Brought to life in 1955, the TT Circuit Assen in Holland — known as “The Cathedral” — is a hallowed is a 2.830-mile racetrack that is among the most loved and fabled in the history of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

54 years removed from that premier race, on Saturday, June 27, 2009 at the Alice TT Assen, it only seemed fitting that “The Cathedral” would serve as the host site of the most incredible moment in the contemporary history of the sport. For it was on Saturday that Fiat Yamaha of Monster Energy’s Valentino Rossi won his 100th Grand Prix on the Circuit van Drenthe. The charismatic Italian raced by Casey Stoner’s Marlboro Ducati on lap number two of the 26-lap affair and oh so precisely and methodically, motored away winning the race over teammate Jorge Lorenzo by 5.368 seconds. Upon flashing by the checkered flag in victory, Rossi’s name, yet again, went straight into the history books.

“It’s a fantastic achievement. 100 victories is a great number,” said Rossi, who won his very first Grand Prix at Brno, Czechoslovakia aboard a 125cc Aprilia. “Thanks to all the guys who have helped me to reach this number –my teams over the past ten years, Jeremy Burgess and especially all my close friends and family for giving me motivation. We hope to win some other races though!”

After taking the lead away from Ducati Marlboro's Casey Stoner, Rossi eased away, while his teammate, Lorenzo, began to pull up on the second pace Ducati. On lap number five, the Spaniard moved Stoner aside and rolled the throttle to the stops in an attempt to catch Rossi. Lorenzo would make a few spirited charges on the World Champion, but each time he did, Rossi would just build a bigger fire and pull away. On lap number 16, Lorenzo would get to within 1.66 seconds, but that was as close as he would get as Rossi reached for another gear.

When all was said and done, Stoner wound up third on the day, 23.113 seconds adrift from Rossi. Monster Yamaha Tech 3's Colin Edwards placed fourth overall, 4.5 seconds ahead of Rizla Suzuki's Chris Vermeulen. While Edwards and Vermeulen rode in isolation, the race for sixth place was an entirely different matter as Monster Yamaha Tech 3's James Toseland claimed the position after a remarkable battle waged between he and LCR Honda's Randy De Puniet, San Carlo Honda Gresini's Toni Elias, Ducati Marlboro's Nicky Hayden, and Rizla Suzuki's Loris Capirossi.

By Eric Johnson