BURIRAM: Honda’s Marc Marquez sealed his sixth MotoGP title with four races to spare after winning the Thai Grand Prix for the second year in a row on Sunday in a thrilling duel with French rookie Fabio Quartararo.

In a typically inspired performance the defending champion chased down the Frenchman but left his decisive move until just before the end.

The Spaniard had to score two points more than Italian Ducati rival Andrea Dovizioso, who finished a distant fourth at the Chang International Circuit, to wrap up his fourth championship in a row.

“I planned from the start of the weekend to win the race, not worrying about winning the championship or the battle between me and Andrea. My target was to try to find the best way to win the race,” said the 26-year-old who also produced a late burst to win the same race last year.

It was a stunning performance by the Spaniard who crashed on both Friday and Saturday. It was Marquez’s ninth win of the season, which propelled him to his eighth world title with a total of 325 points, putting him beyond Dovizioso’s reach at 215 points with four races remaining this season.

Marquez and Quartararo were just 0.171 of a second apart at the line. Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales finished third to complete the podium.

Marquez jumped up and down with joy after the victory and was handed a large eight-ball to signify the eight overall championships across all classes he has won. He was hoisted atop the hands of supporters in celebration.

“Fabio was really fast in most parts of the race. I wasn’t able to grab the lead in the middle of the race. I caught up in the last lap and took it from there. It’s been an amazing year. It’s now time for me to enjoy and celebrate the eighth title,” added Marquez who has won titles in 2010, 2012-14, 2016-19.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2019