VOL. 53 ISSUE 41 OCTOBER 18, 2016 P87
"When I arrived, I honestly
didn't expect it. And when I did
it, I didn't expect my team to
have t-shirts or anything ready,"
said the 23-year-old Spaniard.
"But they believed in me."
Few could have believed
that both factory Yamaha riders
would have crashed out of the
race, but it was exactly what
Marquez needed.
Rossi went early, on lap seven
of 24. At that point, he lay sec-
ond, chasing Marquez, when he
lost the front on the hairpin.
Lorenzo lasted until five laps
from the end, holding second.
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
M
arvellous and Mag-
nificent. Merciless
and Mighty. Marc and
Marquez. And World Champion
again—for a third time in four
years and fifth time in seven
years.
While his last remaining rivals
slithered out of contention in
a crash-happy Japanese GP
at Motegi, the Repsol Honda
rider confounded even his own
expectations by taking the 2016
MotoGP crown at Honda's own
circuit with three races to spare.
Marc Marquez clinches title at Motegi
with a little help from his "friends."
Marc Marquez
wasn't planning
on clinching the
2016 MotoGP
title in Japan—
surprise!
MARQUEZ WINS
AND CLINCHES
