With a margin of 52 points over second-place Valentino Rossi and a maximum of 100 points available across the season’s remaining four races, there is an outside chance that Marc Marquez could again win the MotoGP™ title at Honda’s home Grand Prix.
To secure the 2016 MotoGP™ crown at Motegi Marquez would need to win Sunday’s race, with Rossi finishing 15th or lower and Jorge Lorenzo fourth or lower.
Marquez has won at Motegi in 2012 (Moto2™) and 2010 (125cc), and although a Japanese victory has eluded him in the premier class, he has scored two second-place finishes, in 2013 and 2014—the latter making him the first Honda rider to clinch a World title in any class at the Motegi circuit. He also took second place in Moto2™ in 2011.
Marc Marquez: “The triple-header always marks a demanding period in the season because there are three races in a row in different time zones and different conditions, so we must handle them calmly and with the same mind-set we have kept throughout this season. The Japanese Grand Prix is an important appointment for us as it is Honda’s home race and one where we have great memories, as we clinched the title in 2014.”
“On the other hand, it’s a circuit that has always been a bit challenging for us. So for example, if Aragon was a track that I marked for attacking, Motegi is one that I marked for giving up as few points as possible. That said, we’ll approach it with an open mentality, aiming for the best result possible but ready to adapt to the circumstances.”