The Motul TT Assen began on a wet track, rain having stopped falling just before the race. All the MotoGP™ World Championship riders lined up with wets fitted, but if it didn’t rain they would almost certainly be forced to change bikes. From third on the grid Scott Redding (Octo Pramac Yakhnich) had a great run into, but not out of, the first corner and ended the first lap in ninth. He floated outside the top five as the track dried, but as soon as the rain returned he shot forward. The Brit soon found himself dicing for victory, until the red flag was brought out due to the rain.
This saw the race restarted and run over 12 laps, Redding again making a decent start. The leaders vanished into the distance, the Brit settling in behind Independent Team rival Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3). A number of high profile crashes ahead soon saw their battle become one for third, Redding grabbing his chance to pass Espargaro after multiple laps of trying. He would eventually cross the line almost four seconds ahead of Espargaro, returning to the podium for the first time since Misano in 2015. The GP15 may not be the newest Ducati machine, but Redding proved it is still more than capable in the wet.
Scott Redding: “I struggled more in the beginning. I was sliding more at the end but I had the feeling. I said OK, two laps I’ve been here but it was hard to pass him because he was fast in half and I was fastt in half. Then I made the move and risked it. It paid off, I’m happy to be here in the podium after the crazy race out there. I came back but I was a little frustrated. In the end so happy to be here.”