Thanks to a miraculous race, we already have our 2016 MotoGP champion – with three rounds still to go.
MotoGP Japan Race Report
It’s taken us this long to report on the MotoGP Japan because we are still in shock. If you remember, before the MotoGP started this year we brought our Two Wheel Centre pre-season predictions to the blog. Most of us were in the Rossi camp, thinking this had to be the year he got a 10th world title. Some backed last year’s champion Lorenzo. Oh, how wrong we were! This year’s MotoGP world champion is the unstoppable Marc Marquez.
Motegi miracle for Marquez
This weekend was pretty much Yamaha’s worst in all their MotoGP history. To put this in perspective, Marc Marquez needed a miracle to win the champonship this early. He needed the legendary Rossi to gain only one point, and for Jorge Lorenzo to finish in fourth place or lower.
A miracle is exactly what the magical Marquez got, as not one but two Yamaha bikes tumbled into the gravel. This meant that the championship gap reached an impossible 77 points; Marquez only had to finish at the MotoGP Japan to win his third MotoGP title.
Rossi’s 10th world title slips away
Both Yamaha titans have fallen to the new and improved Marc Marquez. Yes, Rossi fans, it’s time for the tissues to come out – there won’t be a 10th world title this year.
Let it be noted that Valentino Rossi looked a bit peaky at the start of the race. Whether it was jetlag or a bad cold, he certainly wasn’t riding at his best in practice. However, he did manage to qualify very strongly and started in pole position for the main race.
The Doctor stayed with the leading pack in the early laps, determined not to lose valuable points. He tussled a bit with his teammate for second when Marquez emerged as the clear leader. Unfortunately for Rossi and Yamaha, it wasn’t to be. With 18 laps to go, Rossi lost the front end and spun out onto the gravel.
Despite getting right back on his battered machine, Rossi reached the pit lane and gave up the ghost – this was an unusual move for the Doctor but he clearly wasn’t feeling completely well.
Valentino lamented a miserable end to his championship hopes: “First of all, I would like to say that I‘m OK, fortunately no problems…I was able to push a lot to try and catch Marquez but unfortunately I lost the front…and logically I made a mistake.”
Disaster for Yamaha as Lorenzo falls
Losing Valentino gave his teammate Jorge Lorenzo the chance to bring it home for Yamaha. Unfortunately, the MotoGP Japan had already knocked Lorenzo about a bit and he wasn’t feeling great either, after a horrifying crash in Practice.
To start the race, Jorge went straight to the front despite his injuries, pushing through the pain. He ended up falling back to third but still stayed with the leaders and had a chance at the podium. That was, until he went down with 5 laps to go and handed Marquez the victory.
Lorenzo was a graceful loser: “It‘s a pity, because I think we had the potential to fight for the victory…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.”
‘The Ant’ Marquez stings again
Marc Marquez, 2016 World Champion has a certain ring to it, as the fifth world title and Marc’s third in the premier class. Obviously confident, the young Spaniard brought a gold helmet with him to Japan – as he pulled it on for a victory ride, it may as well have been a crown. He’s king of the world right now, at the tender age of 23.
So, how did he do it? The answer is with a lot of luck, but an even bigger dose of talent. He held second place in the early laps, then snatched the lead from Lorenzo with 21 laps still to go. He held his grip on first place throughout, dominating the race and expanding the time gap.
It’s important to note that even though Marquez became the championship winner at Motegi in 2014, he didn’t actually win the race. This is the first time that Marquez has taken pole position at this track, which is Honda’s home tarmac. It was even Honda’s 50th anniversary in MotoGP – we can only imagine how many bottles of champagne the Honda team got through that night!
Regardless of our love for Rossi, we’ve just go to salute this young man. He’s come back from a crash-filled season in 2015 to make his name for good this year. A mature Marquez is definitely a dangerous one!
A jubilant Marquez had a lot to say following his outstanding win – but this is a quote we think encapsulates his comeback this season: “It was a big price I paid – losing a title last year – to learn what I know now.”
Who completed the podium?
In second place was Andrea Dovizioso who started the race recovering from an arm pump injury. The Ducati rider held third place for most of the race with a masterful performance – and Lorenzo’s crash lifted him up one step on the podium.
Dovi commented: “I decided not to push 100% then and not be crazy, because I saw Marc and Valentino had more speed than me – then after Valentino crashed I tried to push and catch Lorenzo…but he made a mistake. Then I saw on the pit board that Maverick was close and that was a problem because he’s usually quick at the end, but I managed to hold on.”
Third place went to Suzuki’s Maverick Vinales, as he showed his strength yet again. Vinales won a scrap with his teammate Aleix Espargaro for fourth, and then with Lorenzo’s crash he found himself on the podium for the third time this year!
Maverick was very happy with the result: “Yesterday was a difficult qualifying and we had some problems, so today is really good. This is not our limit and we go to Australia really motivated…I’m so grateful to Suzuki that it’s nice to give them a podium at home in Japan.”
…And a few words on the Brits
Bradley Smith was back from injury this week, and we were excited to see him. He finished just about in the points in 14th place, after a very tricky return to two wheels.
Cal Crutchlow finished in a brilliant fifth place as the top independent rider. As usual, he was understated in his comments: “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.”
Scott Redding also achieved a top ten finish in 9th. Overall, a good weekend for the Brits, and perhaps we’ll see our own miracles in the last three races!
The next round of MotoGP 2016
Marquez finished this round on 273 points, with an impossible 77 point gap back to Rossi in second. Now, we’ll see if Rossi can hold that second place in the last 3 rounds – or if Lorenzo will beat him to the second best spot.
The next round of MotoGP 2016 will be held at Phillip Island, Australia on 23rd October. If you’re not still too busy crying into your VR46 flag, maybe you’ll join us and watch the next three rounds just for fun.
Missed any of the action so far? Our MotoGP race reports cover the whole 2016 season and you can find them in the Racing News section of our blog.
Photos courtesy of Motogp.com.
