ASSEN, Netherlands — Spaniard Marc Marquez won a record-equaling eighth straight race Saturday at the Dutch motorcycle Grand Prix in changing weather conditions, ahead of Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso. The runaway leader and defending champion grabbed the lead from Dovizioso with 10 laps to go, after both riders switched from wet tires to slicks earlier in the race. Spanish veteran Dani Pedrosa and Marquez's teammate, also on a Honda, was third. His victory saw Marquez become the first rider to win eight straight premier class races from the start of the season since Italian great Giacomo Augustini in 1971. The Spaniard points leader stretched his substantial lead in the overall standings to 200 points. Marquez now stands 72 points ahead of second-placed Valentino Rossi, who rode a magnificent race from the back to eventually end in fifth place. Rossi, however, is now sharing second place with Pedrosa. The unpredictable Dutch weather made for a thrilling race, which saw Marquez, Dovizioso and many other racers coming into the pits to switch from wet to dry tires. A lightning change of bikes paid off for Marquez, who then went on to pass Dovizioso with 10 laps to go, staying ahead for the rest of the race. “It was incredible — actually it's a race that nobody won, because it was so dangerous,” Marquez said. “It was difficult to know what the right strategy would be, but starting off with the wet tyres, later going to the slicks was the right choice,” he said. Veteran Australian rider Anthony West on a Speed Up braved wet conditions to win the Moto2 race. It was the 32-year-old West's first win in 11 years after finishing first in the same race back in 2003. Spanish rider Maverick Vinales, on a Kalex, ended second, with another long-time rider, Mika Kallio from Finland, finishing third, also on a Kalex. Championship leader Esteve Rabat who started from pole position, battled in the wet on his Kalex, ending in eighth position. He retains top spot in the standings with 157 points, 26 points ahead of nearest rival Kallio. Spain's Alex Marquez, meanwhile, claimed his second consecutive victory in the Moto3 race. Marquez, 18, whose brother Marc is the MotoGP championship leader, finished first riding a Honda, ahead of fellow Spanish rider Alex Rins, also on a Honda, and Portugual's Miguel Oliveira on a Mahindra. The championship leader, Australia's Jack Miller, on a KTM, took an early tumble but retains his overall lead at 117 points after eight races, seven points ahead of KTM rider Romano Fenati of Italy and Marquez, now both on 110 points. — Agencies
