kept going as best I could, but it hurt a lot and over the final laps I was not able to accelerate and brake as normal which meant I had to be cautious. Anyway, I am happy because I believe I rode a good race. It's a shame my time with the team has come to an end."
Loris Capirossi - 10th;
"Some riders are used to finishing well back and are okay with that,
but I'm neither used to this nor happy about it," said the Italian.
"This was a bad race - the first few laps were okay but then the fun
finished and the risk began. I don't want to accuse anyone, the bike is
okay and the team is working so hard. Also, I see that Bridgestone are
working very hard. We use different tyres from the others, because our
bike has different demands, but I'm not happy with tenth place."
Carlos Checa - 9th;
"My biggest problem was after the start," said the Ducati Marlboro Team
man who had qualified 13th. "This track is so twisty that it's really
difficult to overtake or even keep your position if you're right in the
middle of the pack. Eventually I was able to pass a few riders, then my
lap times weren't so bad. As the fuel load lessened, the bike felt
better, so I had more confidence in the corner entries. Then I was able
to catch and pass a few more riders, until the grip went down and the
bike started moving around, which seemed to happen to everyone. Today
this was the best we could do. All I can say is that I hope that the
information I give to the team will help us improve for the next few
races."
Shinya Nakano - 8th;
"I'm frustrated because for a few laps I could race with the top guys and it was very enjoyable. But then it was difficult to improve my lap times, even though I could carry good corner speed. I was being passed on the straights, and for sure, we need to find some more top end power. I used a slightly softer rear tyre and it stayed consistent, but I want to be up in the top five racing the other guys. I lost a lot of time in the battle with Capirossi, but I'm happy to be the first Bridgestone rider over the line."
Alex Hofmann - DNF;
"I've decided I need to be positive about this, despite my disappointment. I need to look forward to the next race in America, rather than dwelling on today's bad luck. After switching bikes before the start I was matching the pace of Shinya and the Ducatis for five laps, and the top eight was possible. From lap six the chain was jumping on the sprocket and it was difficult to downshift, and then the engine began misfiring. I was trying to be smooth, but it just got worse and I had to stop."
Alex Barros - Camel Honda - 7th;
"Today's race was frankly terrible for me, because I was never able to ride as I would have liked and as I had done up to that point. Unfortunately the tyre I chose, and the one which went well yesterday, wasn't suited to the asphalt which was a lot colder after the overnight rain and the storms this morning. Instead, in the race I found myself without grip on the rear tyre. I chose not to take the harder tyre that Rossi, Melandri and Edwards probably used, I think Hayden maybe too, because it didn't work for me in practice. This was an erroneous decision. I was hoping that with a few laps heating up it would have worked better, but instead I was never able to ride at the pace I did on the first two days, not even when I managed to get past the first group of riders and had a clear track ahead of me."
Troy Bayliss - Camel Honda - 11th;
"What can I say about this race, it was average considering recent races, and despite giving everything once more I was unable to ride as well as I can. I'm obviously not happy, because there's not much difference for me between eleventh and twentieth, but there's not much else I can do apart from continuing to work hard with my head down and bring and end to this situation. I'm happy to be going to Laguna Seca now, a track I really like, and where I hope we can make some much-needed steps forward."
Nicky Hayden - 4th;
"It's been a tough weekend really especially with the weather. This morning the track was so different so in the race we had to gamble a little. We changed the fork springs and it all felt pretty good at the start. The tyre really came in over the first few laps and I was able to make some passes. Then Rossi and Edwards came by and I had to regroup a little and in the end I got past Gibernau for a pretty lonely fourth. I know its the best finish this season but I really want to move on to the next group - and for the whole race, not just a bit of it. I really looking forward to putting on a good show for all the fans at Laguna in the next race."
Max Biaggi - 6th;
"I had no grip since the start of the race and couldn't really get into the turns and open the throttle like I wanted to. I lost immediately too much ground and could only fight for the lower positions. We need to work harder and we need a result soon - hopefully by the next race because we have the potential to express ourselves. This is not the level that I or the team should be working at. We can do much better because we have to."
Race: 20 Laps;
- 1. V. Rossi, Yamaha (ITA) - 38' 41.808
- 2. M. Melandri, Honda (ITA) - +1.583
- 3. C. Edwards, Yamaha (USA) - +7.643
- 4. N. Hayden, Honda (USA) - +10.128
- 5. S. Gibernau, Honda (ESP) - +14.795
- 6. M. Biaggi, Honda (ITA) - +21.575
- 7. A. Barros, Honda (BRA) - +22.725
- 8. S. Nakano, Kawasaki (JPN) - +26.477
- 9. C. Checa, Ducati (ESP) - +30.221
- 10. L. Capirossi, Ducati (ITA) - +30.465
- 11. T. Bayliss, Honda (AUS) - +43.802
- 12. R. Xaus, Yamaha (ESP) - +49.864
- 13. J. Hopkins, Suzuki (USA) - +50.830
- 14. M. Tamada, Honda (JPN) - +53.370
- 15. D. Checa, Yamaha (ESP) - +54.965
Championship standings MotoGP;
- 1. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha (ITA) - 170
- 2. Marco Melandri, Honda (ITA) - 107
- 3. Max Biaggi, Honda (ITA) - 87
- 4. Sete Gibernau, Honda (ESP) - 84
- 5. Alex Barros, Honda (BRA) - 74
- 6. Colin Edwards, Yamaha (USA) - 73
- 7. Nicky Hayden, Honda (USA) - 60
- 8. Loris Capirossi, Ducati (ITA) - 49
- 9. Shinya Nakano, Kawasaki (JPN) - 48
- 10. Carlos Checa, Ducati (ESP) - 40
- 11. Troy Bayliss, Honda (AUS) - 37
- 12. Ruben Xaus, Yamaha (ESP) - 28
- 13. Olivier Jacque, Kawasaki (FRA) - 25
- 14. John Hopkins, Suzuki (USA) - 19
- 15. Makato Tamada, Honda (JPN) - 18
- 16. Toni Elias, Yamaha (ESP) - 15
Manufacturers standings MotoGP;
- 1. Yamaha - 170
- 2. Honda - 141
- 3. Kawasaki - 68
- 4. Ducati - 58
- 5. Suzuki - 27
- 6. Blata WCM - 4
- 7. Moriwaki - 1
Team standings MotoGP;
- 1. Gauloises Yamaha Team - 243
- 2. Team Movistar Honda MotoGP - 191
- 3. Repsol Honda Team - 147
- 4. Honda Camel - 111
- 5. Ducati Marlboro Team - 89
- 6. Kawasaki Racing Team - 82
- 7. Fortuna Yamaha Team - 47
- 8. Konica Minolta Honda - 30
- 9. Team Suzuki MotoGP - 28
- 10. D'Antin MotoGP - 7
- 11. Blata WCM - 4
