Marc Marquez is the 2016 MotoGP champion after both Yamaha rivals Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo crashed out of contention at Motegi.
The Repsol Honda rider took his fifth World Championship in style at Honda’s home track as he won the race by several seconds, ahead of Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso with Suzuki Ecstar’s Maverick Vinales third.
At the start it was Marquez who grabbed the hole shot and led the two Movistar Yamahas into the first corner, but Lorenzo was on a charge, passing his countryman to move into the lead.
Rossi had to fend off the advances of Suzuki Ecstar’s Aleix Espargaro as Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso moved ahead of Cal Crutchlow’s LCR Honda for firth.
Lorenzo led into lap two, as Rossi caught and made a move on Marquez for second, but the Spaniard was quick to take it back and the pair swapped places a few times before settling down.
On the third lap, Marquez made the move on Lorenzo to take the lead, as Rossi sneaked look up the inside of his team-mate but decided against making a move. Two laps later he did the deed and moved up to second.
On Lap Six, Jack Miller crashed his Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda at the first corner and moments later Rossi became the shock newest member of the Turn 10 club as he lost the front. He re-joined and limped back to the pits and into retirement.
With a clean track ahead, nothing looked like it could stop championship leader Marquez as he began to stretch a comfortable lead as Lorenzo looked to be feeling the effects of the torn leg ligaments and other injuries sustained in yesterday’s huge crash, and began to drop backwards into the clutches Dovizioso who was running third.
The Ducati man was on a push, and slowly reeled in the reigning champ. But with six laps to go Lorenzo seemed to be back on it, setting his best lap and slowly edging away from the Italian.
But disaster struck on Lap 19 when Lorenzo lost the front and crashed out. Unable to re-join, it handed the championship straight to Marquez who was still up front and completely oblivious.
It meant all Marquez had to do was stay where he was, and that he did, taking the win by several seconds over Dovizioso and Vinales, becoming the youngest ever rider to achieve five titles at the age of just 23.
Aleix Espargaro followed his Suzuki team-mate home in fourth, ahead of Britain’s Cal Crutchlow. Monster Yamaha’s Pol Espargaro was the first Yamaha home in sixth ahead of Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista in seventh.
Octo Pramac Yakhnich duo Danilo Petrucci and Britain’s Scott Redding finished eighth and ninth respectively while the second Aprilia of Stefan Bradl took 10th. Returning Brit Bradley Smith finished in a solid 13th.
