Making a much slower return was Stoner, whose Ducati appeared to run out of petrol on the slow down lap - the first sign this season that any team may have been borderline on fuel. And Stoner wasn't alone; world champion Hayden also needed a push back to the pits after suffering what appeared to be the same problem.
But that minor inconvenience couldn't dampen Hayden spirits: The American, after finishing a best of just seventh from the opening eight races with the #1 plate, took his first podium of the year at Assen after an inspired ride that began with a brilliant 13th to sixth move into turn one.
The Kentuckian, finally riding and sliding his RC212V just as he likes, rose to third by lap four, lost the position to Rossi, then regained his first 800cc rostrum by passing countryman Hopkins on lap 14 of 26. Thereafter, Nicky held his own ahead of team-mate Pedrosa, and put four seconds on the Spaniard by the finish.
Hopkins, a star in the opening stages, collected fifth - where he had started - while Rossi's team-mate
Colin Edwards, who came within one corner of victory at Assen last season, crossed the line two seconds behind the #21.
Pramac d'Antin's Alex Barros was a lonely seventh, while team-mate Alex Hofmann won a thrilling four-rider fight for eighth ahead of Kawasaki's new recruit
Anthony West, plus the satellite Hondas of Melandri and Carlos Checa.
MotoGP's 2007 pole curse continued this afternoon with Vermeulen not only failing to win, but lucky to survive an over-optimistic move by
Randy de Puniet. The Kawasaki rider, whose front row start counted for nothing after a poor getaway, lunging for the inside of Vermeulen's seventh placed Suzuki on lap 12.
Unfortunately, the Frenchman didn't get alongside and when Vermeulen inevitably turned-in the pair collided hard. Randy was sent up and over his ZX-RR, while Chris amazingly stayed on two wheels - but was forced off track and rejoined 16th, where he eventually finished.
The other non-finisher was Stoner's factory Ducati team-mate
Loris Capirossi, who pulled into the pits on lap 18.
After two races in six days, MotoGP will now take a weekend off before round ten of the championship, the German Grand Prix at Sachsenring - which Rossi will start 21 points behind Stoner, but with exactly half of the 18 rounds still to go.
Dutch TT:
1. Rossi
2. Stoner
3. Hayden
4. Pedrosa
5. Hopkins
6. Edwards
7. Barros
8. Hofmann
9. West
10. Melandri
11. Checa
12. Nakano
13. Tamada
14. Guintoli
15. Roberts
16. Vermeulen
