MotoGP 2018: Marquez wins a thrilling Dutch TT at Assen

Marc Marquez came out on top after a six-way scrap for victory at the Dutch TT at Assen in what was the most exciting MotoGP race since the 2015 Australian Grand Prix at Philip Island.

And if someone were to just see the results, they would think Marquez had steadily pulled away from those fighting for second once the race got underway. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Over the course of 26 laps around the 4.545km TT Circuit Assen, there were six different race leaders, including Ducati's Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso and also Yamaha's Valentino Rossi.

Seeing Honda's Marquez scrap among a bunch of riders, and also Maverick Vinales and Alex Rins for good measure, it seemed like no one rider would ever be able to pull away to the chequered flag.

Lorenzo certainly tried to do so at the beginning when he shot from tenth place to the lead on the opening lap and did all he could to hold off Rossi, Dovizioso and Marquez. Those three kept taking turns at the lead and all were strong at different points of the circuit.

With Rins and Vinales thrown into the mix, it led to some scary moments for the top brass of the MotoGP field.

A sudden loss of speed by Lorenzo caused Rossi to crash into the back of his former Yamaha teammate, while Marquez nearly fell off his bike while being forced wide by Rins. The Spaniard returned the favour as he continued to battle hard.

The race suddenly turned on its head at the end of lap 23, when Marquez put the hammer down and streaked off into the distance. It was the first time that the defending MotoGP champion showed the pace that was evident during the Friday practice sessions.

The result was a final gap of 2.269 seconds from second placed Rins. A gap that effectively opened up over just the last three laps of the race.

Vinales completed the podium while Dovizioso, Rossi, Crutchlow, Lorenzo, Johann Zarco, Alvauro Batista and Jack Miller completed the top ten.