MotoGP: Marc Marquez Claims 8th Title with Thailand GP Win

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Marc Marquez claims his sixth premier class crown with Thailand GP win. Image courtesy of MotoGP.com

Marc Marquez takes victory in Thailand GP, claiming his 8th title.

The Wonderkid

Marquez’s victory gives the Spaniard his 6th MotoGP title, his 8th title in total.

Further cementing his place as one of the greats at only 26 years old.

Marquez Does It Again

Pole man Quartararo took the lead from the start, with Marquez shadowing him for majority of the race.

The title was already signed-sealed and delivered to Marquez, no matter where he finished.

However, Marquez figured that he would go out on a high note and attempt an overtake.

Quartararo’s satellite Yamaha did most of the donkey work, leaving him with little grip.

So, while the Frenchman was vulnerable, Marquez pounced on the final lap, passing Fabio.

Fabio wasn’t going to roll over however, and glued himself to the back of Marquez.

On the final two corners, Quartararo fought back and passed Marquez, though he ran wide on the exit.

Subsequently allowing Marquez to take back lead, while also clinching his 8th world championship.

Meanwhile, in a lonely third place was factory Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales.

Marquez’s closest championship rival, Andrea Dovizioso, could only manage a distant 4th fastest.

Obviously, Fabio Quartararo will be disappointed to not have a maiden win in his rookie MotoGP season.

However, there are still a few races left on the calendar and his satellite team has been outperforming the factory team.

Marini Masterclass – Moto2

Luca Marini scored his first victory of the season in the Thai Moto2 race in a dominant fashion.

The younger half-brother of Valentino Rossi had a strong start to leapfrog Jorge Martin for third.

On the second lap, he made short work of Tetsuta Nagashima for second place.

From that point on, he chased after the other Marquez for the race lead.

Marini then whittled down Marquez’s lead before he made a brave move to dive past at Turn five to take the lead.

It was at that moment that he practically disappeared, leaving Marquez Jr to fend off Brad Binder.

Binder, pulling off an impressive recovery after starting 12th in qualifying.

Snatching second from Iker Lecuona on the final lap, diving past into the final corner with a bold move.

It was Lecuona’s maiden podium of the season, best title contenders Augusto Fernandez and Marquez.

Alex Marquez’s day got worse when Fernandez moved ahead of him, with the pair passing each other several times.

Moto2 rookie, Jorge Martin backed up his third place in qualifying with sixth place, his best finish so far.

Now, Marquez’s title lead increases to 40 points over Fernandez with just four races remaining.

So, he could potentially seal the title in Australia should he extend his lead enough at Motegi in Japan in a couple of weeks time.

Dalla Porta Closes In On Title – Moto3

Moto3 concluded with Lorenzo Dalla Porta inching closer to the 2019 Moto3 title.

The Italian rider finished in 2nd behind Spaniard Albert Arenas and ahead of Alonso Lopez.

As a last corner lunge from Arenas denied Dalla Porta the victory.

However, Porta won’t be too disheartend, due to the fact that his rivals suffered with numerous issues.

First and foremost, Aron Canet was knocked out after tangling with Darryn Binder.

In addition to that, John McPhee and Tatsuki Suzuki were innocent victims of the crash as well.

Binder was slapped with a ride-through penalty for his trouble, though he inexplicably took a long lap penalty.

Then, disaster struck Tony Arbolino as he ran wide and dropped like a stone, down the order.

However, cameras later picked up footage of Arbolino inspecting his hand intently.

Afterwards, when the race concluded, he was seen with one glove off, obviously indicating that he injured himself.

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