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MOTOGP FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 19 / NOVEMBER 15-17, 2019 RICARDO TORMO CIRCUIT / VALENCIA, SPAIN P62 tor down and accepted third. "I feel I've matured into the role," he said of his fifth podium of the year. "This weekend has been a statement of what I've learned this season." At the finish, Marquez was barely a second ahead of Quar- tararo. The Ducati was just over a second away from the Yamaha. Was Quartararo disappointed at another race with the win out of reach? His response was emphatic. "No! I said yesterday, I knew I was fast for qualifying, but Marc and Maverick had a better race pace. Before this year, many people said I was not ready for this seat, and I really wanted to prove them wrong." Vinales was never in the pic- ture, again dropping back from the beginning with the return of his mystifying poor early pace, and he only inherited sixth after second Petronas Yamaha rider Franco Morbidelli, who had passed him on lap three, crashed out ahead of him with nine laps to go. He the drama wasn't done. Miller was fighting the gusty wind, and that gave Rins an early chance to pull alongside. "I man- aged to shove him back," said the Australian. But Miller was gradu- ally losing ground on Quartararo, while from lap five, Dovizioso's factory Ducati was on his back wheel, looking poised to attack as the tires dropped. It didn't work like that. Instead, Miller started to close on Quartar- aro over the last eight laps, while the gap to Dovi was creeping to- wards one second, and the older rider was busy keeping himself ahead of Rins. "The last eight laps were the longest of my life," said Miller. Quartararo was looming ahead, but the wind was giving him many scares, and he kept the risk fac- IIIMY OWN RACE: 42 ALEX RINS 5TH MOTOGP "For sure, this year has been really good, I was figh ng for third in the championship," Suzuki's Alex Rins said. "I tried hard today to take back third in the standings, and I was able to beat Vinales, who was my nearest rival for that. I was ba ling with Dovizioso right up to the finish line, but it was very difficult to pass him." ner Quartararo took advantage of his offer, while Marquez was caught up in a melee, finishing the first lap fifth, behind also Alex Rins' Ecstar Suzuki, after a rocket-ship launch from the third row, and Andrea Dovizioso's Ducati, up from the second. By the end of lap two, howev- er, he was in a position to duck inside Miller for second into the final corner. At that point, Quar- tararo was seven-10ths clear. Now began a patient pursuit, the Honda a couple of 10ths closer every lap. Marquez set a new record on the fourth lap and inching ever closer to the Yamaha. The attack came through the turn 10/11 switch on lap eight, and from there, the order of the front three wouldn't change. But Done and done for another year. The two riders, either side of Marquez, need to find something extra if they're going to challenge him in 2020.