Marc Marquez is 2014 champion, Lorenzo wins Motegi
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Marc Marquez has wrapped up the 2014 MotoGP title by finishing runner-up to Jorge Lorenzo at Motegi in Japan.
To be crowned champion in Honda's home round Marquez needed to beat team-mate Dani Pedrosa, lose no more than three points to Valentino Rossi and no more than 15 to Lorenzo.
Marquez overtook Pedrosa for fourth on the opening lap, then passed Ducati pole sitter Andrea Dovizioso just before the halfway stage, leaving only Movistar Yamaha riders Lorenzo and Rossi ahead.
After seeing his first attempt to overtake Rossi rebuffed, Marquez made his title winning pass for second with nine laps remaining. Lorenzo was already two-seconds clear by that stage, with Marquez forced to push hard to keep Rossi at bay.
Lorenzo won his second race of the season by 1.638s from Marquez, with Rossi 0.964s behind to complete the podium. Pedrosa had edged his way towards the podium fight, finishing half a second from Rossi but 11 seconds ahead of Andrea Dovizioso.
Dovizioso took Ducati's first pole since 2010, using the extra-soft tyre, in qualifying. The Italian then joined the Honda and Yamaha riders on the soft rear/medium front for the race.
Andrea Iannone (Pramac), Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda), Pol Espargaro (Tech 3 Yamaha), Bradley Smith (Tech 3 Yamaha) and Alvaro Bautista (Gresini Honda) completed the top ten.
Aleix Espargaro (Forward Yamaha) was the top Open rider in eleventh, with wild-card Katsuyuki Nakasuga (Yamaha) twelfth and countryman Hiroshi Aoyama (Aspar) the top Open Honda rider in 13th.
Cal Crutchlow lost the front of his Ducati early in the race, Danilo Petrucci (Ioda). Karel Abraham (Ioda) and Yonny Hernandez (Pramac) joined the Englishman on the DNF list.
Marc Marquez finishes 2nd to Lorenzo in Japan and is 2014 #MotoGP champion! pic.twitter.com/uVIqVhkbF3-- Crash.net MotoGP (@crash_motogp) October 12, 2014Marc Marquez celebrates #motogp title by being handed samurai sword to release balloon pic.twitter.com/R7QJPlej1e-- Crash.net MotoGP (@crash_motogp) October 12, 2014Marquez changes to gold helmet and 2014 #MotoGP title winning t-shirt pic.twitter.com/jNrCvWfSeF-- Crash.net MotoGP (@crash_motogp) October 12, 2014Marquez celebrates 2014 #motogp title with Repsol Honda team pic.twitter.com/JQk3npmHLE-- Crash.net MotoGP (@crash_motogp) October 12, 2014But the Repsol Honda star's title defence had a totally different character. Despite missing two of the three pre-season tests, due to a broken leg in a dirt track training accident, the 21-year-old left his rivals on the ropes by winning the opening ten races in a row.
Such attacking spirit would cost Marquez in the form of falls at Misano and Aragon, but his advantage meant he still had four chances to lift the 2014 title, starting at Motegi.
Marquez has won 17 of his 32 MotoGP races, finishing on the podium 28 times. If he can win one more race this season he will match the all-time record of twelve in a year by Mick Doohan in 1997.
Prior to joining the MotoGP class Marquez won the 125cc title in 2010 and the Moto2 championship in 2012, one year after career threatening eye injuries scuppered his 2011 hopes.
Marquez has signed to remain with Honda in MotoGP until at least the end of 2016.
Motegi MotoGP:
1. Jorge Lorenzo
2. Marc Marquez
3. Valentino Rossi
4. Dani Pedrosa
5. Andrea Dovizioso
6. Andrea Iannone
7. Stefan Bradl
8. Pol Espargaro
9. Bradley Smith
10. Alvaro Bautista
11. Aleix Espargaro
12. Katsuyuki Nakasuga
13. Hiroshi Aoyama
14. Nicky Hayden
15. Hector Barbera
16. Scott Redding
17. Alex De Angelis
18. Michael Laverty
19. Mike Di Meglio
20. Broc Parkes
Yonny Hernandez
Karel Abraham
Danilo Petrucci
Cal Crutchlow
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
