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Dovizioso takes MotoGP lead with British GP win

FILE PHOTO: Ducati MotoGP rider Andrea Dovizioso of Italy rides during the Japanese Grand Prix at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit in Motegi, north of Tokyo, Japan, October 11, 2015. REUTERS/Issei Kato Picture Supplied by Action Images (Reuters)

(Reuters) - Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso seized the lead in the MotoGP standings on Sunday by winning the British Grand Prix at Silverstone after Honda's triple world champion Marc Marquez retired with a blown engine. The Italian, who had started sixth on the grid with his Spanish rival on pole position, now has 183 points to Marquez's 174 after becoming the first rider to win four races this season. Dovizioso passed compatriot Valentino Rossi, who had led from the start but ended up third behind Yamaha team mate Maverick Vinales, for the lead with three laps remaining. The race was nine-times world champion Rossi's 300th in the top category of grand prix motorcycling. Britain's Cal Crutchlow finished fourth on the non-factory LCR Honda bike. Marquez had been running in third place when his engine went in a cloud of smoke on lap 14. The next race, the 13th on the 18-round calendar, is at Misano in Italy on Sept. 10. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin in Spa-Francorchamps, editing by Ed Osmond)