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MotoGP Assen: Rossi takes 80th win; Crutchlow podiums

Factory Yamaha's Valentino Rossi has taken his 80th MotoGP win at Assen this afternoon, re-kindling his old magic to win by almost three seconds from Marc Marquez with Britain's Cal Crutchlow on the podium again in third.

it was game, set and match for Rossi on lap four when he passed Marquez for second place and then went past t Repsol Honda team-leader Dani Pedrosa one lap later to take the lead and gradually pull away from the works RC213V pairing to take his first victory for more than two years.

"The victory after a lot, a lot of time give me great pleasure. I work a lot, I never give up. We make a big step with the bike, I ride in a better way and I know today can be my race so I think I want to try to win. It's unbelieveable," said Rossi, speaking parc ferme.

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Crutchlow, meanwhile, had to contend with reigning champion Jorge Lorenzo who came from 12th on the grid with a broken collarbone to challenge for the podium. Lorenzo went past the Monster Yamaha man on lap three and began to pull away.

But there was no denying the Coventry man. Crutchlow gathered his thoughts, got the hammer down and re-passed the factory Yamaha man and then set about catching the two Repsol bikes. He passed Pedrosa with 12 laps to go on the brakes into the Geert Timmer chicane and then caught up to the rear wheel  if Marquez.

Crutchlow had the measure of the young Spaniard and was looking for a place to pass. But going into the first corner on the final lap, Marquez had a problem and slowed dramatically on the exit which caused Crutchlow to sit up and touch the rear wheel of Marquez and then run wide, ending his challenge for second.

Lorenzo, who settled back into his garage with a smile on his face, took fifth place and finished six seconds ahead of Stefan Bradl, making true Crutchlow's prediction yesterday that if he rode, he would be a top five man. The exercise in damage limitation was a success as Pedrosa's lead only extended by only two points.

Bradley Smith finished in the top ten again, converting his second-row qualifying spot into a ninth-placed finish while it was disaster again for the Ducatis with Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden finishing in tenth and 11th.

Michael Laverty's rain dance didn't do its work and he was faced with a dry track after little dry track time, ending the race in 22nd place.

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