On that occasion of his 300th GP Valentino Rossi was hoping to make history with a win at Silverstone over the weekend, but it would be another Italian rider who would steal the headlines at the British Grand Prix on Sunday.
Despite starting 6th on the grid, Andrea Dovizioso soon joined a small group of four riders who found themselves chasing down Valentino who had taken an early lead.
Rossi, running hard-compound front and rear Michelin Power Slicks, set a new lap record early on as he opened up a gap of around a second on Viñales, Marcquez, Crutchlow and Dovi. A lap later and Viñales went even faster, then Marquez put in a 2m1.560s on Lap 7 as the fight for supremacy really started to heat up at the front.
An engine failure for Marquez put him out of the race on Lap 14, and with three laps to go Rossi was still leading until Dovi and then Viñales found a way through.
The in-form Ducati man went on to claim his fourth victory of the season, whilst Crutchlow just missed out on a home race podium as Rossi kept him at bay. Scott Redding also worked his way into the top ten, taking 8th at his home round on the Pramac Ducati.
Dovi’s win puts him nine points clear of Marquez, with Viñales a further 4 points behind as we look ahead to San Marino in two weeks time.
Rossi will be hoping that home advantage helps him to claw back some points in his hunt for a tenth title, as he is currently 26 points adrift of the championship leader.
For Michelin it’s been a hugely successful British GP, with lap records tumbling on race day as three riders gave it their all for the win.
