Marquez makes it eight out of eight

Spanish world champion Marc Marquez wins at Assen to strengthen his grip on the MotoGP standings .

Marquez became the first rider since 1971 to win the first eight races of the season [AP]

Spain’s MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez made it eight wins in eight races with victory for Honda in a wet Dutch TT at Assen.

After a brief rain delay, the 21-year-old finished 6.7 seconds ahead of Ducati’s Italian Andrea Dovizioso to become the first rider since Giacomo Agostini in 1971 to win the first eight races of a season.

Marquez now has a perfect 200 points, with Italian Valentino Rossi and Spain’s Dani Pedrosa level on 128.

Pedrosa, Marquez’s Honda team mate, finished third with riders changing to bikes with a dry setup and slick tyres on the seventh of the 26 laps after it had rained just before the start.

Spain’s Aleix Espargaro, who was on pole for the first time with his non-works Yamaha team but lost out at the start, took fourth place ahead of Rossi – starting from the pitlane – in fifth.

Marquez and Dovizioso traded the lead four times on the opening lap with the Spaniard sliding off after the change of bikes, allowing the Italian back in front before reasserting himself with 10 laps remaining.

Spain’s double world champion Jorge Lorenzo had a bad afternoon, finishing 13th after leaving it late to switch to slicks.

Source: Reuters