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Ben Spies capitalised on Marco Simoncelli’s early crash to cruise to his maiden victory in the Dutch MotoGP.
In damp and overcast conditions in Assen, Simoncelli squandered his pole position on the first lap after a clumsy clash with Jorge Lorenzo.
Both came off before continuing, but it allowed the American to build a lead which he held for a long-awaited win.
Championship leader Casey Stoner finished second to extend his lead to 28 points at the top of the standings.
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Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso took third place, ahead of Ducati’s seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi, who has finished on the podium just once this season.
The race’s key moment came just three corners in when Simoncelli and Lorenzo collided after the Italian lost grip of his bike and wiped the defending champion off the track.
That played into Spies’s hands, who becomes the first former World Superbike rider to win a MotoGP race since Troy Bayliss in 2006. BBC Sport
Nicky Hayden finished fifth. Lorenzo was able to rejoin the race and put his head down after the clash with Simoncelli to cross the line in sixth place.
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Colin Edwards was seventh, in front of Dani Pedrosa’s stand-in Hiroshi Aoyama. They were followed by Simoncelli in ninth, who rejoined the race after push starting his own motorcycle following the run in on the first lap. Toni Elias of the LCR Honda team completed the top ten finishers.
Cal Crutchlow exited the track with a front tyre problem, though re-entered the race to finish 14th.
Karel Abraham ended what was otherwise a good weekend for the Cardion AB Motoracing with a fall early in the race. He was followed a short time later by Randy de Puniet (Pramac Racing), the fourth DNF of the season for the Frenchman. Both riders were unhurt in the falls. motogp.com
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