Valentino Rossi wins British GP on rain-drenched track to move top of MotoGP standings

HE hadn’t won in the wet in 10 years. He hadn’t won at Silverstone at all. With the MotoGP title delicately poised, Valentino Rossi produced a vintage ride to do both.

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP's Italian rider Valentino Rossi celebrates on the podium after winning the MotoGP race at the motorcycling British Grand Prix at Silverstone in Northamptonshire, England, on August 30, 2015. Valentino Rossi of Italy moved to the top of the world championship standings with his fourth victory of the season when he triumphed in the British MotoGP at Silverstone on Sunday. AFP PHOTO / GLYN KIRK

AS the rain steadily fell at Silverstone, Valentino Rossi dived deep into the fountain of youth to pull out a vintage victory at a key moment in his pursuit of the MotoGP world championship.

The 36-year-old turned on an utterly faultless display to win the British Grand Prix on a slick and treacherous track, leading an all-Italian podium of Danilo Petrucci and Andrea Dovizioso.

Crucially, the only rider Rossi is concerned about finished right on Dovizioso’s heels in fourth.

Jorge Lorenzo finished just 5.7 seconds behind Rossi in fourth but the distance equates to a 12-point swing in the title fight.

RESULTS: Click here for full results from the British Grand Prix

It is a fight that is now definitely between just two. Marc Marquez’s slender title hopes evaporated when he crashed eight laps from home while shadowing Rossi.

The pair had built a formidable gap back to the main pack after overhauling early leader Lorenzo, but the drying conditions saw the gap shrinking when the Honda rider fell.

Rossi managed his tyres, letting the gap shrink to under two seconds before more rain and a drop in temperature let him put the hammer down, taking the chequered flag three seconds clear of Petrucci.

It is his first win in a wet race — in his own estimation — in a decade, and his first victory at Silverstone.

Rossi and Marquez lead in the early laps.

“I’m very happy and proud of this victory, it’s a great feeling!” Rossi enthused.

“This morning I woke up feeling good, but my team also did a great job and my bike was fantastic already from the first lap of the warm up.

“I fought a lot with Marc, which was very difficult. I kept trying to break away but he stayed with me. I saw that Marc crashed on the mega screen and I didn’t hear noise of his bike, so I already thought that maybe something had happened.

“After he crashed I slowed down, because I thought I had enough of an advantage but in reality Danilo wasn’t so far, so I had to recover my concentration and start to push, because if I didn’t he would catch me.”

While Rossi’s victory continues his streak of podium finishes in 2015, the remaining men on the rostrum had extra reasons to celebrate.

Petrucci, Rossi and Dovizioso.

Petrucci’s second placing is his best in his short MotoGP career, an impressive, controlled ride earning the 24-year-old his first trip to the podium — and at one point genuinely looking like he may snatch the top step.

“In the last lap in the last corner I started laughing, as I couldn’t believe it!” he said.

“I really don’t understand why Valentino came so close lap by lap. But then Dovizioso came and the rain fell harder and I was scared about the front.”

While Dovizioso may be slightly disappointed to be the second Ducati rider home, the Italian was relieved to finally end a run of bad luck that had kept him out of the top three since Le Mans.

“I want to say thanks to my team, because we are working so hard to try and get back to being competitive once again,” he said.

“I almost crashed at the start because the rear tyre suddenly lost grip and I found myself at the back of the field. Despite this I succeeded in making a good recovery ... and Petrucci and I had a great battle, so I’m also happy for his excellent result.”

Petrucci holding off Dovizioso and Lorenzo.

Lorenzo, after losing out to Rossi and Marquez, was also bumped down the order by the Ducatis and Dani Pedrosa.

He picked off the remaining Repsol Honda for fourth but could make no inroads on Dovizioso due to a strange problem.

“I completely lost my vision, because the visor was foggy and had to slow down and lost a chance at the third place, which was a pity,” he said.

“In the rain I didn’t have the same pace as Valentino and Marquez.”

He was lucky to finish at all.

A mistake from Pol Espargaro sent the black Tech 3 Yamaha into the side of its blue factory cousin halfway through the race. Lorenzo did well to stay upright, and was none too pleased with his countryman.

“(He) made a incomprehensible move and it was a miracle I stayed on the bike,” Lorenzo said. “I was upset, but luckily I remained on the track.”

Pedrosa was fifth to cap off a bad day for Honda, who saw both of their LCR team bikes crash into each other when Jack Miller and Cal Crutchlow were fighting for third place in the early laps.

Crutchlow’s exit left Scott Redding to finish the best of the home riders in sixth from Bradley Smith, with Andrea Iannone, Aleix Espargaro and Alvaro Bautista rounding out the top 10.

Rossi now leads Lorenzo by 12 points with six races remaining in the championship battle, with the next round moving to Rossi’s home soil at Misano on September 13.

Rossi salutes the fans on his victory lap.

Originally published as Valentino Rossi wins British GP on rain-drenched track to move top of MotoGP standings