Andrea Dovizioso claimed his fifth
victory of the season and closed the gap to championship leader Marc Marquez to
11 points in a thrilling race at Motegi in the 2017 MotoGP Grand Prix of Japan.
The Ducati rider
overtook Repsol Honda's Marquez on the final lap, and the pair were
battling to the last corner in one of the great duels in recent memory. Danilo
Petrucci completed the podium as he came in third, 10 seconds down from the
leading pair, while Italian veteran Valentino Rossi crashed out in the
wet.
Marquez made a fantastic start on a
soaking wet track in Japan, taking the lead from the off having been third on
the grid. However, he could not hold on to the front spot, and it was
actually Ducati's Petrucci who led the way for much of the race's opening
half. Marquez and Dovi then hit the front with 11 laps of the race remaining,
and it became clear the winner would be one of the title contenders.
A thrilling game of cat-and-mouse
then ensued between the pair with Italian Dovizioso first taking the lead
from his Spanish competitor on the 19th lap. Marquez then re-took the lead with
three laps to go, and heading into the final lap, it looked as though the
defending world champion would have enough to claim victory. The pair will
resume their championship battle in Australia in a week's time.
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