Marc Marquez wins Assen Moto2 race as title rivals Pol Espargaro and Thomas Luthi crash out
Marc Marquez pulled clear of his Moto2 title rivals by beating Andrea Iannone to Assen victory on a day when both Thomas Luthi and Pol Espargaro crashed out
The result marked Marquez's first win since Estoril in early May, and was earned via a late charge to close down the big lead that Iannone had opened up mid-race.
Technomag-CIP rider Dominique Aegerter had jumped from fifth to the lead at the start, but soon had Espargaro's Pons Kalex on his tail. The Spaniard made it into the lead into the chicane at the end of the opening lap and then pushed to try and pull away while Marquez (Monlau Suter) was still battling clear of the rest of the lead pack, only to crash out. Espargaro was upset but unhurt, while his bike was wrecked as it tumbled through the gravel.
Fellow championship contender Luthi was already out, his Paddock Suter tangling with Ratthapark Wilairot's Gresini example at the first corner.
Marquez kept a low profile in the first half of the race, and it was Iannone (Speed Master) who broke away while the points leader quietly diced with Aegerter and Marc VDS' Scott Redding.
Iannone's lead got as large as three seconds, but it would not last. Entering the closing stages, Marquez lifted his pace and demolished Iannone's advantage.
They were absolutely together with three laps to go. Although Iannone was twice able to repass Marquez after losing the lead, he could not hang on indefinitely and the Spaniard finally grabbed first place for good on the final lap.
Redding overcame a strong challenge from Pons rider Esteve Rabat to claim his second straight podium, with Forward's Alex de Angelis - now on an FTR chassis - and Tech 3's Bradley Smith on their tail.
Aegerter faded to seventh, as eighth-placed JIR rider Johann Zarco recovered from his qualifying crash to lead home former champion Toni Elias (Aspar), Redding's team-mate Mika Kallio and second-row starter Randy Krummenacher (Team Switzerland).
Results - 24 laps:
Pos Rider Team/Bike Time/Gap
1. Marc Marquez Monlau Suter 39m43.170s
2. Andrea Iannone Speed Master Speed Up + 0.405s
3. Scott Redding Marc VDS Kalex + 7.331s
4. Esteve Rabat Pons Kalex + 7.630s
5. Alex de Angelis Forward FTR + 7.852s
6. Bradley Smith Tech 3 + 8.578s
7. Dominique Aegerter Technomag-CIP Suter + 10.017s
8. Johann Zarco JIR Motobi + 14.481s
9. Toni Elias Aspar Suter + 14.714s
10. Mika Kallio Marc VDS Kalex + 14.734s
11. Randy Krummenacher Switzerland Kalex + 14.944s
12. Takaaki Nakagami Italtrans Kalex + 22.106s
13. Xavier Simeon Tech 3 + 23.068s
14. Julian Simon Avintia Suter + 23.532s
15. Mike di Meglio Speed Master Speed Up + 23.733s
16. Claudio Corti Italtrans Kalex + 25.619s
17. Nicolas Terol Aspar Suter + 25.913s
18. Ricard Cardus Arguinano AJR + 25.974s
19. Roberto Rolfo Technomag-CIP Suter + 34.640s
20. Yuki Takahashi Forward FTR + 44.057s
21. Anthony West QMMF Moriwaki + 44.739s
22. Gino Rea Gresini Suter + 59.784s
23. Marco Colandrea SAG FTR + 1m10.125s
24. Eric Granado JIR Motobi + 1m12.139s
25. Elena Rosell QMMF Moriwaki + 1m33.233s
Retirements:
Max Neukirchner Kiefer Kalex 23 laps
Alexander Lundh MZ 22 laps
Simone Corsi Iodat FTR 14 laps
Damian Cudlin SAG Bimota 14 laps
Axel Pons Pons Kalex 8 laps
Ratthapark Wilairot Gresini Suter 5 laps
Pol Espargaro Pons Kalex 1 lap
Thomas Luthi Paddock Suter 0 laps
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