Image: Supplied.

Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins charged to the best premier class result of his MotoGP career at Assen, slicing his way to second behind Marc Marquez in a race for the ages.

Rins, who was also on the podium in Argentina with a third-place result, made his way by Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales in the closing portion of the race to capture the runner-up result.

“This morning I was feeling really sick, some problems with my stomach,” Rins stated. “But the doctors at Clinica Mobile gave me some medicine and it took away the pain, so I must really thank them, because when I felt better I thought ‘wow, this will be my race!’. It was a fantastic battle and I learned a lot of things during the race.

“Our race-pace was good and I was able to enjoy it! There were a lot of overtakes and tight moves, so I was always trying to push to stay with the others and hold my space. I feel very positive with my bike and with my team, we all really want to improve and win.

“We’ve had a really competitive bike since Qatar, but we’ve been able to change a few things to get extra power and better performance, so I hope I can stay at the top for the next races too. I feel confident for Sachsenring.”

With four non-finishes in the opening eight races of the season, Rins is poised to be one of the big movers in the mid-stages of the season, currently 11th in the championship standings ahead of the German grand prix in two weeks time.