Idemitsu Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami took his first Moto2 race win of his career at Assen, but it is second place finisher, Ajo Motorsports Johann Zarco who is the new joint series leader, alongside Alex Rins who are now both on 126 points.
Rins finished in sixth and both Zarco and him share the same points at the top of the championship table. Gresini’s Sam Lowes is five points adrift of the leading pair in the series, after crossing the finishing line just off the podium in fourth.
The race was red flagged with two laps remaining as rain started to fall heavily out on the circuit. But when the race was brought to a premature close it was Franco Morbidelli who was the last of the rostrum finishers, with Lowes, Baldassarri and Rins completing the top six.
At first it was pole-setter Luthi who took the hole-shot, with Lowes getting a good start to go up to third from the second row. But the Brit went one head of Aegerter at Meeuwenmeer to push his way up to second.
But Aegerter was not giving up and with 22 laps remaining made a move at Haarbocht to take back a place. Morbidelli on his Estrella Galicia machine pushed past both Lowes and Aegerter and at the chicane had Luthi as his next target, and coming out of Geert Timmer overtook the rider to go into the lead at the start of lap four.
Lowes fell back as Nakagami, Aegerter and Baldassarri went faster leaving the former World Supersport champion in sixth. Further up the front Nakagami was up to second and was closing down on Morbidelli with nineteen laps left to the Moto2 race.
Nakagami was not giving up on the fight and at Mandeveen made a tight move on Morbidelli to go into the lead, only for Morbidelli to edge ahead at the chicane on lap nine, with Luthi and Zarco in tow. But that was only to last half a rotation, as Nakagami got into the front once again.
With ten laps to go title fighter, Johann Zarco found some extra pace to overtake Morbidelli and edged closer to Nakagami, who extended his lead by three seconds. Lowes was able to gain up a place after Luthi went wide at Meeuwenmeer and the Englishman went up to sixth.
But title fighter and pole sitter, Luthi crashed while there were only five laps left and Lowes went up to fourth. Then the rain flags came out on certain sectors of the circuit as spots of rain started to fall on parts of the track.
At the front Zarco was closing in on Nakagami but then the red flags appeared as rain fell on all parts of the circuit with two laps to go, and the race was brought to a halt and a result declared. British rider and reigning Moto3 champion, Danny Kent crashed unhurt at Strubben just as the red flags appeared, but his 14th placed finish remained as he fell after the flags came out.
