The Spaniard did it! He managed to take his fifth crown with three rounds to go
The Japanese round was a turning point for the MotoGP championship, and Marquez made it look like a walk in the park. With Rossi and Lorenzo out of the podium battle, it was all he could have wanted.
Marquez stated at the end of the race “When I saw Rossi out I thought ‘ok, the old style can come back. Then Lorenzo crashed, and I missed a lot of gears when I realized what it meant. When I crossed the line, I didn’t expect any T-shirts or anything, but they believed in me, so it was ready!”
He managed to beat Valentino Rossi record of being the youngest MotoGP rider to win three championships at the age of 24. At only 23 he is the youngest rider to add three world titles under his name.
A third premier class victory
After missing the first place last year, this season we saw a more determined and mature Marquez. No more hard pushing and novice mistakes for him. The usual rush was left aside, and a more controlled attitude was put in place by the Honda Repsol rider. The Motegi round saw him dominating throughout the practice sessions. This victory brought the crown back to Marquez while the championship was still going. Three more rounds are still left to run and the battle for second place is still open.
The whole weekend was a bit sorrow for most of the top riders. A crashing spree ended with Dani Pedrosa out of action due to a broken collarbone and Lorenzo with a question mark for racing on Sunday. Rossi had to win the race in order to reduce the points gap. He had a slow start from pole position and a duel with his team mate for first place. Marquez passed him and in his struggle to keep up, the Tavullia rider lost the front and crashed. The reigning champion Lorenzo made a mistake and went wide. Marquez got the checkered flag followed by Vinales two second behind. The podium was completed by the Ducati Team rider Andrea Dovizioso.