On Sunday at the PTT Thailand Grand Prix, the crowning of an eight-time World Champion may occur. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) has his first match point of the season as he takes a 98-point buffer to Buriram, but what is his history when it comes to the first time he’s had a chance to win the title?
Motegi 2018
77 points separated Marquez from Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) in Japan and with four races to go, the chances of claiming the title on Honda territory were fairly low. However, while battling for the lead, Dovi crashed out just behind Marquez with two laps to go. The Spaniard would cruise round to take his eighth win of 2019, while his eighth Grand Prix crown was also his.
Sepang 2017
The penultimate round of 2017 saw Marquez take a 33 point advantage over Dovizioso to Malaysia, but his seventh Championship wouldn’t be won on that particular Sunday. Dovizioso won in the wet ahead of Jorge Lorenzo and Johann Zarco, with Marquez claiming P4.
A 2017 title showdown then played out at Valencia a couple of weeks later. We all know what happened there…
Motegi 2016
Just like the 2018 season, the chances of Marquez taking the World Championship at the Twin Ring Motegi were slim. Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo were 52 and 66 points behind, with Marquez having to take a minimum of 75 away from Japan to win the title. However, the cards fell into place for Marquez as both Rossi and Lorenzo crashed, leaving the Repsol Honda rider to take victory and the title.
Motegi 2014
On his first match point, Marquez sealed his second MotoGP™ title. The number 93 had to finish ahead of then teammate Dani Pedrosa, while also not conceding more than two points to Rossi. Marquez claimed P2 behind Lorenzo to become a four-time World Champion.
Phillip Island 2013
The equation was simple: if Marquez left Australia with more than 50 points on his rivals, he would be Champion. The Spaniard had 43 on compatriot Lorenzo, but what followed was out of the ordinary. Due to tyre worries, a pit stop window was put in place for Sunday’s race but, Marquez failed to pit in said window, and as a result, the number 93 was disqualified.
In Motegi, Lorenzo won as the gap went from 43 to 18 in a matter of days. However, Valencia saw Marquez claim P3 and his maiden MotoGP™ title – the youngest ever premier class Champion.
Will number eight come Marquez' way in Thailand?