Marquez Takes Back MotoGP Championship Lead

Marquez takes win at wet Misano to take back the MotoGP lead

Marc Marquez perfectly mastered the sopping wet conditions at Misano, taking his fourth win of the season – and the 59th in his career – to climb back on top of the Championship standings. Marquez now sits equal on points with Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso with Marquez ahead by virtue of more second-place finishes in this year’s championship.

Marquez started well from the front row, taking second place behind Jorge Lorenzo at the end of the first lap. After his fellow countryman crashed out of the race on lap seven and Danilo Petrucci took the provisional lead, Marquez began a close chase of the Italian, controlling his advantage over Dovizioso just behind him.

Marquez waited until the final lap to make his move and overtook Petrucci in turn one, then set the fastest lap of the race at 1’47.069” and earned the win, his fifth across all classes at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

“This was one of the best races of my career, Marquez said post-race. It gave me an amazing feeling because it required incredible concentration to manage the tension the whole time. It was very easy to make a mistake, and that’s why I decided to attack only on the final lap. That lap was amazing; I took many risks, but with such a close season, it was worth trying to get the five extra points for the win, he said. This Championship is amazing, he continued; anything can happen, but now we’ve returned to the top, equal on points with Andrea. The last five races will be very tough, but we’ll keep pushing and give it our 100%.

Dovizioso continued his recent form with a podium finish, taking third place behind Danilo Petrucci and Marquez.

“I tried to keep up with Marquez and Petrucci and I did for 20 laps, but the track conditions were really difficult, Dovizioso said. When they began to lower their lap times I would have had to take too many risks to stay in touch, and I preferred to slightly drop my pace to bring home the 16 points for third place, which is very important for the championship.”

The result at Misano has brought Honda the lead of the Constructor Championship while the Repsol Honda Team tops the Team Classification before heading to Aragon in two weeks. 

With five rounds left in the championship, and Valentino Rossi’s championship hopes all but over, the championship is still well contested with Marquez and Dovizioso both on 199points, followed by Maverick Viñales on 183 points. Which of these red hot riders takes out the 2017 MotoGP Championship will be a great watch!

MotoGP World Standings