Rossi hits the mat in Assen after two years without a win
The black streak continues for Valentino Rossi, author of his third consecutive white result after dragging the ill-fated Nakagami into his fall in the fifth round of the 2019 Dutch GP. Funny way to celebrate your second year birthday without success…
This third fall in three races reflects a certain unease for Valentino Rossi, behind on circuits where he is however usually formidable: remember that before losing before Sunday in the Netherlands, the Doctor had already fallen in front of his family in Italy, then had been sent to the carpet by the Honda in perdition of Lorenzo in Catalonia.
- GP of the Netherlands :
- MNC special file :
"I was fighting with Nakagami and tried to overtake him on entering Turn 8, but I was a bit far and out of line, I think," he said. "I lost the front end and unfortunately I also took Nakagami out. It’s a shame and I’m sincerely sorry.".
Following this collision, the Honda-LCR rider went through the mobile clinic because his fall ended in the protections had temporarily sounded him. Nakagami – whom Rossi immediately visited – luckily did not hurt himself, although he admits he does not feel "100%".
"I saw him lose before but I didn’t have time to recover and he took me out," the Japanese recalls. "It’s an unlucky accident, quite violent: I hit the curbs and I don’t fully remember what happened".
Two years without success
Add to this "triple bubble" of Rossi his mixed performances in Spain (6th) and in France (5th) and the results of his first part of the season take an unfavorable turn … Certainly, the Italian has won two second consecutive places in Argentina and then in the United States and thanks to this retains the fifth place in the provisional.
But the fastest forty-something in the world has so far never been competitive enough to win, including this weekend on a track where he nevertheless signed his last victory. This success, his 89th in MotoGP and his 115th in Grand Prix, dates back to June 25, 2017, which is already two years and five days without winning..
Never had the n ° 46 spent so much time away from the top step of the podium since his catastrophic stint at Ducati from 2011 to 2012. We must also go back to this period to discover his only other succession of three falls in the premier class. : it was in 2011, when the Italian fell during the Grands Prix of Japan, Australia and Valencia.
This error at Assen therefore takes on an almost historical dimension for the Italian, since such a situation had never arisen on a Yamaha. To this statistic, which he would do without, is added the annoyance of having encountered difficulties on a track largely favorable to M1.
Three Yamaha in the Top 5, one in the gravel…
Fabio Quartararo and Maverick Viñales took turns dominating each practice session, before the French debutant won his second pole in a row on a bike that was however inferior to the official ones! Meanwhile, Rossi was struggling on his factory M1 and even missed QP2 after being penalized for overshooting the track limits in FP3. !
The race was also marked with the seal of the three tuning forks with the return to victory of Viñales, the brilliant 3rd position of Quartararo – despite the pain resulting from his recent operation of the box syndrome – and the excellent 5th place of Morbidelli, who is climbed like an arrow at the end of the Grand Prix on the second Yamaha Petronas.
Valentino Rossi, who started from a distant 14th position, is perfectly aware of the unflattering nature of his performance against the three other drivers of the Japanese manufacturer, who has returned to success for the first time since the Australian GP the last fall.
"It was a difficult weekend where I played a bit of bad luck, but the biggest problem is especially that I was rather slow", recognizes the nine-time world champion, whose prospects of winning a tenth world title never seemed so far away…
"I made a mistake and it’s a shame because, after being slow all weekend, we had found something today and I felt better with the bike", however assures the genius of the Alpages, traditionally in better shape when the fires go out on Sunday.
The n ° 46 also positive by underlining still being the best representative Yamaha in the provisional classification, in spite of its disappointments which carry its delay on the leader Marc Marquez to 88 points (160 Vs 72). Rossi is 29 pts from 4th place held by Alex Rins who also left Assen at fault.
Rossi followed by Quartararo in the provisional !
His position in the championship is however directly in the sights of two other Yamaha riders, precisely: Fabio Quartararo who is only five lengths (67 pts) and Maverick Viñales who occupies the seventh place with 65 points. This trio of M1 is therefore held in seven points, which promises good fights from the next race next Sunday at the Sachsenring !
"It’s as if I was dreaming," said Viñales, who has been unlucky this season having fallen three times: by Morbidelli in Argentina, Bagnaia in France and Lorenzo in Catalonia. Suffice to say that his success in Assen takes the form of a deliverance !
"I felt really good on the bike, like in Catalonia, and I am very grateful to the team because they did a great job this weekend and prepared well for the end of the race", underlines the Spaniard who attributes this return to victory to joint efforts with his team and the development of the M1.
Let’s hope that the solutions interviewed by "Mack" quickly cross the neighboring box in order to see Valentino Rossi at the forefront, and finally put an end to this long unsuccessful period..
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