Et en prime Honda s’offre l’ultime couronne qui lui manquait, celle par équipe.
Le Circuit Ricardo Tormo accueillait ce dimanche la grande finale du MotoGP™ ; une épreuve qui aura un peu été à l’image de cette campagne 2019, puisque Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda Team) allait de nouveau y contrôler ses adversaires pour empocher la 82e victoire de sa carrière, sa 11e de l’année.
À l’extinction des feux, c’est pourtant Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) qui avait viré en tête devant Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) et Álex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar). L’Australien ne mènera en fait que le temps de quelques virages, avant de se faire déloger par Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT). De son côté, Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda Team), qui avait très quelque peu raté son envol, s’empressait de se frayer un passage. À l’entrée du deuxième tour, le natif de Cervera doublait d’ailleurs le duo Álex Rins - Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) d’une traite et Jack Miller n’allait pas résister bien longtemps non plus... Trois positions de gagnées pour le Champion du Monde ! À vrai dire, le fer de lance Honda ne voulait surtout pas perdre de vue notre rookie Fabio Quartararo, qui s’était très légèrement détaché en tête de l’épreuve. En l’espace de trois tours, la jonction était finalement faite, tandis que derrière Jack Miller tentait de se défendre face à cette meute emmenée par Álex Rins.
Au huitième passage, Marc Márquez s’emparait alors du leadership, que plus jamais il ne lâchera, malgré tous les efforts de Fabio Quartararo pour rester au contact. Aux trois premières places, la hiérarchie n’évoluera plus. En revanche, certains se feront piéger au sein du peloton, à commencer par Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) dans le virage 11. La courbe 6 fit également pas mal de victime et pour cause. À seulement quelques secondes d’intervalle, Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team) y partait au tapis, suivi de Johann Zarco (LCR Honda Idemitsu) et d’Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech3), pointé à ce moment précis dans les points. La moto de l’Espagnol allait d’ailleurs venir taper dans les jambes de notre Français, qui venait tout juste de se relever… Les images font assez froid dans le dos, mais rassurez-vous : le tricolore – qui figurait aux portes des points - va bien. Par la suite, Franco Morbidelli tombait dans le virage 4.
Devant, aucune ombre au tableau pour Marc Márquez qui triomphait donc avec une seconde d’avance sur Fabio Quartararo. Le Niçois, classé cinquième du Championnat, décroche au passage le trophée de meilleur pilote indépendant ; récompense qui vient s’ajouter à ce titre de Rookie of the Year conquis depuis Motegi. Jack Miller signe pour sa part un nouveau podium, au pied duquel termine Andrea Dovizioso. Lequel sera parvenu en définitive à résister à Álex Rins. Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), auteur d’une course assez discrète, hérite quant à lui d’une sixième place qui lui permet de finir troisième du classement général. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) et Pol Espargaró (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) complètent le Top 10 de cette épreuve.
2019 Champion claims victory number 12 of 2019 as Lorenzo scores points in his final race
Repsol Honda Team are 2019 triple crown Champions after Marc Marquez claimed victory number 12 of the season at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana, with Jorge Lorenzo scoring points in his final MotoGP™ ride to help Honda win the Teams Championship. Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) complete the final podium of the season.
Miller was third on the grid and he launched his Pramac Racing Ducati off the line like a rocket and managed to grab the holeshot into Turn 1, with Marquez getting a sluggish getaway from the middle of the front row to drop down to P6 having run slightly wide at Turn 1. Polesitter Quartararo then grabbed the lead from Miller as the Australian ran wide at Turn 2, with the Frenchman quickly creating a small gap to his rivals. Heading into Turn 1 on Lap 2, Marquez was into P3 past the fast-starting duo of Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team). And it wouldn’t take the 2019 Champion long to pick off Miller as he locked his radar onto Quartararo.
The Rookie of the Year’s lead was 0.7 over Marquez, with the latter racing to an eight-tenths advantage over Miller. Marquez was creeping up to the back of the leading M1 slowly but surely, and on Lap 8 a surprise, late but super fine move at Turn 11 saw the number 93 lead. Suddenly third place Miller – with Dovizioso and Rins in tow – had closed the gap to less than half a second, the top five covered by 1.7. However, Marquez was in the groove and the eight-time Champion had pulled to over half a second clear of Quartararo, with the gap hovering between 0.6 and 0.8 for a number of laps after. Miller wasn’t letting Quartararo have P2 all his own way either, that margin was remaining at a second – enough to keep the number 20 on his toes.
With no one making any real errors, the gaps were staying fair constant. A tenth here and a tenth there saw Marquez stretch his advantage to one and a half seconds with six laps remaining, with Miller cutting the gap to Quartararo down by four tenths – 0.6, was there a late twist for P2 inbound? Not quite, Miller didn’t have enough speed to catch the back of the M1 by the time the chequered flag was waved, with Marquez taking another 25-point haul to land Repsol Honda Team the 2019 triple crown.
Dovizioso and Ducati’s aims of picking up the Teams title didn’t materialise in Valencia, but P4 was a solid result for the Italian who was comfortably best of the rest in 2019. Rins capped off a fine season by claiming P5 at his home Grand Prix, however it wasn’t enough to grab P3 in the Championship from sixth place finisher Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) – the Malaysian GP winner having a quiet final round of the season before jumping onto the 2020 Yamaha on Tuesday. Seventh for Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) was a great way to round off a very solid rookie MotoGP™ campaign, the Spaniard ends 2019 with five consecutive top 10s. Valentino Rossi’s (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) P8 sees the nine-time World Champion end the season P7 in the overall standings, with Aleix coming out on top in the battle of the Espargaro brothers – P9 for Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), P10 for Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).
The party is already well underway!@marcmarquez93 and @HRC_MotoGP proved the ultimate dream team in 2019!
#ValenciaGP
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Danilo Petrucci (Ducati Team), Johann Zarco (LCR Honda Idemitsu) and Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) all crashed at Turn 6, on Lap 14, in separate incidents. Petrucci was the first to go down, with Zarco then crashing slightly later and further around the corner seconds after. A scary scenario then unfolded as Lecuona crashed at the exact same place as Zarco. Up and ok after his off, Zarco was then hit by Lecuona’s stricken KTM, sending the Frenchman into a summersault. Thankfully, Zarco – along with Lecuona and Petrucci – was ok. Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) crashed – riders ok.
On his final-ever MotoGP™ ride, five-time World Champion and future MotoGP™ Legend Jorge Lorenzo finished P13. It was an emotional day for the Spaniard who arrived back into pitlane to rapturous applause, with the Valencia fans paying their full respects to one of the sport’s greatest ever riders on his cool-down lap. #ThankYouJorge!
2019 draws to a close. But don’t worry, 2020 is just around the corner! Testing begins in Valencia on Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 November
Le Top 10
1. Marc Márquez - (Repsol Honda Team) - 41:21.469
2. Fabio Quartararo - (Petronas Yamaha SRT) - +1.026
3. Jack Miller - (Pramac Racing) - +2.409
4. Andrea Dovizioso - (Ducati Team) - +3.326
5. Àlex Rins - (Team Suzuki Ecstar) - +3.508
6. Maverick Viñales - (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) - +8.829
7. Joan Mir - (Team Suzuki Ecstar) - +10.622
8. Valentino Rossi - (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) - +22.992
9. Aleix Espargaró - (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) - +32.704
10. Pol Espargaró - (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) - +32.973
1. Marc Márquez - (Repsol Honda Team) - 41:21.469
2. Fabio Quartararo - (Petronas Yamaha SRT) - +1.026
3. Jack Miller - (Pramac Racing) - +2.409
4. Andrea Dovizioso - (Ducati Team) - +3.326
5. Àlex Rins - (Team Suzuki Ecstar) - +3.508
6. Maverick Viñales - (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) - +8.829
7. Joan Mir - (Team Suzuki Ecstar) - +10.622
8. Valentino Rossi - (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) - +22.992
9. Aleix Espargaró - (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) - +32.704
10. Pol Espargaró - (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) - +32.973
