Seven-time world champion Italian Valentino Rossi, riding a Yamaha, won the Dutch Grand Prix in Assen on Saturday ahead of championship leader Casey Stoner of Australia and American reigning champion Nicky Hayden.
It was a remarkable victory for Rossi, who started 11th on the grid but had already risen to third with a quarter of the race run.
Stoner quickly passed pole-sitter and countryman Chris Vermeulen, and he was soon followed by American John Hopkins.
Hopkins failed to exert much pressure on Stoner, but that came soon enough as a storming Rossi passed the American just before the halfway mark in the race.
The battle for victory raged with Rossi hounding Stoner until three laps from the end when he passed the 22-year-old on a long corner and comfortably eased away to reignite his championship bid.
Stoner now leads Rossi by just 19 points at the top of the standings. — Sapa-AFP