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Title hunting Marquez loves Silverstone track

Silverstone - Daredevil two-time world champion and current runaway points leader Marc Marquez feels the Silverstone chicanes and curves can help him distance his championship rivals at the British Moto GP on Sunday.

What is more, Marquez, on 197 points going into the 12th of 18 races, copes better in the rain than second-placed Italian Valentino Rossi on 144 or misfiring champion Jorge Lorenzo on 138.

"I love this circuit, the first section is slowish but then a series of chicanes can allow a fast man to make the difference," said the 23-year-old, who won here in 2014 on the way to his second straight World title.

"And we have been having mixed weather conditions and coming through that rather well," added the Honda man, who's big points lead is down to his consistency and a more moderate racing style than in his barnstorming past.

Dogged defending champion and fellow Spaniard Lorenzo is giving up nothing however, despite gaining zero points at Catalunya, Brno and Argentina.

"We need to think race by race and just try to get the best results day by day," the 2015 champion and Yamaha rider, a three-time winner here, insisted.

"Silverstone is the next stop so we have to push at the maximum.

"The track is one of my favourite circuits in the world, but unfortunately the weather is always very unpredictable."

His stablemate Rossi has had nightmares in the rain three times this season at the Netherlands, Germany and the Czech Republic.

BARRY SHEENE'S SLIPSTREAM

One man who doesn't mind the rain and who won his first top class GP in a downpour at Brono last time out is Britain's Cal Crutchlow, who can expect a hero's welcome at Silverstone.

Principally because he is the first Briton to win a GP since Barry Sheene 35-years ago, and secondly because of the way he did it, capitalising on his choice of hard-option front and rear tyres, fighting up from 10th on the grid for his maiden win.

"I took the gamble, nobody else did," said Crutchlow, whose rivals had gone for combined-compound strategies.

"As far as I'm concerned, they're all wimps, if you choose one you don't choose the other."

There have been six different winners in the last six Grand Prix but the top three have previous form in Britain.

Marquez and Lorenzo have three victories each here while Rossi, who won last year's race, has two.

Rookie Jack Miller, the 21-year-old Australian who made the leap from Moto3 to the top category this season and won at Assen, has to be considered too.

In Moto2 France's Johann Zarco is aiming for a fifth victory this season and has a lead of 19 points over Alex Rins, who fell at the Dutch GP while Zarco came second.

A winner at Silverstone last year, the Frenchman is gunning to become the first rider to defend the GP2 world title.

In Moto3 Germany's Brad Binder is still riding his early season form with a lead of 61 points over Spain's Jorge Navarro in second, despite going through the summer season in mediocre form.

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