MotoGP 2020: Franco Morbidelli wins Valencia Grand Prix

Joan Mir has clinched the 2020 MotoGP championship, ending a 20-year wait for Suzuki as Franco Morbidelli won a last-lap Valencia Grand Prix thriller from Jack Miller. Mir is the first new MotoGP champion since Marc Marquez in 2013 and becomes the first rider to win the world crown in Moto3 and the premier class, after coming home a safe seventh place in the Valencia GP.

Miller got the better run into Turn 1 off the line but ran wide and allowed Morbidelli to come back through, while his SRT team-mate Fabio Quartararo went off at Turn 2 after running out of room in the braking zone.

This dropped Quartararo down the order, with his race lasting until lap nine when he crashed at Turn 6 having once again dropped out of the points, completely ending his championship hopes. Mir navigated the opening lap safely, putting his Suzuki into 10th while Suzuki team-mate Alex Rins had leaped up from 14th to seventh.

Alex Rins was fourth on his Suzuki, but it wasn't enough to delay Mir's coronation. Rins beat Brad Binder (KTM) and the Tech3 of Miguel Oliveira. Mir pipped Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso to seventh, with Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro and Yamaha's Maverick Vinales rounding out the top 10.

MotoGP 2020: Franco Morbidelli wins Teruel MotoGP

Franco Morbidelli won the Teruel MotoGP for his second win of the season after pole-sitter Takaaki Nakagami crashed on the first lap. Morbidelli crossed the finish line more than two seconds ahead of Alex Rins, with Joan Mir coming in third place after starting 12th.

Mir extended his championship lead to 14 points over Fabio Quartararo, who finished eighth. Maverick Vinales was five points further back after finishing seventh. Morbidelli moved to fourth in the standings with the victory, staying 25 points off the lead. He had won his maiden career MotoGP race at the San Marino GP in September.

Rins was the winner last weekend at the same MotorLand track. Mir was coming off a third-place finish last weekend. Nakagami, the 28-year-old Japanese rider looking for his first MotoGP win, lost control of his bike shortly after the start while leading the race. Brad Binder and Jack Miller also crashed on the first lap.

Alex Marquez, who was second in the last two races, crashed with 10 laps to go while in fourth place. Veteran Italian rider Valentino Rossi did not race again because of a recent COVID-19 positive test result. He had already missed last weekend’s race. Defending champion Marc Márquez also hasn't been racing because of an injury.

 

MotoGP 2017: Marc Marquez wins Fourth Title

Marc Marquez won his fourth MotoGP title after challenger Andrea Dovizioso crashed during the season concluding Valencia Grand Prix. Marquez only needed to finish in 11th place or better to seal the title. Starting from pole, the Spaniard steered his Honda to a third-place finish behind race winner Dani Pedrosa.

Marquez had started the race from pole position and led after the start before being passed by Zarco on lap three. He stayed behind the Frenchman until the latter stages before suffering a scare when Marquez passed Zarco to re-take the lead only to go off the track at turn one on lap 23. However, Marquez skillfully managed to stay on his bike and rejoined in fifth behind Spaniard Lorenzo and Italian Dovizioso, who both crashed out to promote him to third.

Dovizioso was the sole rider who could challenge Marquez. His only hope of tipping Marquez for the title was to win the race and see Marquez finish 12th or worse. Instead, the Italian wiped out with six laps remaining. Moments before Dovizioso lost control of his Ducati, Marquez had a scare when he barely managed to keep his bike up and on course for the championship.

Marquez shared the victory with his fans at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo where he cemented his reputation as the top talent in motorbike racing. At 24, Marquez has won four of the last five titles in the top category, to go with two titles he had previously won in the lower classes. Pedrosa, another Honda rider, overtook Johann Zarco late in the race. In Moto2, Miguel Oliviera won ahead of champion Franco Morbidelli. In Moto3, pole-sitter Jorge Martin won the race ahead of champion Joan Mir. It was Martin's first race victory.