No.12 for Marquez in Sepang scorcher

Published Oct 26, 2014

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Sepang, Malaysia – Newly crowned double world champion Marc Marquez started from a record 13th pole of the season and went on to win his 12th MotoGP of 2014, equalling the record set by Mick Doohan in 1997 – but a lot happened in between.

Earlier, South African Brad Binder, who had battled in qualifying and started 25th, made up 15 places on lap one and ran as high as seventh before the bike went sick and he was forced to retire on lap six.

MOTOGP

Jorge Lorenzo grabbed the early lead from Marquez’ works Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa, Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso, Lorenzo’s Yamaha Factory team-mate Valentino Rossi, Honda privateer Stefan Bradl and Marquez, who made what looked like a somewhat tentative start.

Pedrosa lost the front end and crashed out of second at Turn 15 on lap two, while Rossi and Marquez sliced past Dovizioso and Bradl to slot into second and third respectively.

The three fastest riders in the world – Marquez the young gun, Lorenzo the dedicated athlete at the height of his powers and ‘Doctor’ Rossi the vastly experienced old maestro - then set to it, head to head on level terms on one of the world’s longest, widest and bumpiest Grand Prix circuits, to deliver a thriller in scorching weather, in front of 80 000 fans.

After seven laps of jockeying for position Rossi slipped by Lorenzo into the lead at half-distance – and that was the signal for Marquez to pull the pin. The last thing he wanted was for Lorenzo to hold him up while his team-mate built up a possibly unassailable lead.

A few corners later he blitzed past the Mallorcan, and passed Rossi on the next lap to hit the front for the first time in this race, holding off the Yamaha duo and orchestrating the second half of the race from the front to come home 2.445 seconds ahead of Rossi, with Lorenzo a further second in arrears.

Pedrosa, meanwhile, kept his Honda alive and remounted, stone last. He took five laps to make sure the bike was running right and then went on the charge, moving up to 11th before crashing out again on lap 13, bringing a bruising day at the office to an early close.

Marquez’ first win since Silverstone also sealed the Constructors’ title for Honda, ending a four-year Yamaha run, while the double podium for the Triple Tuning Fork team improved Rossi’s advantage over Lorenzo for second in the closest fight of this year’s Riders’ champion from eight to 12 points.

Dovizioso looked set to take fourth, until the Ducati went sick in the final laps, and was passed by Bradl, semi-works Yamaha Tech 3 team-mates Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro – who rode bravely to sixth with a broken bone in his foot after a big fall on Saturday – as well as Yonny Hernandez’ satellite Pramac Ducati.

Smith closed in on Bradl for a last-corner challenge – a scary move at this circuit – but ran long, fortunate to retain fifth, while Hernandez considered himself equally lucky to have survived a midrace confrontation with the rear wheel of Espargaro’s Yamaha.

Dovizioso was eighth, ahead of Hector Barbera’s Ducati, the first open-class bike home, and Honda privateer Scott Redding.

RESULTS

POINTS AFTER 17 ROUNDS

MOTO2

Kalex star Tito Rabat made a good start from pole and looked like he would run away at the front but rode a tactical race, doing just enough to secure the Moto2 world championship with a race to spare. At midrace Rabat dropped from the race lead to third as Mika Kallio and Maverick Vinales - also Kalex-mounted - punched through, with the latter eventually winning by 2.694 seconds.

Rabat finished about 2.5 seconds clear of Johann Zarco’s Caterham Suter take the final rostrum spot, the title and his 13th podium of a fantastic year.

It was a third win in four Moto2 races for reigning Moto world champion Vinales, as he prepared to move up to MotoGP with a Suzuki ride in 2015. For Kallio the title fight was over but he produced another solid performance for his 10th podium result of 2014.

Making up the top 10 were Dominique Aegerter (Suter), Kalex riders Julian Simon and Sandro Cortese, Thomas Luthi (Suter), Jonas Folger (Kalex) and Marcel Schrotter (Tech 3).

RESULTS

MOTO3

Efren Vazquez (Honda) put in a brilliant ride in the hot conditions at Sepang as the front group banged elbows and fairings all the way to take his second win of the year and the second of his long career by 0.213sec from KTM’s Jack Miller and Alex Rins (Honda).

Danny Kent (Husqvarna) got the better of Honda’s championship leader Alex Marquez (younger brother of the premier-class world champion) on the final lap by just 0.028sec for fourth, with Alexis Masbou on another Honda sixth, 1.073 seconds behind the leader.

Niccolo Antonelli, Jakub Kornfeil, Karel Hanika and Enea Bastianini, each on a KTM made up the top 10.

RESULTS

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