Espargaro hails 'fabulous' eighth place at Assen

Aleix Espargaro outgunned the MotoGP prototypes of Ducati pair Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden plus Bradley Smith's Tech 3 Yamaha M1 to earn a magnificent eighth place in the Dutch MotoGP.

Espargaro has been by far the dominant force in the CRT class this season on the Power Electronics Aspar and set the tone for the weekend as he qualified in seventh place at Assen - the best-ever result for a CRT machine.

The Spanish rider hailed the result as 'fabulous' as he continues to raise the level for the CRT class.

Espargaro, who finished 32 seconds down on race winner Valentino Rossi, said: "Today I feel really happy. I had a very nice race - probably my best in MotoGP and certainly the best as a Power Electronics Aspar Team rider.

"From Thursday I knew that this circuit was favourable to my bike, so I focused on trying to find the fastest pace possible.

"At the start I stuck with the frontrunners for a few laps, which was an extraordinary feeling," he added.

"After [Stefan] Bradl moved three seconds ahead, I managed to keep him from increasing the difference and I have battled with [Alvaro] Bautista.

"This eighth place, finishing ahead of the Ducati riders and Smith, is fabulous."

"We are doing a great job and every Grand Prix brings with it a new achievement. I want to thank the team for making this dream possible."

Espargaro is currently tenth in the championship standings on 44 points, three ahead of Bradley Smith and 29 in front of nearest CRT rival and team-mate, Randy De Puniet.