FIM MotoGP World Championship

Twin Ring Motegi, Japan

October 16, 2016

Race Results (all on Michelin tires):

1. Marc MARQUEZ, Spain (HONDA), 24 laps, Total Race Time 42:34.610

2. Andrea DOVIZIOSO, Italy (DUCATI), -2.992 seconds

3. Maverick VIÑALES, Spain (SUZUKI), -4.104

4. Aleix ESPARGARO, Spain (SUZUKI), -4.726

5. Cal CRUTCHLOW, UK (HONDA), -15.049

6. Pol ESPARGARO, Spain (YAMAHA), -19.654

7. Alvaro BAUTISTA, Spain (APRILIA), -23.032

8. Danilo PETRUCCI, Italy (DUCATI), -28.555

9. Scott REDDING, UK (DUCATI), -28.802

10. Stefan BRADL, Germany (APRILIA), -32.330

11. Katsuyuki NAKASUGA, Japan (YAMAHA), -42.845

12. Yonny HERNANDEZ, Colombia (DUCATI), -52.219

13. Bradley SMITH, UK (YAMAHA), -53.783

14. Tito RABAT, Spain (HONDA), -54.760

15. Hiroshi AOYAMA, Japan (HONDA), -60.155

16. Loris BAZ, France (DUCATI), -64.440

17. Hector BARBERA, Spain (DUCATI), -102.966, crash

18. Mike JONES, Australia (DUCATI), -1 lap

19. Jorge LORENZO, Spain (YAMAHA), -5 laps, DNF, crash

20. Valentino ROSSI, Italy (YAMAHA), -18 laps, DNF, crash

21. Jack MILLER, Australia (HONDA), -18 laps, DNF, crash

22. Eugene LAVERTY, Ireland (DUCATI), -22 laps, DNF, crash

World Championship Point Standings (after 15 of 18 races):

1. Marquez, 273 points (clinches World Championship)

2. Rossi, 196

3. Lorenzo, 182

4. Vinales, 165

5. Dani Pedrosa, 155

6. Dovizioso, 124

7. Crutchlow, 116

8. Pol Espargaro, 106

9. Andrea Iannone, 96

10. Barbera, 84

11. Aleix Espargaro, 82

12. Laverty, 71

13. Bautista 63

14. Redding, 62

15. Petrucci, 58

16. Bradl, 55

17. Smith, 45

18. Miller, 42

19. Michele Pirro, 36

20. Rabat, 29

21. Baz, 24

22. Hernandez, 17

23. Nakasuga, 5

24. Alex Lowes, 3

25. TIE, Aoyama/Nicky Hayden, 1

27. Jones, 0

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Never say never: Marquez takes the title in Motegi shocker

One crash for Rossi then another for Lorenzo leaves MM93 to take a stunning win and premier class title number three

Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez has taken the 2016 MotoGP™ World Championship at the home of Honda – with the hand dealt by the Japanese venue seeing the cards fall perfectly for the Spaniard as Movistar Yamaha teammates Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo crashed out of contention. First was Rossi, into the gravel early – before Lorenzo’s ride through the pain barrier after a highside on Saturday was cut short; sliding out of P2 in the last few laps. Marquez, clear at the front, kept it on the road to take his third premier class title in four years, and his fifth victory of the year.

With a slow start for polesitter Rossi, it was Championship leader Marquez who got the holeshot into Turn 1 – before reigning Champion Lorenzo quickly took the lead at Turn 2. With Rossi getting past Marquez soon after, Aleix Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar) then took advantage to take the Italian legend. The rider from Tavullia fought back, before a duel between the Movistar Yamaha of Rossi and the Repsol Honda of Marquez saw the two switching positions in an early battle for honour.

A crash for Eugene Laverty (Pull&Bear Aspar Team) then saw the Irishman out the race early on, as the top three of Lorenzo, Marquez and Rossi held station at the front and Motegi prepared the coming twists in the tale.

Rossi was first to fold, as the 9-time World Champion made a mistake and lost the front end of his Yamaha – leaving teammate Lorenzo as the last man standing in between Marquez and the crown. The status quo between the two remained, with Marquez in a clear lead, as battle raged behind.

Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar) broke away from an early fight with LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow to get on the hunt back towards the podium, with teammate Espargaro falling back into his clutches as Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) began to hunt down Lorenzo.

‘DesmoDovi’ made some inroads, with Lorenzo getting closer and closer, before an uncharacteristic error from the reigning World Champion saw him follow teammate Rossi in crashing out – a painful trip through the gravel after a highside in FP3 had left the Mallorcan bruised and riding through the pain barrier. Marquez’ pit board informed the number 93 of the unbelievable situation he now found himself in: a handful of laps, a third crown, and glory once again at the home of Honda.

Dovizioso followed the new Champion over the line for a P2 finish, with Viñales completing the podium in another impressive ride – just pipping teammate Espargaro after winning the inter-team Suzuki battle.

Cal Crutchlow came home in fifth as top Independent Team rider once again, with rival for that title, Monster Tech 3’s Pol Espargaro, just behind in sixth. Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) impressed with seventh for another great result for the Noale factory, with teammate Stefan Bradl compounding the joy for Aprilia as he completed a double top ten finish in P10. Octo Pramac Yakhnich pairing Danilo Petrucci and Scott Redding were the remaining puzzle pieces in that top ten, in P8 and P9 and only three tenths apart over the line.

Marquez’ third MotoGP™ title is his third in four years in the premier class, and his fifth World Championship after becoming 125 World Champion in 2010 and Moto2™ World Champion in 2012. The plan from the start of the season remained the same until it proved its worth: control, calm and consistency – a new MO that has seen the mistakes of the past craft the success of the present, and a new MotoGP™ World Champion emerge from the ashes of a tough 2015.

Next up, MotoGP™ returns to the scene of the Island Battle last season – Phillip Island. With the Championship decided, maybe the new Marquez will be revealed as a mask – and the Champion of the world will cut loose and set his sights firmly on a magnificent win number six.

Lüthi supreme as Motegi rocks the title fight

Stunning victory for the Swiss veteran as Rins crashes, Lowes crashes – and Zarco takes a podium

Tom Lüthi (Garage Plus Interwetten) took an impressive lights-to-flag win at the Twin Ring Motegi, taking the holeshot off the line from the middle of the front row and unleashing his ominous race pace – just as the former 125 World Champion did in 2014. Reigning Champion Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) took an important second place after holding station on a tempting charge over the limit to chase down his Swiss rival, and Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Franco Morbidelli converted his P3 start into an impressive third on race day after an incredible duel with home hero Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) to just stay on the rostrum. Further back, the Moto2™ race in Motegi shook the title fight.

The drama was quick to begin, as title contender Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) crashed on Lap 1 when trying to make up places from P22 on the grid. The Spaniard, who had closed in on title leader Zarco and trailed by only one point ahead of the weekend, had a crash on Friday that left him riding through the pain barrier once again. P14 in Warm Up was an improvement, before disaster saw him slide out early. Rins remounted, but failed to score.

It wasn’t long before another title contender took a tumble – Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) – who lost the front end and slid into the gravel. 40 points adrift of P1 before the Japanese GP, the Brit’s title hopes took a serious dent as he slipped down to fourth in the standings with another DNF, after his stunning win in Aragon. Second in Aragon, Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS), was another crasher at the same corner just after the incident.

Lüthi was away at the front, with Morbidelli on his tail until the Italian began to suffer grip isssues. As the EG 0,0 Marc VDS rider slipped back into the clutches of Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) and Zarco, the Frenchman took advantage of the Japanese rider running wide and begin his hunt for Lüthi – cutting the gap little by little until a four tenth advantage kept breath held in the Garage Plus Interwetten box on the final lap. The Swiss rider held firm however, taking a victory that seemed to have his name penciled next to it since the Moto2™ field showed their hand in race pace in practice.

The last lap battle wasn’t over as the win was decided, as Morbidelli and Nakagami staged a battle royale over the final few kilometres; the Japanese rider desperate to get past. Trying a number of moves but with Morbidelli hitting back, the Italian just held on to take another podium finish as he enjoys a run of impressive form.

Sandro Cortese (Dynavolt Intact GP) had a solid ride to a good top five finish in his 200th GP start, with Italtrans Racing Team’s Mattia Pasini taking sixth ahead of compatriot Simone Corsi (Speed Up Racing). Julian Simon (QMMF Racing Team) had an impressive ride to P8 after good pace in Warm Up, with AGR Team’s Marcel Schrotter dropping back slightly by the end of the race to end the Japanese GP in ninth. Xavier Simeon completed a double top ten finish for the QMMF squad in P10.

Moto2™ head for Australia with the title completely shaken – Zarco now with a 21 point lead ahead of Rins, and Tom Lüthi’s 25 point haul from victory in Motegi seeing him take over in P3 in the standings – 43 points back with 75 on the table in the final three races.

The ‘Beast’ is back: Bastianini vs Binder hots up in Japan

Stunning photo finish for the victory sees Bastianini strike back, with home rider Hiroki Ono disqualified and Bulega promoted to the podium

Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Moto3) has taken an incredible photo-finish victory at the Twin Ring Motegi, with a last lap move on newly crowned Moto3™ World Champion Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) that saw the two then cross the line almost neck and neck. The Italian also takes back second in the Championship standings with the 25 point haul, as EG 0,0 rider Jorge Navarro failed to score. Hiroki Ono (Honda Team Asia) seemed to take his first career podium and Japan’s first rostrum finish at Motegi since Hiroshi Aoyama in 2009 with a controlled ride to P3 as he fought off Italian duo Andrea Migno and Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) – but was later disqualified for being above the minimum weight for bike and rider. Bulega therefore was promoted to third.

Despite a wheelie off the line, Migno managed to stay ahead from pole position as the lights went out – with new World Champion Binder and the South African’s key 2016 rival Bastianini on the chase behind. An incident through Turn 1 then saw Jorge Navarro clip Leopard Racing’s Joan Mir and lose control, with Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA Racing) and John McPhee (Peugeot MC Saxoprint) caught in the crossfire as Navarro slid out. With the three in the gravel trap, the Valencian’s push to secure second in the Championship took a serious hit as key rival Bastianini disappeared in the front group and went on to take the win.

Attrition rates were high in the early stages of the race, with front end washouts causing some casualties. After the Turn 1 drama, one incident saw second EG 0,0 bike Aron Canet also slide out with 15 laps to go at Turn 9 – with Leopard Racing’s Andrea Locatelli crashing just behind the Spaniard in a separate but simultaneous incident.

Binder was the leader of the front freight train, with Bastianini, Migno, Francesco Bagnaia (Pull&Bear Aspar Mahindra), Bulega and home hero Ono for company as the six riders made a break for it. After some more difficult races, Bagnaia was the superstar of Lap 1 as the Italian Mahindra rider moved up nine places from his starting position, putting himself right in contention.

Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing Moto3) was the man on the chase at the head of the second group, with key rivals for the title Rookie of the Year Bulega ahead, and Joan Mir further back in P12. As the laps began to count down, Bagnaia ahead began to lose traction and move back slightly into the second group, as Bulega started to struggle keeping the pace of the frontrunners. Philipp Oettl (Schedl GP Racing) emerged from the mid pack to eventually lead that second group, as Bulega found some pace again to close back in and get out of the clutches of the German rider.

Binder seemed to have escaped at the front before Bastianini started to fight back with only a handful of laps to go, the two clear at the head of the race as Ono and Migno squabbled over the final spot on the podium. The pressure was on for the South African, with the Gresini machine behind getting closer and closer until the two were locked together on the final lap.

Drama on that final lap saw Migno attack Ono for the last place on the podium as the Japanese rider fought to stay ahead – and the Italian clipped the rear of the Honda Team Asia machine, then getting flipped over the highside. Ono escaped to take the P3 finish at home, with Bulega crossing the line fourth but then promoted to third. Migno was able to restart and crossed the line P25.

Ahead on track, a patient and measured Bastianini waited for Turn 11 to make a move on Binder and made it stick, just keeping it on the track through the tunnel – the final drag to the line seeing both bikes on the limit. Side-by-side, the Italian took the victory by millimetres, denying the South African his sixth win of the year and taking his second career victory, after Misano 2015.

Phillip Oettl took P5 over the line to head the second group, with Di Giannantonio in sixth to score good Championship points once again. Bagnaia, after his early race heroics, held on the take P7 – ahead of RW Racing GP BV rider Livio Loi, who had also been third fastest on Friday in a good weekend for the Belgian. Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Leopard Racing) took a solid top ten finish in P9, ahead of teammate and rookie Mir.

Wheel-to-wheel and high octane as always, Moto3™ will return at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit next weekend – with Bastianini now the man to beat as he sets his sights on keeping P2 in the standings.

More, from another press release issued by Dorna:

Marc Marquez: the story of a champion

A third premier class crown in four years for the 2016 MotoGP™ World Champion

The end of 2015 saw Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) lose the title of World Champion for the first time since moving into the premier class of motorcycle racing, as the historic battle between Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) took over at the top of the table and Marquez suffered his mistakes. Crashes, struggles and controversy marked the toughest year of Marquez’ premier class career – and 2016 saw the rider from Cervera stage an incredible comeback. Controlled, poised and willing to play the long game: this was the new Marquez, and he was here to take back his crown.

Marquez made his debut in the World Championship in 2008 at 15, and although his rookie season was curtailed by injury, he made headlines by achieving a podium result in just his sixth race. He picked up another podium result in 2009, before becoming 125 World Champion for the first time in 2010 – winning an incredible ten of the last 14 races of the year.

In the Moto2™ class the following season, the rider from Cervera had a tough start before going on an incredible winning run, taking seven victories to hunt down the mammoth lead accrued by title rival Stefan Bradl – including a podium in Phillip Island from 38th on the grid. A crash in practice for the Malaysian Grand Prix then halted the season, and Marquez was forced to cede the title fight with serious problems with his eyesight. Not knowing whether the problem could be solved, Marquez had a tough off season with his career in doubt – until surgery was able to correct the problem, and he was finally able to get back on the bike. When he did, he obliterated the opposition and took the 2012 Moto2™ World Championship – including an unbelievable win from the back of the grid at the season finale Valencian GP.

Fresh from that historic win, the newly crowned Champion of the intermediate class then got to try his new MotoGP™ bike for the first time at the Valencia test – joining Repsol Honda and finding big shoes to fill as Casey Stoner retired.

On the podium first time out and winning his second ever premier class Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, Marquez became the youngest ever rider to clinch the premier class world title in MotoGP™, thanks to a truly amazing debut season. He also became the first rookie premier class World Champion for 35 years.

The 2014 campaign saw Marquez raise the bar as he built up a huge lead in the Championship with ten successive victories in the opening ten rounds of the season. Teammate Pedrosa then halted the streak with a victory in Brno, a result that started a mid season blip that saw him off the podium in three races in four. Back on top by Silverstone, Marquez wrapped up the title in Japan at the Twin Ring Motegi – the home of manufacturer Honda.

2015 began well, with a win in Texas second time out and Marquez looking to defend his crown. But too many crashes and points lost as the Yamaha charge of Rossi and Lorenzo gained traction saw Marquez out of contention by the time the flyaways came around – but a stunning win in Phillip Island saw Marquez back on the top step. After taking victory in one of the greatest races of all time, Marquez and Rossi then clashed next time out in Sepang – with Marquez crashing out and Rossi awarded a penalty for the incident. Valencia saw the rider from Cervera take another home podium in P2 to complete the year, ready to recharge over the winter and take back his crown from new World Champion Lorenzo.

The scars of last season have created a new rider. Where 2015 saw the Spaniard push too hard and make mistakes, this season has replaced those flaws with calm and control – pushing when the victory is there to be taken, and taking the points when the stakes are too high. The strategy – that Marquez explains as the way to win a title rather than win the most races – has seen the 2013, 2014 and now 2016 MotoGP™ World Champion equal great rival Lorenzo with a third premier class crown – his fifth World Championship. Taking the title at the home of Honda at Motegi – as he did in 2014 – Marquez’ ride to a stunning fifth win of the season was enough, as Rossi and Lorenzo crashed out of both the race and the Championship fight in the high drama in Japan.

Wins in Texas, Argentina, Germany and Aragon saw the Spaniard 52 points clear ahead of the Japanese GP at Motegi. The only rider to score points in every race, the 2016 MotoGP™ World Champion is Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez – once again.

More, from a press release issued by Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:

Rabat returns to the points in Japan with a well executed race strategy

Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Tito Rabat finished a morale-boosting 14th in today’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Rabat rode a controlled race at the 4.8km Twin Ring Motegi, one of his least favourite venues on the calendar.

The performance was a reward for Rabat’s willingness to learn in his rookie season in the premier class and he fully deserved his two championship points.

Starting 18th on the grid Rabat stuck to his plan of riding his Honda RC213V within his limits and it paid handsome dividends five laps from the finish when he moved ahead of factory Honda rider Hiroshi Aoyama to secure fourteenth.

It was a less rewarding day for Rabat’s teammate Jack Miller, who returned to MotoGP after being sidelined from recent races with a hand injury.

Miller’s day ended early on lap seven of 24 when he lost the front-end and crashed at turn one.

Miller had charged in the opening laps and looked set to challenge for a top ten result in a tight tussle in a group featuring Scott Redding, Danilo Petrucci, Alvaro Bautista and Stefan Bradl. But a small braking error and another front-end slide put paid to the Australian rider’s chances of completing the race distance as a warm-up for his home race at Phillip Island next weekend.

The Australian GP is the second leg of three consecutive flyaway races.

Tito Rabat: 14th

“I am very happy for this 14th position after scoring zero points at the past two races. I was very focussed this weekend on understanding my limit and finishing the race to learn more about MotoGP and I did this. Two points at Motegi, which is not an easy track for me, is great for the team and now I want to take this feeling to Australia next week and continue to improve.”

Jack Miller: DNF

“I just made a small mistake and braked a little too late and lost the front-end in turn one. I tried to stay on the racing line but I was a little too fast and just tucked the front. I was pushing hard to stay in the group with Scott, Petrucci, Bautista and Bradl and it was shaping up as a nice little battle until I made the mistake and it was all over.”

Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal

“Jack’s crash was a little disappointing because I feel he had the potential to challenge for a top ten finish here and it was important for him to finish the race because next weekend is a big one for him at Phillip Island. Jack had some issues at turn one all weekend and that is where he crashed. For Tito this result shows that he is getting closer to being more competitive in MotoGP and the gap to the riders ahead is much less than at the beginning of the season. A good performance by Tito today.”

More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:

Octo Pramac Yakhnich ends up #JapaneseGP with a double Top 10:

Petrux 8th, 9th Scott

A precious Sunday for Octo Pramac Yakhnich team who takes good points thanks to good races of Danilo Petrucci and Scott Redding at the Motegi circuit, where Marc Marquez has became World MotoGP Champion for the third time, also exploiting Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo’s crashes .

Danilo made a good start managing to gain one position at the first corner. Between the seventh and the tenth lap he fought hard with Bautista, then did well to keep the concentration and defend his position from Scott Redding attack, finishing in eighth place.

Redding was not brilliant at the start as he lost three positions in the first corner but reacted immediately recovering the Top 10 on lap 8. From mid-race on, the British rider tried to chase his teammate remaining in its wake until the end but could not find the ideal conditions for an attack. For Scott a good ninth place finish.

9th – Scott Redding

Unfortunately my race pace was not so good at the beginning and this has a little penalized me. Then I found a good rhythm and I started to reduce the gap. I had some problems especially in braking and I was not able to get close enough to groped an attack to Danilo. But I’m happy because I made a lot of experience after the last difficult races, working on maps, improving the feeling with the tires. In the end it was a good weekend.

8th – Danilo Petrucci

It is a good result although frankly I expected to do better in the race because during the weekend the pace was better. I had problems with the front, I could not brake how I wanted. At first I tried to stay with Barbera and Espargaro but I was not fast enough. Now we move to Australia and there is no time to think. Phillip Island is a totally different track we will have to work a lot to change the set up. I can not wait to get back on track.

More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:

Espargaro finishes as leading Yamaha in Motegi – Heroic Smith seizes points

Pol Espargaro delivered a strong performance in front of 52,000 passionate fans at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit to seize 6th in his 50th MotoGP race with the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team. The Spaniard sped away from the rear of the third row of the grid when the event began and after navigating his way around the stop and go track on the first lap, he crossed the line in 8th, having improved on his qualifying position by one place. From here, the 25-year-old quickly set into a strong rhythm, which saw him open up a gap to the pursuing riders as he tried to hunt down Cal Crutchlow in front of him. At the midpoint of the 24 lap sprint, the 2013 Moto2 World Champion was up to 7th as he maintained his consistency whilst he pushed on as the distance counted down. After producing a tireless effort right until the end of the demanding race, Espargaro met the chequered flag in 6th which marks a solid conclusion to the round 15 battle.

On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team pit box, Bradley Smith bravely rode to 13th at the Japanese Grand Prix, despite not having full race fitness due to his injured right knee. The young Briton, who was making his first MotoGP appearance since damaging his knee in August, began the 24 lap contest from the fifth row of the grid. When the lights went out, he lunged forward but was shuffled back to 18th by the close of the opening lap. However, Smith focused and quickly set into a consistent rhythm, which saw him move back into the points with a third of the total distance having been completed. He dug deep and at the half way point, he was running in 14th as he continued to lap at a notable pace. Eventually, the 25-year-old crossed the finish line in 13th, which marks an impressive result when considering his condition, at Yamaha’s Home Grand Prix. Now, Smith confidently eyes up the Australian Grand Prix, which will take place in a week’s time.

Pol Espargaro

Position : 6th Championship: 8th Points: 106

“It has been a tough day and it is important that we could take 10 points from this race, especially as it was a tricky GP but I am still a bit disappointed because we were not as competitive as we possibly could have been this weekend. I didn’t feel really comfortable in any of the practice sessions so I always knew it was going to be a long event. However, my start was good and I was able to stay in front of the Ducatis which I think was the key to our result. After the beginning, I couldn’t stay with the group who were ahead of me and I ran almost the entire Grand Prix on my own. Yet, with the crashes in front, we managed to finish in 6th, so we have to be happy about leaving Motegi with some crucial points for the independent rider fight in the Championship standings. Now, I’m really looking forward to Australia as the Phillip Island track is one that I really enjoy riding at and I have a lot of good memories there.”

Bradley Smith

Position : 13th Championship: 17th Points: 45

“No doubt, today has been a very hard day for me but it is definitely nice to get some points as a reward for the effort. In the last seven weeks I’ve had to watch the rest of the MotoGP world go racing, whilst I’ve been at home, so it is a good feeling to be back on the grid and getting myself involved, therefore I can’t be disappointed about a 13th place finish as I didn’t even know if I was going to be able to complete the GP a few days ago. To be honest, I forgot how long the races are in terms of distance, but riding out there for 24 laps at the absolute maximum was really demanding today and doing it without making any mistakes is probably the hardest challenge for me at the moment. I want to say a big thank you to the whole team because they have done a fantastic job over the weekend in preparing a great bike, as well as taking a lot of care, even if I wasn’t able to work as closely as usual with them, because the physiotherapy took a lot of time away. Moreover, I also want to thank Yamaha for all their assistance during my stay in Japan. Being away from home meant that I truly needed a helping hand and they have been very supportive so I’m really grateful for that.”

Hervé Poncharal – Team manager:

“It was another great race today and who could have imagined that the two factory Yamaha MotoGP riders would not see the finish flag and Marc would win the championship. With regards to the Tech3 guys, firstly, I want to congratulate Pol because he did the best that he could all weekend long. 6th is a solid position, plus he was also the leading Yamaha, but we know the reasons why. He was a bit too far behind Cal and never got close enough to pass him, so he wisely just kept control of the gap to the pursuing riders, before crossing the line. In terms of the fight for the top independent rider in the championship standings, anything is possible because Cal is only ten points ahead of us and we have three more races to go. On the other side of the garage, I have to say that Bradley did a superb job today and I want to give him very special congratulations because when he arrived here on Thursday, we weren’t sure if he could even do one lap. Not only did he complete all of the practices, but he also qualified in 15th which is quite incredible. However, we didn’t think that he could complete the entire distance. It’s amazing that he did and he scored a good result ahead of some of the regular riders who are fully fit. So I want to give him massive thanks and hopefully, his knee should be a bit better in Australia. Thanks to the whole team for their hard work and let’s see what happens down under next week.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

MOVISTAR YAMAHA MOTOGP ENCOUNTERS DRAMATIC END TO MOTEGI RACE

Today‘s Grand Prix of Japan started with an incredible fight for the lead involving Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, but came to an abrupt end for the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team with a double DNF at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit.

Motegi (Japan), 16th October 2016

The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team were unlucky to see both riders crash out of a promising second place at the Twin Ring Motegi track after heroic efforts of the two teammates. Jorge Lorenzo was riding impressively at the start of the 24-lap sprint and was defending his position until a crash at turn nine meant the end of his challenge. Earlier on in the race, pole-setter Rossi also suffered an unfortunate premature halt to his strong pursuit of the lead in turn ten.

Lorenzo had a good start to the 24-lap race when he launched from third on the grid to arrive at the first corner in second place, passing his teammate. He immediately also overtook Marc Marquez in turn two, who had snatched the holeshot into turn one, to take over the lead.

With a feisty fight ensuing between Rossi and Marquez, Lorenzo put his head down to increase his advantage to over 0.6s, but the two chasing riders were not out of the race yet. The first attack came from Marquez on lap three. Lorenzo spurred on his Yamaha to prevent his compatriot from clearing off at the front and was followed closely by the Doctor. Lorenzo had to let his teammate pass on lap six but regained the position when Rossi crashed out of the race.

With Marquez too far ahead, Lorenzo focused his attention on defending his second place from Andrea Dovizioso, who arrived at the back of his Yamaha with five laps to go, but the Mallorcan‘s quest for a podium ended when he crashed out of the race in turn nine.

Rossi had a good start from pole, but had to let Marquez and Lorenzo pass going into turn one. What followed was a flurry of activity on the first lap as the Italian scrapped with Marquez and Aleix Espargaró. Completing the first lap in third place, Rossi refused to give up and cleverly bided his time whilst following Lorenzo and Marquez, to take second from his teammate five laps later. He was chasing the victory and kicked up the pace a nudge until he lost the front end in turn ten on lap seven, ending his race prematurely.

Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing Team wildcard rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga made his experience count and rode a confident race, securing a strong eleventh place aboard the YZR-M1, earning himself five championship points.

After today‘s unexpected race results, Rossi and Lorenzo hold second and third place respectively in the championship with 196 and 182 points. Yamaha holds second place with 288 points in the Constructors‘ classification, 28 points from first, and Movistar Yamaha MotoGP is also chasing the Teams‘ title in second place with 378 points in the rankings.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

It is a disappointing end to an otherwise strong weekend from our team. After yesterday‘s qualifying results we were really confident that we would be able to get a good result, but unfortunately this was a race day to forget. Jorge and Valentino gave a solid performance today, especially since both were not feeling a 100% after Jorge‘s extreme highside yesterday and with Vale suffering a severe cold. Nevertheless, they fought their way to the front in the early laps and they definitely didn’t make it easy for Marquez in the first stage of the race. It was unfortunate that Valentino‘s and Jorge‘s crash ended our race early. Congratulations to Marc for securing the Riders title.

JORGE LORENZO

I‘m very disappointed, because I made a mistake. I tried to push too much when the bike was not working well with the tyres. In Aragón we made a good decision with the tyres and this time it was the opposite. We chose the wrong front tyre, with the soft I think I would have made a better race, because my front tyre on the first laps was vibrating and closing. I didn‘t have a good feeling, that‘s why I couldn‘t keep up with the pace of Marquez. Finally, because Dovizioso was coming, I pushed more than before in that corner and the front tyre didn‘t give me any support or feedback and I crashed. It‘s a pity, because I think we had the potential to fight for the victory with the right front tyre, but it was impossible today and we lost a great opportunity to be second in the championship. I want to congratulate Marquez because he didn‘t have an advantage from his bike this year and he was the most consistent rider, so he deserves this championship.

VALENTINO ROSSI

First of all, I would like to say that I‘m OK, fortunately no problems. On the other hand it‘s a shame because I was quite strong and I had a good pace. Unfortunately my start was not fantastic and I lost a position to Marquez and Lorenzo. After that, Marquez was a bit faster than me to overtake Lorenzo, I lost a bit more time behind him, but the pace was good. I was able to push a lot to try and catch Marquez but unfortunately I lost the front. Sincerely, I felt nothing like going into the corner too wide or too deep, but I lost the front and logically I made a mistake.

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:

VIÑALES THIRD WITH WISE RIDING & ESPARGARÓ FOURTH

Maverick Viñales – 3rd

Aleix Espargaró – 4th

Team SUZUKI ECSTAR’s Maverick Viñales raced to a podium position in today’s Motul Grand Prix of Japan at Motegi as team-mate Aleix Espargaró scored his best result of the season in fourth.

The positive results arrived in a very special weekend for Suzuki; in 1962, 54 years ago on October 14th, Ernst Degner won the very first World Championship title for the manufacturer, at the GP of Argentina on an RM62 machine.

Riding in his 100th GP, Viñales jumped from seventh place and decided for a conservative strategy in the race. Being consistently on the pace – which was improved by his team for this morning’s warm up – he preserved the tyres for the first half of the race, before attacking his team-mate and getting to the final third place.

Fourth place was a good reward also for the positive weekend Espargaró has had in Japan. His performance improved session-by-session and he could be competitive among the top riders for the most of the race, giving-up his aggressiveness only towards the end of the race when he settled for his best result of the season.

Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager:

“It was good to have a podium here because Japan is our home GP and we could show our performance in front of our colleagues from the factory and all fans. Until yesterday Maverick has been struggling with the setting, for this I couldn’t expect such a great result, although we could deliver some improvements already this morning. Aleix did a very good job during this weekend so we were expecting a good result, finally he couldn’t get the podium but the weekend overall is very positive for us. All the team is happy, we want to improve more for Phillip Island because that will be a more favourable track for us and we will try to get more podiums until the end of the season.”

Maverick Viñales:

“I’m very happy for this podium because it’s the result of two main points; first of all, the team managed to make good improvements since yesterday, delivering me a machine with which I felt more comfortable than yesterday. This means we have a lot of potential to express, still. Second thing, is that I managed to make a very wise race; the jump was not as good as I wanted, but then I decided to stay calm and not to waste the tyre in order to keep some performance for the end of the race. This allowed me to be consistent and keep my performance until the end and getting third. It was also a nice battle with Aleix, when finally I managed to overtake him it was too late to go and catch up for the second place, but this podium is very emotional, being here in front of all our fans and colleagues from the Suzuki factory.”

Aleix Espargaró:

“I’m disappointed for the final result because I was expecting a little more, but at the end of the day the whole weekend has been very positive. We did a great job, and finally we are seeing the improvements I was waiting for. It was the first time in the season I managed to stay very close to the head of the race and fight for the podium, so it’s a pity I couldn’t get up there, I tried all I could but finally I had to settle in fourth. It is my best result of the season and I’m proud of it. I’m happy that the next race will be immediately next weekend, we keep the focus and we’ll try to continue this positive period we’re having.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:

 CRUTCHLOW CLAIMS TOP-FIVE FINISH IN JAPAN

LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow completed a fine weekend’s work by coming home in fifth place at Sunday’s Grand Prix of Japan at the Twin Ring in Motegi. On the day that fellow Honda rider Marc Marquez clinched the world championship, Crutchlow overcame a slight error in the middle of the race to produce another solid showing which reinforces his position as the Best Independent Team rider of the standing (7th overall with 116 points).

Having started from fifth place on the grid, the Briton was always looking to try and come on strong in the second half of the race. His plans were disrupted when he went off track near the halfway point, but he managed to keep his bike upright and return to the race. The incident ruined his hopes of challenging for a podium spot but the Brit was quite satisfied with the final result. Now Cal and his squad will move to Australia for the sixteenth round of the calendar at the spectacular Phillip Island circuit.

Cal Crutchlow #35 (5th – +15.049)

“Today was a good finishing position for me and the team, but I made a mistake in the middle of the race. I ran the hard front tyre, which I believe was the correct choice, but it was really difficult to go fast at the start of the race. So I waited and looked to do a good job towards the end, which was always going to be the plan.

“I believe I could have done that, but I ran off the track which complicated things for me. I lost eight or nine seconds on that lap. It was my own fault, but I managed to stay on the bike as I went through the gravel, which was the main thing. We still managed to finish in a strong position, but evidently we are a bit disappointed as we could have battled for the podium today.

“The Team did a great job, though, and another top-five result is important for the second half of the season.”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Marc Marquez crowned 2016 World Champion at Motegi

Marc Marquez took a remarkable victory at Motegi today to become the 2016 MotoGP World Champion with three races to go, in front of Honda President Chief Executive Officer and Representative Director Mr. Takahiro Hachigo, who joined Marc on the podium, Operating Officer and Director Mr. Shinji Aoyama and HRC President Mr. Yoshishige Nomura.

Marc got off to a brilliant start and immediately engaged in a fight for the lead with Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi. On the second lap he overtook the Italian at turn eight and began to pursue Lorenzo, taking over the lead on lap four.

He immediately showed that he had the rhythm and speed to make a breakaway, putting in a series of laps in the 1’45 range and pulling a half-second gap on his countryman. Lap six brought the first major turn of events, as Rossi fell at turn seven and was forced to retire. Marc continued stretching his lead until Lorenzo also slid off, with five laps remaining.

With his fifth win of 2016 and the 55th in his career (across all classes), Marc became the youngest rider in the history of the sport to earn five World Championships (125cc in 2010, Moto2 in 2012 and MotoGP in 2013, 2014 and 2016).

Marc is also the only rider in any class to score points at every race so far this year. Today’s victory also extended Honda’s lead in the Constructors World Championship to 28 points, and it is the sixth Honda victory in the last eight races.

Hiroshi Aoyama stepped in to replace Dani Pedrosa (who broke a collarbone in a fall on Friday and underwent successful surgery the following day) just on Saturday morning, and today he scored a single final point for his 15th-place finish.

Marc Marquez

RACE WINNER 2016 MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION

“It’s incredible! Before the race I didn’t expect to be Champion, and I said that here it would be impossible. However, when I saw that Rossi was out of the race, I decided to push hard for the victory. I was riding my hardest, and when there were three laps to go, I read on my pit board that Lorenzo was also out; on that same lap, I made mistakes in four or five corners, as it was difficult to stay focused! I’m very happy because this title is very special considering some of the crashes I had last year, and also because it came at Motegi, Honda’s home. Honda has worked so hard this year, and you could see the fruits of that effort also at this track, where we’ve struggled in the past. I myself also improved during the season; for instance, I learned how to better use the front Michelin tyre. It has been a demanding year, but a fantastic one. It’s great for my team, and of course I don’t want to forget my grandmother, who passed away this year and would be very happy with this World Championship. Now we can just enjoy it and go into the last three races with maybe a more ‘Marc Marquez’ style.”

Hiroshi Aoyama

15TH

“It was quite a long and tough race for me, as it had been a long time since I last raced. Anyway, this was my home Grand Prix, and I had a lot of fans and friends here. That gave me a lot of positive energy and I was able to push until the end of the race. I fell yesterday, but today crashing wasn’t an option. I tried to stay on the bike and do my best. In the end I was able to finish in the points, even if it was just one. Today Marc won the title, and it was really a great day for HRC and Honda—congratulations to him! I’m happy that Dani’s surgery went well and I hope to see him back on his bike soon.”

Yoshishige Nomura

HRC President

“The regulation changes posed a big challenge for Marc and the team this year. To be able to win such a season is the culmination of a lot of talent and a lot of hard work. I’m thankful for the hard work the team put in and all the support we have had from our sponsors and our fans worldwide”.

More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:

Andrea Dovizioso steps onto the podium at Motegi with an excellent second place in the Japanese Grand Prix. Hector Barbera crashes out on lap 9 but finishes the race in 17th place

Andrea Dovizioso put in a fine performance today in the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, finishing runner-up in the fifteenth round of the 2016 world championship. The Ducati Team rider, who started from the second row, powered away well at the stat but lost a few positions at the first corner and crossed the line at the end of lap 1 in fifth place. Andrea then passed Aleix Espargarò on lap 6 and began to chip away at Lorenzo, who crashed on lap 20. At that point Dovizioso was able to control the recovery by Viñales and he finished his race with a well-deserved second place.

Hector Barbera, who was making his debut on the Demosedici GP of the Ducati Team, had not such a good race. The rider from Valencia, who started from row 3, lost several positions at the start and then began his recovery by passing Petrucci and catching Pol Espargarò. In an attempt to pass his fellow Spanish rider, Hector made a mistake and crashed, managing to restart however despite a damaged bike, and he crossed the finish-line in seventeenth place. Barbera will again replace the still convalescent Andrea Iannone in the Australian Grand Prix next week at Phillip Island.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 2nd

“Today’s race was really very difficult. I started quite well but was boxed in by Valentino at the first corner and lost several positions and above all contact with the leading trio. I remained calm however and began to get closer to Lorenzo lap after lap: I didn’t want to take too many risks, but I had almost caught him when he made a small error and crashed out. I am very pleased with the feeling I had with the bike and with how I managed the situation: I couldn’t take too many risks because it was very easy to crash, but I was able to be constant throughout the race and with a good pace, and get an important result for both me and Ducati. This weekend we worked well, and confirmed that we have a good base on which to continue to work to improve several aspects of the bike.”

Hector Barbera (Ducati Team #8) – 17th

“For me it was a fantastic opportunity to ride the 2016 Desmosedici GP and race for a factory squad like the Ducati Team and so I want to thank both Ducati and Avintia Racing for giving me this opportunity. For me it was all new: in fact, I didn’t know either the bike or the guys in the team, but after every session the situation improved a lot. Unfortunately in the race I was not able to get a good start, especially because the clutch is very different to the one I normally use, and I immediately lost two positions. I took a bit of time to pass Petrucci and then I caught Pol Espargarò, who I tried to overtake several times, until I tried with even more decision and unfortunately I crashed. I feel bad about it because I think that today I could have finished in fifth or sixth place. In any case I picked the bike up to finish the race, but in the crash the two wings had broken off and I was no longer able to ride it well. However it was a great experience and I am very happy that I have been given another chance next week at Phillip Island.”

More, from a press release issued by Michelin:

 MOTEGI SEES MARQUEZ CROWNED FIRST MICHELIN WORLD CHAMPION OF THE NEW ERA

Michelin witnessed a comprehensive victory from Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) at Motegi in Japan today which saw the Spaniard claim the first World Championship title of the French tyre company’s return to MotoGP™.

Starting from second on the grid, Marquez got the holeshot, but was passed in the first corner by Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) and the former champion held first position for the next three laps. Marquez made a move on lap-four and regained the ascendency as he set consistently quick times, with the fastest lap of the race coming on the sixth circulation. The 23-year-old Spaniard increased his lead as the race progressed and with his nearest rivals Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) and Lorenzo both crashing out when pushing hard to catch the leader, Marquez held his nerve to take victory and secure his third MotoGP World Championship and the fifth world title of his Grand Prix career.

The battle for podium places was as intense as ever, with Rossi and Lorenzo involved in the fight before both fell, leaving Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) in a perfect position to secure a well-deserved second place following a controlled race. The encounter behind was even more absorbing, as the combatants were from the same team, with Maverick Viñales (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) just getting the honours ahead of his team-mate Aleix Espargaro (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) to seal the final rostrum place. With all of the first four riders choosing the medium front and soft rear MICHELIN Power Slicks, fifth placed Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) chose a hard front, paired with the soft rear, as he raced his machine to the position of First Independent Team Rider and strengthen his position at the top of those standings. Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) took sixth, with Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) recording his best result of the season so far with seventh. The Ducati pair of Danilo Petrucci (OCTO Pramac Yakhnich) and Scott Redding (OCTO Pramac Yakhnich) took eighth and ninth respectively, with Stefan Bradl (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) rounding out the top-ten.

A crowd of 52,216 watched from trackside and were bathed in warm, sunny weather as air temperatures reached 25°C, pushing track temperatures up to 37°C. They witnessed Marquez become the first Michelin motorcycle world champion since Nicky Hayden – also of the Repsol Honda Team – secured the title in 2006. Michelin will now head south as it travels to Phillip Island in Australia and round 16 of the championship, where the French tyre company will also be title sponsors for the event as the Michelin® Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix takes place on Sunday 23rd October.

Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team:

“This race was difficult, because when you are fighting for the championship it is hard to keep the concentration. I started the race and I was convinced my rhythm was good on the Michelin tyres and I was pushing hard early on. Then when I saw ‘Valentino out’ on my pit-board I decided to go for the victory. Then when I saw ‘Lorenzo out’ the feeling changed and I lost concentration a bit, but I then just couldn’t wait for the moment to cross the line and celebrate with the team. The tyres worked really well in the race, the front tyre temperature went up because conditions were different today and I was a little bit unsure how it would behave, but it worked really good. I want to say a big thanks to my Michelin technician Patrick, he has done a really good job all season and has helped me to understand the tyres we have used this year, so a big thanks to him because we are working really well together. It was quite difficult at the beginning of the season because I had ridden for a while on the same tyres and when you change it is hard to understand, but you must understand the potential and from Michelin it was really good. The rear tyre is amazing from Michelin and I am really happy to be the first champion with Michelin for many years and every time we go on-track we are learning many things and this year we did a great job.”

Nicolas Goubert – Deputy Director, Technical Director and Supervisor of the MotoGP Programme:

“Firstly I want to give my congratulations to Marc Marquez and the Repsol Honda Team on winning the rider’s championship today. Marc has ridden very intelligently this season, he has shown a great maturity and adapted to the Michelin tyres in many different conditions very well. So well done to all involved on behalf of everyone at Michelin.

“This weekend has been another learning curve for us and we will take away a lot of important lessons that we know we can act upon and rectify for the future. We were quite surprised by the cold track and the time it took our tyres to heat up during the practice sessions in Motegi, but we spoke with all riders and teams to explain the situation and this is something we will work on for here in 2017. We now head to Australia, which everyone knows is a real inspection of the performance of the tyres. We are up to the challenge as we had a positive test there earlier in the year and have produced a tyre especially for the circuit. It will also be great to be involved in the event because it is the Michelin® Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix and it will be important for us to give a good account at our own GP!”

More, from a press release issued by Avintia Racing:

Avintia Racing riders leave Japan without reward

Avintia Racing started the Japanese Grand Prix with high expectations, as Hector Barbera was rewarded for his good season and rode injured Andrea Iannone’s Desmosedici GP inside the official Ducati Team. After qualifying eight yesterday, Barbera was aiming at a good result in the race today, but he lost the front in turn one on the ninth lap, when he was fighting with Pol Espargaro for the seventh place. He picked the bike up and finished the race, but without any options for the point rankings. Next week in Australia he will have another chance to show his potential with the factory team.

The race was not easy for Loris Baz either. He started from the back of the grid and although he improved his pace and reduced a gap of three seconds with Hiroshi Aoyama to just 0.8s on lap 19, he had to realize that he still isn’t in his best physical condition after two consecutive injuries. Finally, he was not able to fight for the championship point that seemed within reach in the battle with the Japanese rider. On positive result from this race is the fact that Loris got his confidence back, right in time ahead of the next race at Phillip Island, one of his favourite tracks where he did a great winter test.

Mike Jones, who got the opportunity to replace Barbera this weekend, finished his first race in MotoGP. The 22-year-old Australian got 18th place and was really happy with the experience he had in Motegi. “Mad Mike” will ride Barbera’s bike at his home race in Phillip Island.

Hector Barbera | P17

“For me it was a fantastic opportunity to ride the 2016 Desmosedici GP and race for a factory squad like the Ducati Team and so I want to thank both Ducati and Avintia Racing for giving me this opportunity. For me it was all new: in fact, I didn’t know either the bike or the guys in the team, but after every session the situation improved a lot. Unfortunately in the race I was not able to get a good start, especially because the clutch is very different to the one I normally use, and I immediately lost two positions. I took a bit of time to pass Petrucci and then I caught Pol Espargaro, who I tried to overtake several times, until I tried with even more decision and unfortunately I crashed. I feel bad about it because I think that today I could have finished in fifth or sixth place. In any case I picked the bike up to finish the race, but in the crash the two wings had broken off and I was no longer able to ride it well. However it was a great experience and I am very happy that I have been given another chance next week at Phillip Island.”

Loris Baz | P16

“I got my confidence back during the first ten laps. But when I’m riding the bike I feel that I’m on the limit, and then I see the lap times and I’m far away from the pace. One positive thing from today is that I gained a better feeling and my race pace was better than ever this weekend. Negative is that we are still far from where we should be. I also realized that my physical condition is not at 100%, because when I caught Aoyama, I had no more energy left. Now we go to Phillip Island, a track I love and where I was fast during the winter test. I’ll have some days to relax and train before the race, so I hope to improve and to be competitive again.”

Mike Jones | P18

“I’m very happy and I can’t believe the experience of finishing my first ever MotoGP race. It was fantastic to be part of the Avintia Racing Ducati team this weekend. They worked so hard to help me learn so much, but definitely I gained more experience through the race. My start wasn’t very good. We tried a practice start in the warm-up this morning and I felt really, really good, but we changed the clutch for the race and when I went to do the race start it felt different, so I really struggled with the start. Once I got going, I tried to follow the guys in front of me, but I had a few small problems and I couldn’t get the bike stopped like in qualifying. But I just wanted to finish the race, no matter how, and I did it. I really want to thank Avintia Racing and Ducati for this opportunity and I hope to do it better at Phillip Island.”

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia:

THE TWO APRILIAS IN THE TOP-10 AGAIN AT MOTEGI

ALVARO BAUTISTA SEVENTH AND STEFAN BRADL TENTH, CONFIRMING THE RS-GP’S PROGRESS

In the race that decided the 2016 World Championship, Aprilia has plenty to be satisfied about. Alvaro Bautista, fast and precise for all 23 laps, took a nice seventh place (his best result of the season) 23 seconds from the leader. Tenth place for Stefan Bradl after a small mistake in the finale kept him from making a go for ninth and eighth place.

Overall, the Japanese weekend confirmed the Italian team’s excellent form. Fast in qualifying and consistent in the race, the season finale promises to be positive for both Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders. Alvaro Bautista got off the line well when the lights went out from his twelfth spot on the grid, overtaking Redding and Petrucci in succession. From the tenth lap, Alvaro kept the gap behind Pol Espargaró constant without making any mistakes and consistently lapping at 1’47. When the chequered flag came out, the gap behind the winner, Marquez, was 23 seconds, whereas the gap behind the fifth place finisher was reduced to 8 seconds.

Stefan Bradl also had a positive performance, skilfully recovering after a less than perfect start, coming back to take tenth place. The German also had the potential for a better placement, but a mistake in the penultimate lap made him lose contact with eighth and ninth place, positions that were within his grasp up to that point.

ROMANO ALBESIANO – APRILIA RACING MANAGER

“A good race for us. We continued our trend in this stage of the season. We are headed to a track at Phillip Island that has very different characteristics where we will be seeking further confirmation. The goal is to keep improving, looking for more steps that will allow us to further close the gap behind the leaders. I am satisfied with everyone’s work, from the team to the riders, as well as the guys who are working at home”.

FAUSTO GRESINI – TEAM MANAGER

“We confirmed our progress here again throughout the weekend. Despite the crashes in qualifying, the riders recovered well. Alvaro rode a great race and Stefan also brought home important points. We need to continue like this, taking small steps and staying focused. Aprilia and the team are doing an excellent job. We have narrowed the gap and now we need to set our sights on finishing the season well”.

ALVARO BAUTISTA

“A good race, the best result so far with Aprilia. Of course, the crashes gave us a couple of positions, but that is all part of racing. I am especially satisfied with the work done this weekend. After not having good sensations on Friday, we were able to recover, going through to Q2. We showed that we can be fast on tracks with very different characteristics: from Misano, twisting, to Motegi with a lot of hard braking and acceleration sections. This is important as it shows that we have taken a step forward on all fronts. We will try to confirm this in the coming races. I want to finish the season in the best possible way”.

STEFAN BRADL

“I am not fully satisfied with the race today. We had the potential to aim for a better result. Unfortunately, I lost a few positions straight away at the start, whereas during the race I could not find the same feeling braking that I had yesterday in practice. Because of that, I made a few mistakes that certainly cost us a few positions. In any case, being in the top-10 is important to continue our positive trend. We worked well throughout the weekend and we want to do the same at Phillip Island as well”.

More, from a press release issued by Aspar Team:

Yonny Hernández picks up four important points at Motegi

Pull&Bear Aspar Team rider finishes twelfth after starting from seventeenth, as Eugene Laverty crashes out on lap three

The first match point was all Marc Márquez needed to secure the MotoGP World Championship with victory in Japan, his third title in the premier class. The Spaniard’s win, combined with crashes for both Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, means he can not be caught before the end of the season, taking his career tally to three titles in MotoGP and five in total. Márquez continues to break records and at the age of 23 years and 242 days he becomes the youngest ever five-time World Champion, almost a year younger than Valentino Rossi was. The Italian remains fourteen points clear of his team-mate in the chase for the runner-up position with three races left whilst, in the absence of Dani Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso and Maverick Viñales joined the World Champion on the podium today, Viñales moving up to fourth place in the championship, just 17 points shy of Lorenzo. The next race takes place in Australia in just seven days’ time.

Pull&Bear Aspar Team rider Yonny Hernández has four more points to his credit after a difficult race at Motegi. Hernández started from seventeenth on the grid but was unable to make up ground in the early laps as he struggled to get his bike stopped. However, lap by lap he recovered and made up positions to secure a creditable twelfth place at the line. Eugene Laverty’s topsy-turvy weekend did not finish on a high, the Irishman having made a strong start to the Grand Prix only for his progress to be upset by a crash on Friday. Today he slid off again, this time on the third lap of the race when he was overtaking wildcard rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga. Laverty lost the front at the apex and was upset not to make up for an otherwise disappointing weekend.

12th Yonny Hernández: “It was a good race, we have been able to finish and pick up four more points. At the beginning I was really struggling to get the bike stopped and I lost a lot of ground to the others. We had to use the hard rear but lots of guys went with the soft, which limited us a little, because with my style on the soft we wouldn’t have made it to the end of the race. I have gained more experience and improved my pace here this weekend, which is positive.”

Eugene Laverty (DNF): “The crash was my mistake. I was overtaking Nakasuga in turn nine, the first gear left corner. I I tried to turn too tight when I overtook him and lost the front at the apex. The third lap of the race is too early to make a mistake like that so I am upset because after everything that has happened this weekend the main thing today was to try and get a result but I made a silly mistake on lap three, so that’s why I am disappointed. It has been a strange weekend for sure, maybe it wasn’t to be. We started the weekend so strong until the crash. Now we will try to regroup and start again in Australia.” 

More, from another press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Marc Marquez wins race and 2016 MotoGP World Championship in Japan

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez took his first-ever MotoGP win at Twin Ring Motegi on Honda’s home asphalt, securing the 2016 MotoGP title. At 23-years old, Marquez is now the youngest ever rider to win three premier-class World Championship titles and five World Championships over all classes during a period of only nine years of World Championship racing. Marquez has now equalled Mick Doohan, Jorge Lorenzo and Toni Mang’s tally of 5 World Titles in his career.

Marc Marquez 2016 World Championship facts so far:

– Marquez is the youngest-ever rider to win three premier-class World Championship titles, at the age of 23 years 242 days, taking the record from Mike Hailwood who was 24 years 108 days when he won his third successive 500cc title in 1964.

– Marquez is also the youngest rider of all-time to reach the milestone of five world championship titles, taking the record from Valentino Rossi who was 24 years 238 days old when he won his fifth title – the 2003 MotoGP championship.

– Marquez won all his three MotoGP Titles riding for Honda, equalling the number of premier-class title achieved by Valentino Rossi when riding for Honda (1 x500cc + 2 x MotoGP). The only rider who has won more premier-class world title riding for Honda is Mick Doohan who won the 500cc title on five occasions.

– There is only another Spanish rider with more World Titles than Marquez and Lorenzo: Angel Nieto with thirteen world championship titles (7 x 125cc, 6 x 50cc).

– With his win in Japan Marquez has won a Grand Prix at least five times per season for the last seven years (across the various GP classes), something achieved previously by only two riders in the 68-year history of motorcycle grand prix racing: Giacomo Agostini and Mike Hailwood.

– During 2016 Marquez has had more wins than any other rider in the MotoGP class (five), most podiums (eleven) and most pole positions (six).

Marc Marquez bio:

Third premier-class World Championship title (2016)

The 2016 season positively proved that Marc is a fast learner. He approached his fourth MotoGP campaign with a new mentality, vowing that he would fight for the win or the podium when possible and would minimize the damage when the odds were against him. Consistency was the key to a season for which the introduction of unified electronics and a switch from Bridgestone to Michelin tyres shook the field up and made the racing more unpredictable than ever.

After a demanding preseason that produced mixed results for the Repsol Honda Team, Marc started the Championship in a positive way, climbing the third step of the podium at the season opener in Qatar. In Argentina Marc and the team took their revenge on the 2013 Australian mix-up, scoring an awesome victory in another tyre-issue-affected race that—despite taking place in dry conditions—was run in a flag-to-flag format with a compulsory stop to change motorcycles. One week later he scored his fourth successive Austin win from pole, making it his 10th victory in a row on American soil. With this success, Marc also overtook Kevin Schwantz in number of victories in the premier class, with 26.

Back in Europe for the first race on home turf, Marc realized that trying to win was too risky and wisely settled for third behind title rivals Rossi and Lorenzo. In France he wasn’t able to avoid crashing on lap seven while fighting for second but re-joined the race in last place and finished 13th. The Italian GP was a first important turning point in the season, as Rossi retired with an engine failure. Marc engaged Lorenzo in a spectacular duel for victory on the final lap, and he lost it at the line by mere 19 thousandths of a second. The Catalan GP two weeks later dealt a cruel blow to the riders and the whole MotoGP movement, as 24-year-old Moto2 Spanish rider Luis Salom lost his life after crashing during the second free practice. The event continued in accordance with the wishes of Salom’s family, and Marc and Dani both finished on the podium, in second and third respectively, in the race that won by Rossi, with Lorenzo retiring after being involved in a race incident.

Two weeks later, the Dutch TT was red-flagged due to heavy rain. Marc got off well on the second start but ran wide and dropped back to third behind Dovizioso and Rossi; after the two Italians fell ahead of him and with Lorenzo back in 10th place, Marc gave up a fight for the victory with fellow Honda rider Jack Miller, in order to avoid the risk of throwing away a vital second-place finish. Bad weather continued to affect the action during the next race in Germany, halfway into the season. Following an earlier downpour, the young Spaniard was struggling on a surface that was drying progressively and dropped back to ninth place after swerving off the track, but he never lost his nerve and changed to slick tyres before everyone else, beginning an incredible recovery from 14th position to take his seventh win in a row at the Sachsenring Circuit. The result was Marquez heading into the summer break with a healthy 48-point lead over Lorenzo in the Championship classification.

The action resumed in August, with a tight schedule of four races in five weeks that saw Marc putting into best practice his new strategy. He managed to finish fifth in the Ducati-dominated Austrian GP, took third in the Czech GP and, not perfectly comfortable with his choice of tyres in both the British and Misano GPs, scored two fourth-place finishes, the latter in a race dominated by teammate Pedrosa. At the same time, Lorenzo dropped back in third, 61 points off the top, while Rossi reduced his standings deficit to 43 points. Marc knew that more favourable tracks were about to come, and his home GP at Aragón was circled in red in his personal calendar. He didn’t miss the opportunity, taking the 64th pole of his Grand Prix career during Saturday’s qualifying, equalling Lorenzo for most career poles in history, and scoring a momentous victory on Sunday ahead Lorenzo and Rossi, bringing his career tally to 54 wins and equalling, at just 23 years of age, Australian legend Mick Doohan. Marc also moved to 52 points clear of the Italian in the standings, and 66 ahead of his countryman. With a maximum of 100 points available across the season’s remaining four races, there was an outside chance that Marquez could win the Championship at Honda’s home race in Japan and he took it winning his first-ever MotoGP race at Twin Ring Motegi on Honda’s home asphalt and therefore securing the 2016 MotoGP title.

A challenging season (2015)

The 2015 season was Marc’s third in MotoGP, and it proved to be more difficult than previous years. During the first race, at Losail Circuit, he ran wide in turn 1 and had to make a great recovery to finish in fifth position. He got back on top in Texas but in Argentina he hit his first “zero” of the six that he would eventually tally over the course of the season. With two laps remaining in the race, Marc and Rossi were jostling for first place when they touched, and as they picked the bikes up, Rossi’s rear wheel collected Marc’s front sending the Spaniard to the ground.

Marquez produced a stellar performance at the GP of Spain to close the gap in the Championship with a well-earned second place, but thereafter Le Mans, Mugello and Catalunya comprised a challenging period. He just managed fourth in France but suffered two more zeros in Italy and Catalunya.

Assen marked another important point during the year. Marc, who had been tailing Valentino for 19 laps, made his move with seven laps remaining, taking the lead. With just three laps to go, a small mistake in the last chicane allowed Rossi to pass him and try to open up a gap. Marc recovered four tenths of a second to Valentino in the last lap and made his move into the last chicane on the final lap. The two riders touched briefly but Valentino was able to pick the bike up, riding through the gravel trap, beating Marc to the finish line.

Marc sealed a perfect weekend in Germany, recording a new race-lap record en route to victory, following his pole-position record, and he won again in Indianapolis. With these two consecutive victories, he was able to reduce his gap to 56 points behind Rossi. Starting from second on the grid in Brno, Marc held his position behind pole man Jorge Lorenzo from the beginning to the chequered flag. Unfortunately, in Silverstone he crashed out at turn one while fighting for the lead in the rain during an accident-filled race.

At Misano—one of just three active circuits where he had not previously won in the premier class (along with Motegi and Phillip Island)—the Repsol Honda rider returned to victory in varying weather, following two bike changes.

Marquez arrived in Aragon 63 points behind Rossi, but then crashed out in turn 12, ending his title hopes.

Marc only managed to come home fourth in the wet Motegi race, but he took an incredible victory at the next round, in Australia. The race began at a rapid pace, with Lorenzo, Iannone, Marc, Dani, Rossi and Crutchlow leading the way. Lorenzo pushed at the front, trying to open a gap as the other riders jostled for position behind him throughout the race. With just two laps to go, Marc dropped down to fourth but never gave up hope, passing Rossi for third on the penultimate lap and making up two more places on the final lap (the fastest lap of the race). Marquez took the victory by just 0.249 seconds over Lorenzo. It was the 50th victory in Marc’s career and his first at Phillip Island in the MotoGP class.

In Malaysia, Marc was involved in an incident with Valentino Rossi and crashed out on lap five. Dani made a strong start, and as he took control at the front, Marc and Rossi fought fiercely for third place behind Lorenzo. Rossi led Marc on lap five, and as they exited turn 13 with Marc on the outside, Rossi slowed and Marc crashed out of the race.

Marc concluded the 2015 season with a second-place finish in the Valencia GP and finished the year in third overall.

Back-to-back MotoGP Championships (2014)

Marc broke his leg during training after the first 2014 Sepang test and missed the second Sepang test as well as the test at Phillip Island. He arrived in Qatar for round one with just three days on the bike but took pole in qualifying and won the race after an epic battle with Rossi.

In Austin the young Spaniard led every session and won the race. In Argentina, he led all sessions apart from FP1 and again won the race. With three in a row, Marc was on a roll. He continued his dominance to the season’s midway point, winning in Germany, and then made it 10 out of 10 with an Indianapolis win after the summer break. However, he couldn’t quite manage 11 out of 11 and in Brno, teammate Dani took the victory with Marc finishing fourth.

He was back on top in Silverstone for round 12 but then came two difficult races; in San Marino, while chasing Rossi in the early laps, Marc made an error and low-sided. He managed to get the bike restarted and took an important single Championship point for his 15th place finish. Two weeks later in Aragón he dominated FP3 and FP4 and took pole position. The race began with a fantastic battle between Marc, Dani and Lorenzo, but when late rain arrived to spoil the show, Marc and Dani both crashed out. They were able to return to pit lane and change the bike, but with just two laps remaining, it was too late; Marc finished 13th and Dani 14th.

Marc arrived in Japan with a 75 point margin, meaning that he would seal the title if he finished in front of Dani and lost no more than three points to Rossi and 15 to Lorenzo. It was a closely fought race, as Marc battled with Rossi, who would not give up the fight easily. Iin the end, Marc was able to control the gap behind Lorenzo and finish in front of Rossi and Dani. His second-place Motegi finish and the 20 points that accompanied it delivered him his second and successive MotoGP World Championship, becoming the first Honda rider to clinch a World title—in any class—at the Motegi circuit. He also became the youngest ever rider to win two consecutive premier-class World Championships at the age of 21 years, 237 days, taking the record from Mike Hailwood, who was 23 years, 152 days when he won his second successive 500cc title in 1963.

MotoGP World Champion (2013)

There were huge expectations for what Marc could achieve in his first season in MotoGP, and he immediately demonstrated that he was able to battle with the elite of the class. After a strong pre-season winter test, the young Spaniard scored his first podium in the first race, in Qatar. In Austin on 21 April 2013, he set the pole and recorded his first MotoGP win in just his second race, becoming the youngest ever rider to win a premier-class GP, at the age of 20 years, 63 days, taking the record from Freddie Spencer (20 years 196 days -Belgium 500cc GP at Spa-Francorchamps – 1982). Marc arrived at round three in Jerez leading the Championship and took second behind teammate Dani Pedrosa. In France, he took the pole on Saturday and claimed a remarkable podium on Sunday—racing a MotoGP bike in the wet for the first time—but at the following GP in Italy, he lost the front and crashed out from second with just three laps remaining in the race. Marc shrugged the incident off and returned to the podium at the next round in Catalunya, taking third.

In Assen, title rival Jorge Lorenzo fractured his collarbone on Thursday and Marc also suffered a big crash in Friday’s FP3, breaking a finger and toe. Incredibly, Lorenzo underwent surgery on Friday and returned to race to a fifth-place finish, while Marc also overcame his injuries by scoring an important second-place finish.

In Germany, he dominated the race and regained the Championship lead as his two main rivals, Lorenzo and teammate Pedrosa, were forced to sit out the race after crashing in practice. Marc continued this run of success, winning at Laguna Seca—becoming the first rookie to win there in the premier class and becoming the youngest rider to win back-to-back premier-class races, at the age of 20 years, 154 days, taking another record from Freddie Spencer (21 years 104 days – South Africa and France GPs – 1983). He won again in Indianapolis, becoming the first premier-class rookie to win three back-to-back races since Kenny Roberts in 1978 (Austria, France and Mugello).

Marc took his fourth win in a row at Brno, becoming the first rider since Valentino Rossi in 2008 to win four or more successive races in the premier class and also the youngest rider to have won four successive premier-class Grand Prix races.

In Silverstone, Marc crashed in the Sunday morning warm-up, dislocating his left shoulder, but fortunately he was able to ride and, after starting from pole, managed to take second place. This marked his 50th podium finish, which at the age of 20 years, 196 days, made him the youngest rider to reach this milestone, taking the record from Dani Pedrosa, who was 21 years, 162 days old when he stood on a GP podium for the 50th time. Two weeks later in Misano, Marc secured his sixth pole position of the season and took second in the race. In Aragón a minor contact between the two Repsol Honda teammates resulted in the rear-wheel speed-sensor cable on Dani’s bike breaking, launching the Spaniard into the air. Marc ran wide but remained unaffected and chased down Lorenzo to take his sixth win of the season.

The team remained focused and united and had another fantastic weekend in Malaysia with a 1-2 finish, Marc placing second behind Dani but in front of Lorenzo. One week later in Australia, tyre issues for all the riders dictated a new race distance of 19 laps, with at least one mandatory pit stop to change bikes. Riders were not permitted to complete more than 10 laps on any rear tyre, but Marc entered the pits before crossing the line to complete lap 11 and was shown the black flag after he re-joined the race. The team had wrongly understood that he was allowed to complete 10 laps and come back in before completing lap 11. Nonetheless, Marc and his crew moved on from this as they headed to Japan for the last of the three flyaway races. The Japanese GP was strongly affected by adverse weather conditions, resulting in no track action at all on Friday, just an extended 75 minute wet qualifying session on Saturday afternoon and a 45 minute free-practice session on Sunday morning. With less than one hour on a dry Motegi track with the MotoGP machine, Marc settled for second place behind Lorenzo, meaning that heading to the season-ending Valencia GP, just 13 points were separating the two countrymen. Back in Spain, Marc set the fastest times in FP1, FP2 and FP3 before taking his ninth pole of the season. On Sunday he rode a mature race and took a safe third, securing his first MotoGP World Championship in his maiden season.

Moto2 World Champion (2012)

The start of the 2012 season was not easy for Marc, as he missed almost the entire pre-season while recovering from the injury he had sustained in free practice for the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix. Marc had experienced double vision following the crash, and after three months passed with no improvement, he opted to have surgery on 16 January 2012. He was treated for paralysis of the upper right oblique muscle, caused by trauma to the fourth right cranial nerve. The operation was a success and he recovered in time for the Qatar Grand Prix, the first race of 2012. He did not disappoint, taking the win in the desert, showing that he was fully recovered and ready to push for the title. That victory was followed by a second-place finish in Jerez and another win in Portugal before he crashed out of a wet Le Mans GP. That small blot on his record was followed by nine podiums from 12 races: eight wins (in Qatar, Portugal, Holland, Germany, Indianapolis, Czech Republic, San Marino and Japan), two runner-up finishes (Catalunya and Great Britain) and two third places (Jerez and Aragon). Rain again caught Marc out at the Malaysian Grand Prix. Three laps into the race, the Repsol rider crashed out. Fortunately, the advantage gained at the preceding races allowed for him to clinch the crown just one week later in Australia, where he was crowned Moto2 World Champion.

Runner-up in Moto2 in his first year (2011)

After winning the title, the natural next step for the young rider was to move to Moto2 in 2011, so Marc joined a team created especially for him, boasting engineers and mechanics with experience in Moto2 and MotoGP. After suffering three crashes in the first four races, he got to grips with the class and, at the French GP, announced his arrival as a serious title contender. He won at Le Mans and took second at Montmeló but one race later he suffered another crash while fighting for the win at the British GP. This was the final blip before a huge comeback, in which he picked up three consecutive wins (Assen, Italy and Germany), one second place (Brno), a further three wins on the bounce (Indianapolis, San Marino and Aragón) and another second place (Motegi). There was still to be another amazing comeback in 2011, this time at the Australian GP. After being penalised for an infraction in Free Practice and sent to the 38th spot on the grid on Sunday, he overtook 35 rivals to take the last spot on the podium and reduce his standings deficit to just three points. At that point, he had recovered 82 points on Championship leader Stefan Bradl, but a crash in FP1 for the Malaysian left him unable to compete in the final two events, forcing him to concede the title, though his seven wins, three second places and one third place earned Marc the Rookie of the Year honour and a creditable runner-up spot in the Moto2 World Championship.

First GP win and first World Championship Title (2010 – 125cc)

In 2010, Marc decided to join the Ajo Motorsport team riding a Derbi, and from the pre-season, he set a record pace, adapting well to his new bike and team.

In the first race in Qatar, Marc took pole position and followed that up with a podium finish. He crashed out on the first lap of the following race in Jerez after his bike’s exhaust system broke, but he once again reached the podium in France, and two weeks later, on 6 June 2010, he took the first victory of his career, at Mugello. He went on to win the following four races consecutively—Silverstone, Assen, Catalunya and Sachsenring—setting pole position at each one. Some ups and downs after the summer break interrupted Marc’s winning streak, but another victory in San Marino and then another series of four consecutive wins in Motegi, Sepang, Phillip Island and Estoril meant that the title would be decided in Valencia in a duel between two Marc and Nico Terol. Marc could count on an advantage of 17 points in the standings and in the race he uncharacteristically avoided entering the battle for victory; his fourth-position allowed him to reach the finish line celebrating the title. He was the 2010 125cc World Champion at 17, after taking 10 victories and 12 pole positions.

In 2009, again sporting the number 93 on his Repsol fairing to celebrate the year he was born, Marc demonstrated the talent that had impressed everyone. Riding for the official KTM team, he took his second podium in Jerez and, at the French Grand Prix, became the second-youngest rider ever to take pole position in the World Championship. Afterward, despite being among the top group on several occasions, he suffered some bad luck and crashes but still finished nearly all of the races in the top five.

World Championship Debut (2008)

Marc’s debut in the Motorcycle Road Racing World Championship was with the Repsol KTM Team at the 2008 Portuguese Grand Prix in Estoril because an ill-timed pre-season crash resulted in a fracture of his right arm, preventing him from being on the starting grids for the first two races. In his sixth race, the British Grand Prix, he was able to set a milestone in motorcycling history taking third position, becoming the youngest rider ever to make it onto a World Championship podium. He finished his rookie season in 13th position overall, despite having missed four races due to injury.

In 2007 he again participated in the CEV, this time with KTM, but several crashes prevented him from taking a better position than ninth overall. Nonetheless, Alzamora had a surprise in store: the next year Marquez would be a part of the big World Championship family.

The 2005 season was an important one for Marc, as it was then that he met Emilio Alzamora, 1999 125cc World Champion with Honda. During that season, Marc won the 125cc Catalan Championship, as well as the 85cc Catalan Supermotard Championship. The following year, 2006, he repeated the Catalan triumph, and at the same time made his debut in the Spanish Road Racing Championship (CEV), where he achieved an eighth overall position.

In 2004 Marc jumped to the 125cc class with a Honda 125 GP. He signed for the RACC Impala team, with Pol Espargaró as his teammate. After six races he took the runner-up position behind his teammate.

Marc changed to the big circuits in 2003 by taking part in the Open RACC 50, a six-race Catalan Championship, and he won the title with an overwhelming performance in his first year.

In 2002 Marc finished third in the Conti Cup, a road racing series promoted by the Catalan Motorcycling Federation. He continued competing in motocross but began shifting his focus to road racing.

In 2001, he took another step forward and won the Catalan Championship of the Initiation motocross category.

From dirt to tarmac. In 2000, although he continued competing in enduro, he was also runner-up in the Catalan Motocross Championship.

In 1999, his father bought him a second-hand 50cc off-road pocket bike, on which he continued to enjoy enduro and also began in motocross.

At age 4, Marc asked for a motorbike for Christmas, and with the aid of training wheels, he had his first riding experience, going with his father to an industrial area near their house. In 1998, when he was 5, he participated in the Enduro for Kids, in the Initiation category. He would have preferred to race motocross, but there wasn’t a class for kids his age at the time.

First steps (1993-2000)

On 17 February 1993, a future champion was born in Lleida, Spain. Marc has always lived in Cervera, a small town near the capital of the province where he resides with his parents and brother Alex