Marc Marquez won the MotoGP German Grand Prix for a fourth year in succession on Sunday (17th July) and increased his lead at the top of the riders' standings in the process.

Sunday's German Grand Prix at Sachsenring got underway in wet conditions, but the track would dry out as the race progressed.

Andrea Dovizioso started round nine from the third row of the grid, but the Italian soon battled his way to the front of the field, where he led compatriots Danilo Petrucci and Valentino Rossi in the early stages.

One rider who struggled in the damp was championship leader Marc Marquez - the pole sitter slipping down the field and almost crashing out at one stage.

But with the track drying out, the Spaniard headed to the pits on lap 17 of 30 and switched to slick tyres - a move which would help Marquez move back up the field.

Five laps later, the riders at the front all made tyre changes themselves and Marquez soon passed Jack Miller for a race lead that he would not relinquish.

Cal Crutchlow finished strongly and claimed second place - his best result of the season - ahead of Dovizioso.

For Marquez, it was his fourth consecutive German Grand Prix triumph in the premier class and he now holds a 48 point lead at the top of the standings over fellow Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo.

"This will be (a) flag-to-flag race because (the track was) getting drier and drier and then when I see the minimum possibility, I go in (to the pits), change the bike, because then, it's easier to take the rhythm. Okay, I take a lot of rhythm the first laps, but then when I (saw) that I was first, leading the race by 20 seconds, the it was really nice, these last laps."