The 33-year-old star of „Ducati“ Marc Marquez won the dramatic sprint race of the 17th round of the MotoGP season at the „Motegi“ track in Japan. This was the first success for the Spanish phenomenon at this track in seven years and the 22nd victory of his career in the sprint races of the Royal Class. Marquez crossed the finish line with a time of 20:50.376 minutes.
However, a real administrative drama unfolded behind him with a direct impact on the general classification.
Jorge Martin from the „Aprilia“ team crossed second, but was penalized by the judges for leaving the track at the end of the race. The loss of position dropped him to third place (+2.854 sec).
Martin's penalty was taken advantage of by the Brazilian rider of „Honda“ Diogo Moreira, who was promoted to second place with a deficit of 2.754 seconds to the winner Marquez. This is the best ranking in the young Brazilian's MotoGP career.
The top 5 was completed by Enea Bastianini from the „Tech3“ team in fourth position and Ai Ogura („Trekhouse“), who finished fifth.
In the general classification of the drivers, Jorge Martin continues to be the leader with 313 points, but his lead has evaporated dangerously. Marc Marquez is now second with 306 points - just 7 points behind his compatriot, while Marco Bedzecki („Aprilia“) occupies third place with 268 points.