Marquez’s gaffe costs him victory
CLASSIC: DOVIZIOSO RAINS ON SPANIARD’S PARADE
Italian takes full advantage as champ suffers a wobble.
Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso stunned world champion Marc Marquez on the final lap to win a rainsoaked Japanese Grand Prix and blow the MotoGP title race wide open yesterday.
The Italian pipped Marquez’s Honda by 0.25 seconds in a classic dogfight at Motegi to record his fifth victory of the season, cutting the Spaniard’s championship lead to 11 points with three races left.
Dovizioso made a blistering start from ninth on the grid as he joined Marquez in chasing down early leader Danilo Petrucci.
The title rivals sped past Petrucci’s Ducati midway through the race before going wheel-to-wheel as rain made track conditions treacherous.
Twice Dovizioso roared past Marquez – and twice Marquez produced daring lunges to recapture the lead, the triple world champion entering the penultimate lap in front.
But just when it looked as though Marquez would hang on for his third successive victory, the Spaniard suffered a last-lap wobble, allowing Dovizioso to pounce at turn 11.
“I did a perfect corner at turn 10 and he made a mistake so I was able to catch him,” Dovizioso said.
Marquez still kept coming but Dovizioso kept his cool to take the chequered flage.
Marquez, chasing a fourth world title in five years, paid tribute to the winner. “It was amazing today, I enjoyed the battle,” said the Spaniard. “The two guys that are fighting for the championship fighting until the last corner.”
“I made a few mistakes – Motegi is one of the circuits where I have struggled for some years,” added Marquez, already looking ahead to next week’s race in Australia.
“I knew the Ducati was faster on the back straight, even in the braking point. At this circuit I knew he would be very, very strong. But now we go to other tracks that I normally enjoy more.”
Petrucci finished third, ahead of Suzuki’s Andrea Iannone and Alex Rins with former champion Jorge Lorenzo’s Ducati sixth.
Seven-time champion Valentino Rossi, who is continuing his return from a double leg fracture, dumped his Yamaha in the gravel on lap six, ending his race.