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Japanese GP

2016 MotoGP Japanese GP

Japan
Oct 14, 2016 to Oct 16, 2016
Twin Ring Motegi, JP
Live text
MotoGP Japanese GP

Motegi MotoGP - Race

Live Text

So that's a wrap for us today.

The odds on Marc Marquez wrapping up the crown here weren't terribly high at all, but it's been a crazy season and a suitably crazy title decider followed.

It's a shame for Rossi, who had put up a great fight throughout, and for Lorenzo, who rode a great race today after his massive Saturday shunt.

But ultimately, the championship has gone to the best rider of the season.
Quote
Marquez: "Honestly, amazing... Amazing feeling, I didn't expect before the race. I thought here would be impossible.

"Then when I saw Rossi out, I said I push 100 percent and go for the victory.

"When I see Lorenzo out, that lap I made a mistake four or five corners, it was so difficult to concentrate.

"Really happy, so special after last year to come back on the top.

"Really happy with my team, with the mechanics - and of course I don't want to forget my grandmother, who died this year. She will be very happy."
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Dovizioso: "I did a good start, but Valentino went on the left and I had to close the throttle. It was quite difficult to recover but I had the speed.

"After Valentino crashed, I decided to be smooth and I was behind Lorenzo, he couldn't push a lot and I knew I could catch him - and he did a mistake.

"A good weekend, very important for us, a big thank you to Ducati and to all the fans."

Quote
Vinales: "It was difficult, because Aleix is a really good braker, it was so difficult to overtake him. I was trying to save the tyres until the end, then I just tried to keep the position and bring this podium to Suzuki."

Marc Marquez world championships:

2010 - 125cc, Red Bull Ajo Motorsport, on a Derbi
2012 - Moto2, Team Catalunya Caixa Repsol, on a Suter
2013 - MotoGP, Repsol Honda Team
2014 - MotoGP, Repsol Honda Team
2016 - MotoGP, Repsol Honda Team

We'll probably have to wait a little bit for post-race interviews here because Marc and his friends are doing goofy celebrations on the side of the track.

Finishing order:
1 Marquez
2 Dovizioso
3 Vinales
4 A. Espargaro
5 Crutchlow
6 P. Espargaro
7 Bautista
8 Petrucci
9 Redding
10 Bradl
11 Nakasuga
12 Hernandez
13 Smith
14 Rabat
15 Aoyama
16 Baz
17 Barbera
18 Jones
Ret Lorenzo
Ret Rossi
Ret Miller
Ret Laverty

Alex Marquez now on track with Marc and going bananas.
Marc's crew and his Honda team in celebrations. They wouldn't have expected this at all waking up in the morning - but their man did another perfect job and the two Yamahas helped out.
Andrea Dovizioso comes home in second, Vinales holds off Espargaro for third.
Trophy
Marc Marquez is the 2016 grand prix racing world champion.
Two sectors.
Vinales has not managed to close in on Dovizioso at all, but he has more or less shaken off his teammate.
One lap to go, the gap between Marquez and Dovizioso is 3.4s.
Two laps separate Marc Marquez and a third premier-class title in four attempts.
Closest fight in the top 10 right now is between Petrucci and Redding for P8, the Pramac teammates are three tenths apart.

Don't crash.
Three laps to go, Marquez is four seconds clear of Dovizioso.
It was a Turn 9 front-end crash for Lorenzo, very minor but ultimately that is the end of his day.
Dovizioso and Vinales move up to the podium, Marquez is well on course for the coronation.
Crash
And Lorenzo is down.
TV direction resorting to slow-mo replays of Marquez under braking because there is no other reason to show his race at all.
Vinales through on Espargaro at Turn 7, pretty move.
Current order:
1 Marquez
2 Lorenzo
3 Dovizioso
4 A. Espargaro
5 Vinales
6 Crutchlow
7 P. Espargaro
8 Bautista
9 Petrucci
10 Redding
11 Bradl
12 Nakasuga
13 Hernandez
14 Smith
15 Rabat
16 Aoyama
17 Baz
18 Barbera
19 Jones
Vinales down the inside of Espargaro at Turn 5, but goes wide and his teammate is back ahead.
Seven laps to go, Dovi has closed in on Lorenzo and Vinales is all over Espargaro.
Espargaro's tyres might be giving up - he's now a second adrift of Dovizioso and will soon be caught by teammate Vinales.

Strange, there was a fair bit of talk about Espargaro's pace on used tyres, but he might have asked too much of the rubber.
Marquez is doing Free Practice 6 out front, he's almost four seconds in the clear.
Dovizioso responding to Espargaro's challenge, he's upped the pace that time around and he's now edging back towards Lorenzo.
Lorenzo has managed to get the gap over future teammate Dovi up to one second.

Dovizioso is now having to defend from Espargaro.
Yamaha says the data is being checked and that it isn't 100% sure what caused Rossi's crash, as he wasn't pushing too hard.

There's been lots of those "crashes without warning" this season.
11 laps to go, Dovizioso now just eight tenths off Lorenzo.
If he gets passed by both and Marc Marquez coasts to victory, Marquez is your 2016 MotoGP champion.
Lorenzo now more than 3 seconds adrift of Marquez and slipping towards Dovi and Aleix.
Dovizioso is slowly edging towards Lorenzo - and don't rule out Espargaro either, whose pace on used tyres was apparently quite strong.
Current order:
1 Marquez
2 Lorenzo
3 Dovizioso
4 A. Espargaro
5 Vinales
6 Crutchlow
7 P. Espargaro
8 Bautista
9 Petrucci
10 Redding
11 Bradl
12 Nakasuga
13 Hernandez
14 Smith
15 Rabat
16 Aoyama
17 Baz
18 Jones
19 Barbera
Marquez now 2.5s clear of Lorenzo.

Marquez now being told Rossi is out.

He won't be securing the championship just yet as they run, but he will be putting the Italian officially out of contention.

Well, he's not out, he's gone down but he's now back on it, trying to get as much mileage as he can on the works Ducati.
Crash
Hector Barbera out. Ouch.
So that's changed this race quite a bit - Marquez is now coasting with a 1.8s lead over Lorenzo.

Rossi steps off his bike, looks over the damage and walks into the pit garage.
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