Marc, 23 points away from his 7th crown
After winning the debuting Thailand Grand Prix, the Catalan pilot arrives in Motegi with 271 points, 77 more than second in the standings, Andrea Dovizioso.
There are just 4 races left in the competition (Japan, Australia, Malasia and Valencia) and 100 points up for grabs, of which Marc needs just 23 to be world champion. The Honda pilot #93 has everything going for him to add another crown to his impressive list of achievements at the Land of the Rising Sun.
The odds are such that Marc just needs to either win the race; finish ahead of his Italian rival form Ducati; or simply NOT finish more than 2 points behind him, to become world champion at the Grand Prix of Japan MotoGP.
Motegi, a demanding but lucky circuit for Marquez
Besides the obvious odds, there are many other factors playing in favour of the 25-year-old Spaniard. One of those factors is the track where the fate of the leader will be decided: Motegi.
It was in Motegi that Marquez became MotoGP World Champion in 2014 and 2016, as well as having had victories there in 2010 (125cc), 2012 (Moto2) and 2016 (MotoGP).
It seems that the demanding Japanese track, well-known for being hard on the tyres, is no obstacle for Marquez. The Motegi circuit is also 4.801 meters long with a total of 14 turns, 6 left turns and 8 right turns.
Honda’s acceleration issues
Despite Marc’s advantage, the ‘stop & go’ nature of the Japanese track could pose quite a challenge for Honda. The circuit demands for extreme braking and acceleration, a specialist skill of which we will see plenty of this weekend at the Grand Prix of Japan MotoGP.
The ‘red bullets’ count with certain acceleration advantage over the Hondas on this type of track. This, together with the tyre behaviour will no doubt be one of the key issues on Sunday at the Grand Prix of Japan MotoGP.
Marquez himself acknowledged this issue as he spoke to the press before the Japanese Grand Prix of MotoGP: “Motegi is a stop-and-go track where strong acceleration is a key factor, so we’ll have to work hard and improve a little bit in that area if we want to fight with Ducati”.
Winning at Honda’s home race while closing in on Rossi’s record
In case his advantage wasn’t enough, the Spanish pilot will have the extra motivation and support of running at Honda’s home turf in the Grand Prix of Japan MotoGP. Marc would certainly love to honour his bosses and fans by sealing the title at theGrand Prix of Japan MotoGP. There is nothing better than winning at home while continuing to become a great motorcycling legend.
The Spaniard is going through a great spell this year with seven victories in total including the last two in Aragon and Thailand.
The way things are, everyone is expecting for Marquez to gain his fourth consecutive MotoGP World Title at the Grand Prix of Japan MotoGP. The seven titles of the greatest MotoGP pilot, Yamaha’s Italian veteran Valentino Rossi, could this weekend get a little bit closer for the Spaniard.
Photos: Repsol Honda.
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