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Spaniard doubles up in Japan to slash MotoGP title deficit as Aussie bites the dust
Marc Marquez dominated the Japanese Grand Prix to take his sixth victory of the MotoGP season, Ducati’s reigning world champion completing a perfect sprint/Grand Prix double for the fifth time this season at Motegi on Sunday.
The 33-year-old, who secured his long-awaited seventh premier-class world title in Japan last year, prevailed over Aprilia’s pole-sitter Jorge Martin by 1.363secs, Martin’s world championship lead slashed to just two points with six rounds remaining this season. Martin’s Aprilia teammate Marco Bezzecchi held on to third for the final podium position over fast-finishing Italian compatriot Enea Bastianini, Bezzecchi finishing just 0.078secs ahead of the KTM rider and 2.252secs behind Marquez after running most of the race in a lonely third place.
With concerns over tyre wear at a Motegi track that offered extra grip after being resurfaced since last year’s Grand Prix, the entire field used the hard rear Michelin tyre for the 24-lap distance, Marquez sitting behind Martin for the opening 11 laps before pouncing for the lead at turn nine, instantly rocketing away by three-tenths of a second by the end of the lap. Marquez steadily built from there, his lead surpassing one second for the first time on lap 18 as he eased to his fourth win in Japan and first since 2019 for Honda, the last time Ducati were beaten at the remote countryside track.
“It was very important to be close to 37 points and we achieve it, so very happy,” Marquez said. “The race was tough, especially when I was behind Jorge, but I knew that if I was able to lead the race, the pace was good. “Jorge tried to attack, but then I increase a bit more the pace and it was enough to do the last two laps more relaxed.
” Marquez, Martin, Bezzecchi and Bastianini were in a class of their own on Sunday, Spaniard Raul Fernandez winning a spirited three-way fight with Trackhouse Aprilia teammate and local favourite Ai Ogura and KTM’s Pedro Acosta for fifth that raged for the second half of the race, Fernandez finishing 14.815secs from victory. Australia’s Jack Miller, from 20th on the grid, remounted after a lap 19 crash at turn 10 to come home 19th of the 20 finishers for Pramac Yamaha, the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix winner crossing the line 71secs behind Marquez on a day where Fabio Quartararo was the only Yamaha to score points.
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