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There were three friends at Assen, one triumphed, another just missed out and the third moved ahead in the standings. The three are Rossi, Petrucci and Dovizioso, making no mistakes and whipping the crowd into a frenzy. The oldest seemed like a boy, out for the first time without his parents, the youngest a veteran of MotoGP battling and the most reserved a perfectly oil point-seizing machine.
Not bad for a Sunday, with a special mention going to Franco Morbidelli too, having scored his fifth win of the season and a MotoGP ride for next year. Fenati also did well, closing the gap in the standings, along with Canet, despite not winning.
There were five (Italian) riders at Assen.
THE GOOD – After 115 wins, finding new adjectives to describe Valentino is becoming something of a challenge. So let's turn things around and list everything that he is not: he's not boring, he's not predictable, he's not old, he's not slow, he's not burnt out, he's not finished. He is, quite simply, Valentino.
THE BAD – In reality, he's not bad, according to Valentino, he's simply unable to judge distances. Comments aside, the contact between Rossi and Zarco is one of those things that happens when there is a meeting of two riders for whom closing the throttle is a sort of blasphemy that doesn't exactly go down well at the cathedral of speed. Rather than bad, Johann only damaged himself when he stopped to change bikes and did so... too fast.
THE UGLY – Blue flags are not only used to make the world's best beaches, as in the bike world they serve to tell those who are about to be lapped to move aside. Assen has been a part of the world championship since 1949, it's the university of bikes, etc. etc. And so, in 2017, a short course to update the marshals wouldn't go amiss.
THE DISAPPOINTMENT – That on the face of Danilo Petrucci, after finishing second, as if being on the podium among 14 world titles was a normal thing. We're sure that, by now, the Italian will have calmed down and be smiling once more, but it's only healthy that he doesn't settle.
THE CONFIRMATION – A MotoGP already awaits him next season, in the meantime Franco Morbidelli has scored his fifth Moto2 win of the season. A thrilling race that he managed with the usual coldness, he'll need to continue like this to get the better of Luthi who, thanks to his consistency, is still right there.
THE SURPRISE – He finally said it and we heard it for ourselves: Dovizioso admitted that he can fight for the title. Luckily Andrea is not as guarded on track as he is with his words. Seeing the Ducati back at the top of the general standings is a great surprise and we'll enjoy it to the full as proud Italians. It's best pairing in the world, we're sorry for everyone else but not that sorry...
THE MISTAKE – A mistake that could have been even worse, and not only in terms of the standings. Vinales thanked Dovi for his cat-like reflexes that allowed him to avoid the Spaniard, while there was nothing he could do about the lost points.
THE PASS – The triple by Fenati on the last lap of the Moto3, though unfortunately the move didn't give him the win.
THE INTERESTING FACT – On Thursday Zarco wanted to test the McLaren GT3 of Bruno Senna, but his helmet prevented him from doing so. The helmets of the MotoGP knights have spoilers and advanced aerodynamics and when Johann sat in the car, the only thing he could see, due to the wing at the back of the neck that was up against the headrest, was the steering wheel.
I TOLD YOU SO – “I have to win here”. Better luck next time Maverick.
