Marc Marquez yesterday sealed his sixth MotoGP world title in Thailand after storming to victory in a heart-pounding final corner duel with Fabio Quartararo at the Chang International Circuit.
The win in Buriram gives him an insurmountable lead over closest rival Andrea Dovizioso, with four races left in the season.
Spain’s Marquez finished in 39 minutes, 36.223 seconds, just ahead of 20-year-old rookie Frenchman Quartararo with another Spaniard, Maverick Vinales, third.
Photo: Reuters
Marquez jumped up and down with joy after the victory and was handed an inflatable eight-ball to signify the eight overall championships across all classes that he has won.
Starting from third on the grid, Honda’s Marquez quickly slipped by Vinales and spent most of the race trying to overcome Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha), who led from the pole position.
Quartararo held the lead for 25 of the 26 laps, but Marquez made his move on the final circuit, flying past the leader as the crowd screamed with delight.
A jubilant Marquez told MotoGPTV that it had been an “amazing year.”
With six premier class titles, the 26-year-old Honda superstar pushes past Australian legend Mick Doohan.
He trails only Italian great Valentino Rossi, who won the last of his seven championships in 2009, and Giacomo Agostini, whose record eight came in 1975.
The stunning performance in Buriram, a rural town in northeastern Thailand that has banked its development on sports infrastructure, came after Marquez on Friday crashed hard in practice and had to go to the hospital, but he was declared fit to race and rebounded to finish third in qualifying.
Marquez won the inaugural race in Buriram last year in another last-corner thriller against Dovizioso.
Clear skies prevailed after a downpour on Saturday soaked the track, delaying start times and creating slippery conditions for riders.
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Tobias Harris on Monday scored 25 points as the Detroit Pistons held off the Boston Celtics to score a 104-103 victory in their top-of-the-table Eastern Conference showdown. Harris was one of four Detroit players to finish in double figures, with Jalen Duren adding 18 points and point guard Cade Cunningham scoring 16 points with 14 assists. The win sees Detroit extend their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference to 31-10, 5.5 games ahead of second-placed Boston, who fell to 26-16 with the defeat. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics scoring with 32 points and almost snatched victory in the
Qatar’s Nasser al-Attiyah on Saturday secured his sixth Dakar Rally car title in Saudi Arabia with Luciano Benavides scraping home by two seconds to claim the motorbike title. “We’ve worked very hard since last year. I might not be showing much emotion yet, but it’s there, deep down. We are so happy to win,” al-Attiyah said at the finish. Al-Attiyah, at the wheel of a Dacia, only had to avoid a final day slip-up to top the podium after bringing his career tally of stage wins to 50 on Friday. The 55-year-old, who took clay pigeon shooting bronze at the
RSS