Marquez clinches second MotoGP crown, third consecutive championship win for Honda

Marc Marquez pulled away to his 13th victory of the season at the Valencia Grand Prix, winning the MotoGP championship for the second consecutive year. This is also Honda’s third championship win in four years, making it a triple crown for the Japanese manufacturer. By taking his 13th victory, Marc broke Mick Doohan’s previously held record of 12 race wins in a season.

Although Marc struggled a bit in the first quarter of the race, he gradually overtook Valentino Rossi and leader Andrea Iannone to pull a good lead. Marc built a gap of 3.5 seconds from the pack, inspite of the two light wet spells which were disastrous for a few riders. Dani Pedrosa put in his best after DNFs in the past two races to get a third spot on the podium. Though he aimed at overtaking Rossi, the wet conditions prevented him from doing so.

As track conditions improved, Marc got back to his brilliant form, hauling to victory. This was a celebrated season for Honda, as both Marc and his brother Alex won the 2014 championship in their respective categories. This is also the first time when two brothers have won championships in the same year, a historic feat. Marc is the youngest rider to win two MotoGP championships back to back.