Heavy rain showers conditioned the Dutch GP at the Assen TT circuit, forcing Race Direction to bring the red flags out after 14 laps while Andrea Dovizioso, who had started from pole, was leading from Danilo Petrucci (Octo Pramac Yakhnich Ducati) and Rossi.
The second grid line-up was based on the standings after the first part, which meant that the remainder of the race would be over 12 laps. Dovizioso powered away well and crossed the line at the end of the opening lap in second place, but he then crashed out in Turn 12 and was forced to retire.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – DNF
“Obviously I am very disappointed because we had a great weekend and I was leading the first part of the race in very difficult conditions, but then too much rain started to fall and it was right to stop the race. What actually happened on the second start is that everyone fitted the soft rear tyre, which had a lot more grip but which created even more problems at the front, the reason for all the crashes yesterday and today. Valentino and I both knew that we were the fastest riders out there and we pushed ourselves on to be as fast as possible, but in the end we both made mistakes. There aren’t many excuses when you crash, because it means that you have made a mistake, but when there are so many crashes in two days in the wet it’s important to understand the reason why.”