Marc Marquez Becomes Youngest Rider to Win Four MotoGP World Championships

Marc Marquez has earned a spot in the annals of sports history…

The 24-year-old Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer became the youngest rider in MotoGP history to win four world championships on Sunday at a dramatic Valencia MotoGP.

Marc Marquez

Watched by a crowd of 110,000 at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, the race pitted Marquez, a rider for Repsol Honda, against Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso.

Marquez finished in third place, while Dovizioso retired after crashing into the gravel late into the race, ensuring Marquez, the defending world champion, retained his crown.

It was a tense finale at the end of a close-fought 2017 MotoGP season.

Marquez was defending a 21-point championship lead over Dovizioso heading in the 18th and final race and sped into an early lead from pole position.

Marquez sensibly let combative Frenchman Johann Zarco through to head the race. Behind them, Marquez’s Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa and the two Ducatis of Jorge Lorenzo and Dovizioso gave chase.

For long periods, it appeared that Lorenzo was inexplicably holding up his teammate. Signals from his crew seemed to be imploring the Malaga man to allow Dovizioso through, but to no avail.

Meanwhile, Marquez followed Zarco at the front, apparently content to let the Frenchman pursue a maiden premier class win. However, as the laps ticked down, Marquez ran out of patience and swept by, only to lose the front end of his Honda in the following corner.

It was the kind of moment that has come to define his career. 

As his bike began to slide from beneath him, Marquez jammed an elbow into the tarmac, lifting the Honda back onto its wheels. The bike hit the gravel, but Marquez somehow managed to maintain control and re-join the race, in fifth place.

Shortly after though, Lorenzo and Dovizioso’s races ended. Lorenzo spectacularly crashing out, while Dovizioso — like Marquez — succumbed to the lure of the gravel. Unlike his rival though, he was unable to keep his bike upright.

Pedrosa denied Zarco his first MotoGP win, with last year’s Moto2 champion finishing second.  Marquez clawed his way back to third, meaning he could celebrate his championship win from the podium.

Marquez’s victory was his fourth in five years in motorcycling’s premier class and his sixth world title overall — he won the 125cc class in 2010 and the Moto2 crown two years later.

“I’m living a dream,” Marquez told reporters after the race. “‘Six Titles’ are big words.”

“Today the race was incredibly tense and exciting — a bit ‘Marquez Style’,” he laughed. “I made a mistake, but I also made my best save of the year.”

Pedrosa was aghast at his teammate’s save: “It was incredible. The smoke, the noise, the speed — wow, impressive!”

Dovizioso was philosophical about his season. “I tried everything and I think that we have to be pleased with this weekend.  We weren’t as quick as Marquez but we fought to the very end,” he said.

“I put myself in the right position but, unfortunately, I didn’t have many cards to play.”

He also rubbished suggestions that Lorenzo had held him up. “In the end staying behind him helped me ride in a smoother way, so it was positive he was in front of me,” he explained.

Marc Marquez Wins Australian Grand Prix

Marc Marquez is one step closer to another MotoGP world title…

The 24-year-old Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racer claimed a brilliant win at the Australian Grand Prix, scoring his sixth win of the season.

Marc Marquez

With the victory, Marquez, a three-time MotoGP world champion, opened up a 33-point lead on main rival Ducati Team‘s Andrea Dovizioso, who finished 13th.

The Repsol Honda star took the lead at Phillip Island with seven laps to go and never looked back.

Movistar Yamaha pair Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales finished second and third respectively.

Pole-sitter Marquez led into turn one, but Jack Miller soon made his move and was a surprise race leader on his Marc VDS Honda for nearly five laps.

A lead group of eight riders battled it out throughout the enthralling race with Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Racing) Vinales and Rossi also leading at different stages.

Marquez Wins Japan MotoGP to Clinch Third MotoGP Title

Make that three for Marc Marquez

The 23-year-old Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer clinched his third MotoGP title in dramatic fashion on Sunday with a big win at the Japan MotoGP as his closest title rivals Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo both crashed out.

Marc Marquez

Marquez, a rider for Repsol Honda, now has an undisputable 77-point lead over Rossi in the championship with three rounds still remaining after his triumph at Motegi, the home circuit for his team’s manufacturer.

Rossi, an Italian legend, had started from the pole position and was involved in an exciting duel with Marquez until an early trip to the gravel ended his chances of a 10th world title.

Marc Marquez

Rossi’s teammate Lorenzo, the reigning world champion, was left as the only man who could deny his fellow Spaniard Marquez the title, but while in second place, he too made a painful exit.

It left Marquez to ride to his fifth win of the season and a third world title in four years in the premier class of motorcycling.

With the Yamaha challenge over, Andrea Dovizioso took a fine second for Ducati with Maverick Vinales of Team Suzuki completing the podium with another fine ride.

But all eyes were on Marquez, who admitted he hadn’t expected to clinch the championship, the reality only sinking in after Lorenzo exited in dramatic fashion.

“When I saw Rossi out I thought ‘ok, the old style can come back and I’ll go for the victory!’ Then Lorenzo crashed and I missed a lot of gears when I realized what it meant,” he told the official MotoGP website.

Losing the crown to Lorenzo in 2015 as a two-time reigning champion had also acted as a big motivation for Marquez this season.

“It was a big price I paid — losing a title last year — to learn what I know now. I felt more pressure this year and it was hard to manage throughout the season,” he admitted.

But manage he has, as his rivals Rossi and Lorenzo began to feel the pressure, Marquez’s key victory in the previous round at Aragon paving the way for his eventual triumph Sunday.

It is the fifth world title for Marquez, who won earlier championships in the 125cc and Moto2 classes before graduating to MotoGP with such success at such a young age.

Marquez Wins German MotoGP for Seventh Straight Year

Marc Marquez is once again the MotoGP meister

The 23-year-old Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer opened up his lead at the top of the MotoGP standings with his fourth straight victory from the pole position at the German Grand Prix in Sachsenring.

Marc Marquez

With rain falling before the race, pole-sitter Marquez struggled from the start and dropped down to fifth – with his Honda unable to keep up with the Italian pair of Andrea Dovizioso and Valentino Rossi at the front of the field.

However, with the track drying out the Spaniard came into the pits for slick tires and it proved to be the catalyst for what, across all class of racing, was his seventh consecutive victory at the Sachsenring.

The afternoon proved to be a good one all round for Marquez, whose main title challenger Jorge Lorenzo took one point, with the reigning champion finishing down in 15th on his Yamaha.

It was better news for Britain’s Cal Crutchlow who, like Marquez, made plentiful progress in the wet conditions and collected his first podium of the season by guiding his Honda to second place. 

The third step on the podium went to Dovizioso but it was Marquez who was left celebrating yet again in Saxony as he stretched his lead in the championship to 48 points ahead of the next race at Austria’s Red Bull Ring next month.

The next race takes place on August 14 in Spielberg, Austria.

Marquez Cruises to Eighth Consecutive MotoGP Win This Season

Marc Márquez maintains his undefeated run in MotoGP action…

The 21-year-old Spanish motorcycle road racer and current MotoGP world champion outlasted Italy’s Andrea Dovizioso to take Saturday’s Dutch Grand Prix, making it eight straight victories as he defends his title.

Marc Marquez

Márquez is the first rider to win the first eight races of the year since Giacomo Agostini did it in 1971.

As he crossed the finish line he lay flat on his bike and made swimming motions with both arms and legs, to the delight of the crowd.

With the track drying after several showers, tire choices were a crucial factor. Márquez began with intermediates but both he and Dovizioso switched to a dry kit early on. The colorful Marquez hopped from one bike to another like a cricket during the unusual pit stop.

“I was very nervous before the race,” Marquez said. “The conditions are what no one wanted, very dangerous.” He said the tire choice was “the key decision.”

Marc Marquez

“It was hard going from wet to dry. But I felt better with each lap.”

Aleix Espargaro had won his first ever pole position but finished fourth.

Dovizioso took the lead after a Marquez steering mistake took him off the track. But Marquez kept his Honda upright and continued the race — and he had better speed. He tucked inside Dovizioso neatly on a curve to take the lead with 11 laps to go.

Dovizioso eventually finished 6.74 seconds behind. Marquez’s Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa was third.

Marquez leads with 200 points in the overall standings, while Rossi and Pedrosa both have 128. Doviziozo is fourth with 91, Jorge Lorenzo fifth with 81.