Marquez has MotoGP points record in sight

Marc Marquez will have his first opportunity to break yet another MotoGP record in Malaysia as he moves within reach of the all-time highest points tally scored across a single season.

Marquez’s current team-mate Jorge Lorenzo holds the existing record of 383 points set in 2010 (across 18 races that year) with the 2019 MotoGP world champion already on 373 points after 17 races this year.

With two rounds to go, Marquez effectively needs just nine points between Sepang and Valencia to break the record – equivalent to a seventh-place finish – having already claimed 11 wins along with five second places this year with his only non-score coming in Austin when he crashed out while leading.

But with Marquez focusing on helping Repsol Honda secure the third leg of its potential MotoGP Triple Crown, the points record may come as an afterthought for the Spaniard.

“I don’t want to think a lot about it [records], just keep going, I feel really good with Honda so I will enjoy it with all the Repsol Honda team,” Marquez said. “We need to enjoy these sweet moments as we cannot say what the future is. Maybe next season we will struggle more.

“We enjoyed a great victory in Australia as me, the Repsol Honda Team and the bike are working very well together. Now we arrive at the last race of the triple, but it’s not time to stop and relax.”

Marquez anticipates both Yamaha and Ducati riders to remain his biggest threats at Sepang having claimed victory in Malaysia 12 months ago after profiting from Valentino Rossi’s fall while leading with four laps to go.

“Sepang is another track where I think Yamaha will be fast, as will Ducati, but the target is of course to try and fight for victory again,” he said. “We will see how the weekend goes and adapt as we need to.”

Repsol Honda currently trails Ducati by just one point in the MotoGP Teams’ standings with two rounds left having already sealed the riders’ and constructors’ crowns.

Such is Marquez’s unrelenting consistency this year, the 26-year-old is averaging above 22 points per race and has notched up five consecutive wins since suffering back-to-back last-lap defeats to Andrea Dovizioso (Austria) and Alex Rins (Great Britain).