Marc Marquez wins 2014 World Championship in Japan with second place in Motegi
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez has clinched his second consecutive Championship on Honda’s home soil, becoming the first Honda rider to clinch a World title – in any class – at the Motegi circuit, with his well earned second place finish. Teammate Dani Pedrosa fought to the end and finished just half a second off the podium in 4th position.
It was a tense start to the race with both riders dropping places on the first lap. However, they gradually passed Iannone and Dovizioso and by lap fourteen Marc was 3rd with Dani behind him in 4th, chasing leaders Lorenzo and Rossi. Marc battled with Valentino on lap 15, then finally passed him on lap 16, and began to try and open a gap. Valentino didn’t let him escape and kept the pressure on him until the final lap, with Marc taking second place by just 1 second in front of Valentino and just 1.6s behind Lorenzo. He now has an 82 point lead with just 75 points left to play for in the final three rounds, gifting him the 2014 World Championship.
Marc is the youngest ever rider to win two consecutive premier-class World Championships at the age of 21 years 237 days, taking the record from Mike Hailwood who was 23 years 152 days when he won his second successive 500cc title in 1963. This is the third time which the MotoGP world title has been secured at the Motegi circuit (previously in 2007 with Casey Stoner, and 2008 with Valentino Rossi).
Dani is now third in the standings but tied on points with Valentino, with Jorge just 3 points behind, and will be fighting in the final three races to earn second in the World Championship. The paddock now leave Japan and head South to Australia for next week’s grand prix in Phillip Island.
Marc Marquez
“I am very happy to have sealed this second consecutive World Championship, because although it is difficult to maintain this level, in the end we succeeded! Today is the time to enjoy this title. In the race I had a very clear objective, which was to finish ahead of Valentino and Dani - the other riders did not matter to me so much today. I just had one goal in mind and the important thing is that I was able to achieve it. I want to dedicate this title to all the people who have helped me - they know who they are - and especially to my family and the team, who are the foundation for all of this.”
Dani Pedrosa
“I wasn't as fast off the start as the riders at the front, which meant that I lost two or three seconds early on. However, later I was able to come back, set good times and cut the distance a lot. However, as has happened to me before on other occasions this season, I was continually having to make up the time that I had lost at the start. I have to congratulate Marc and his team today, because they have done a really good job this season and deserve the title.”
Results Session
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
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Rider standings
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Points | Team | Constructor |
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Location Information
Located amongst the vast natural beauty of the northern Kanto district, the twin ring circuit at Motegi in Japan consists of a 1.5 mile oval and a 2.9 mile road course constructed to international standards. Built by Honda as the ultimate test facility in August 1997, the road circuit became… read more.
| Length | 4.801 kilometres / 2.983 miles |
| Width | 15 metres |
| Left corners | 6 |
| Right corners | 8 |
| Longest straight | 0.762 kilometres / 0.473 miles |
| Constructed | 1997 |
Twin Ring Motegi, Haga District, Tochigi, Japan - View in Google Maps
Records
| Pole Position | 1m 43.018s (167.7km/h) Pedro Acosta (KTM, 2024) |
| Race Lap | 1m 44.461s (165.4km/h) Jorge Martin (Ducati, 2024) |
| Race Time | 42m 09.790s (163.9km/h) Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati, 2024) |
| 2024 Sprint Winner | Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) |
| 2024 Race Winner | Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) |
