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MotoGP Argentina: Rossi hunts down Marquez for win

Nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi hunted down reigning MotoGP king Marc Marquez and pressured him into a crash on the penultimate lap to take victory in Argentina while Britain’s Cal Crutchlow stole a podium in the last corner.

Repsol Honda’s Marquez switched to the hard option tyre on the grid even though the track temperature was on the rise while Rossi stuck with the extra-hard on the rear of his Movistar Yamaha.

Marquez leapt away from the pack and built a four-second lead while Rossi, who started from mid-pack, had to make his way through the field and slowly whittle away at the Spaniard’s lead as Marquez’s rear began to give up.

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Rossi cut the gap to 3.5s with 12 laps to go and then began to reel in the youngster, slicing Marquez’ advantage to two seconds with six to go. Marquez was visibly struggling with four left and Rossi was on his rear wheel.

The gap was only a tenth as they began the penultimate lap with Rossi going past Marquez on the brakes into turn two but Marquez pushed straight back past.

Rossi then went under Marquez into turn five, Marquez then tried to get a better drive out but ran into the back of the M1 and a front wheel will always lose to a rear and he slid up the track unhurt.

As Rossi was celebrating his win, CWM LCR Honda’s Crutchlow was lining up Andrea Iannone for a move and drove under him into the final corner to take his first podium spot of the year.

Andrea Dovizioso, who had the same tyre as Marquez, shadowed Rossi and was towed along. It is his third second place of the season but he said he had no answer for Rossi’s pace.

Jorge Lorenzo chose the same tyre as Rossi but didn’t have anything like the pace of his team-mate and he ended the race ten seconds behind Rossi. Bradley Smith, also on the extra hard, was sixth, one ahead of Aleix Espargaro who had early pace but slid backwards.

Pol Espargaro fought his way through from 18th on the grid to finish in eighth, one ahead of Scott Redding who held of Maverick Vinales for ninth place. Eugene Laverty, who was fast in free practice and qualifying, slipped back to 17th.

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