Andrea Dovizioso Wins 2017 MotoGP Grand Prix of Britain

Ducati talisman Andrea Dovizioso roared to victory in the 2017 MotoGP British Grand Prix on Sunday after defending world champion Marc Marquez blew his engine with seven laps remaining.

The official MotoGP Twitter account provided a look at the moment Dovizioso clinched his first-place finish, with Yamaha pair Maverick Vinales and Valentino Rossi following in second and third, respectively:

Dovizioso moved up to first in the standings and is nine points ahead of Marquez. He ended an eight-year drought at Silverstone, winning his first Moto GP British Grand Prix since 2009.

Marquez's late retirement handed his pursuers new hope in making sure he doesn't add a fourth world championship to his collection, with the Spaniard dropping from first as a result.

This is how the top 10 looks after the latest race in the 2017 calendar, via Fox Sports Live:

Rossi was the leader for much of Sunday's meeting at Silverstone and only lost his perch near the race's crescendo, with Dovizioso continuing the best season of his career with a second successive win.

The 31-year-old capitalised on Marquez's falter following a daring display in the British midlands.

Rossi got a great start and was swiftly followed by Marquez, Vinales and Dovizioso, the three of whom remained on The Doctor's tail for the majority of the race.

Despite the rush of younger talent beaming through the upper ranks of MotoGP of late, BT Sport noted the experience that allowed Rossi to maintain his title optimism at Silverstone:

"

There's a reason people call Valentino Rossi the GOAT 

300 #MotoGP races and counting for the Doctor... pic.twitter.com/kekilLsKSY

— #BritishGP  (@btsportmotogp) August 27, 2017"

Cal Crutchlow, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa formed part of an outsiders' group that battled for seniority outside the main pack, but even they applied pressure on the podium places in a thrilling contest.

The MotoGP title hunt has been its closest for some years in 2017, and reporter Simon Patterson noted the slim margins between competitors give Rossi an advantage:

Marquez's first retirement in more than three months came out of the blue, as he was forced to pull up at the end of the Hangar Straight after smoke busted out of his bike, making for major drama late on in the race.

With only seven laps remaining, Rossi had one fewer star enemy to deal with in his pursuit of a second Silverstone crown in three years, via MotoGP:

But Rossi couldn't press his lead, and with three laps remaining, Dovizioso timed his surge to steal in front of his Italian countryman with precious few turns remaining before the chequered flag. There was no bad blood between Rossi and the victor, as he applauded Dovizioso's triumph, and the standings leader told BT Sport what the result meant to him:

Dovizioso can bank on this win to provide him with a rush of confidence ahead of the San Marino Grand Prix in a fortnight's time, having already experienced what it feels like to lose the standings lead this season.

Victory in San Marino could make Dovizioso the first rider to seal three successive MotoGP wins since Lorenzo won four in a row during the 2015 campaign.