Marquez sent through gravel by Diggia in iconic repeat of 2015 Rossi move

Marc Marquez found himself on the recieving end of a similar iconic move he made on Valentino Rossi in 2015. This time, it was VR46 rider and Rossi protege Fabio Di Giannantonio who served the move back to Marquez, forcing him through the garvel at the iconic Timmer chicane.

The race was one of the most dramatic of the season so far, with Japan’s Ai Ogura claiming a sensational victory as championship leader Marco Bezzecchi crashed out in the opening laps. There were battles all over the field as Jorge Martin lost out to both Trackhouse riders and the Ducati duo of Marquez and Bagnaia were also involved in a bar-to-bar duel.

At the end of Lap 20, Fabio Di Giannantonio had caught up to Marquez, who appeard to be struggling in the latter stages, and made a lunge into the notorious final chicane. Marquez was pushed through the gravel in identical fashion to the way Rossi had been in 2015, though Diggia ended up shortcutting the final corner and was given a long lap penalty as a result.

After serving the penalty, the then repeated the move again in a cleaner manner to take the position and finish in P4.

Back in 2015, it was Marquez who pulled a similar move on Valentino Rossi on the final lap of the race. Ultimately, the contact forced ‘The Doctor’ through the gravel but he kept it pinned and claimed one of the most iconic victories of his entire career. The move is often cited as one of the most controversial in the Rossi-Marquez rivalry, with some believing that the contact was not sufficient to warrant cutting the track, while others argue that Marquez himself was not under control and also ran briefly wide.

There is a further irony in the fact that Di Giannantonio pulled off the move while wearing the Rossi colours and racing for the VR46 team owned by Rossi himself. It is not the first time Di Giannantonio and Marquez have come together this year, the pair also duelled in Brazil and Marquez took out Diggia in the USA sprint earlier this year. Both men are still very much in the hunt for the MotoGP title this year, particularly after Assen, which has blown things open once again.