Marquez closes out 2019 on a high

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) claimed victory number 12 of the season at Valencia on November 17, with Jorge Lorenzo also scoring points in his final MotoGP ride to help Honda win the teams’ championship. Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Jack Miller (Pramac Racing Ducati) completed the final podium of the season.

“A perfect end to a perfect season,” said Marquez. “I put a little extra pressure on myself with the gold helmet, so I needed to be extra smart! We did exactly what we wanted to do and won the team championship, taking the triple crown in this amazing season.

“Always the riders’ championship is the first objective, but I was happy to help win the team championship, not just for them but also for Jorge who has been a great champion, a hard rival and a great teammate. It will be difficult to improve on this year because we rode in a perfect way.”

FULL RESULTS HERE

Miller was third on the grid and he launched off the line like a rocket and managed to grab the holeshot, with Marquez getting a sluggish getaway from the middle of the front row to drop down to sixth.

Polesitter Quartararo then grabbed the lead from Miller as the Australian ran wide at turn two, with the Frenchman quickly creating a small gap to his rivals. Heading into turn one on lap two, Marquez was into third after passing the fast-starting Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), and it wouldn’t take the 2019 champion long to pick off Miller as he locked his radar onto Quartararo.

The Rookie of the Year’s lead was 0.7 seconds over Marquez, with the latter racing to an 0.8-second advantage over Miller. Marquez was creeping up to the back of the leading M1 slowly but surely, and on lap eight a surprise, late but super fine move at turn 11 saw the No. 93 lead.

Suddenly, Miller – with Dovizioso and Rins in tow – had closed the gap to less than 0.5 seconds, the top five covered by 1.7 seconds. However, Marquez was in the groove and had pulled to over 0.5 seconds clear of Quartararo.

Meanwhile, Miller wasn’t letting Quartararo have second all his own way either, that margin was remaining at a second – enough to keep the No. 20 on his toes.

With no one making any costly errors, Marquez took another 25pt haul.

Dovizioso was fourth, while Rins capped off a fine season by claiming fifth at his home Grand Prix – however it wasn’t enough to grab third in the Championship from sixth-place finisher Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP).

Seventh for Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) was a great way to round off a very solid rookie MotoGP campaign, the Spaniard ends 2019 with five consecutive top 10s.

Valentino Rossi’s (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) eighth saw the nine-time world champion end the season seventh in the overall standings, with Aleix coming out on top in the battle of the Espargaro brothers – ninth for Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and 10th for Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).

Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team), Johann Zarco (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) all crashed at turn six, on lap 14, in separate incidents. Petrucci was the first to go down, with Zarco then crashing slightly further around the corner seconds after. A scary scenario then unfolded as Lecuona crashed at the exact same place as Zarco.

Up after his off, Zarco was hit by Lecuona’s stricken KTM, sending the Frenchman into a somersault. Thankfully, Zarco – along with Lecuona and Petrucci – was okay. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) also crashed.

On his final-ever MotoGP ride, five-time world champion and future MotoGP Legend Lorenzo finished 13th. It was an emotional day for the Spaniard who arrived back into pit lane to rapturous applause, with the Valencia fans paying their full respects to one of the sport’s greatest ever riders on his cool-down lap.

1. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team)
2. Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) +1.026
3. Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) +2.409
4. Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) +3.326
5. Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) +3.508
6. Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) +8.829
7. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) +10.622
8. Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) +22.992
9. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) +32.704
10. Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) +32.973