Marquez passes Doohan with 55th MotoGP win

Marquez's Honda record, and he still young

A hard-fought victory at the Australian Grand Prix cemented yet another record for eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez as he becomes Honda’s most successful rider in history.

During Honda’s home race at the Japanese Grand Prix, Marc Marquez joined mighty Mick Doohan and former teammate Dani Pedrosa as one of just three riders to win 54 Grand Prix races on Honda machinery. Now just a week later, the Repsol Honda Team rider raises the bar once again, clinching victory at Phillip Island for a record-breaking 55th premier class win on the Honda RC213V.

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]Since 1998, Australia’s Mick Doohan has held the honor of being Honda’s most successful rider after taking his 54th win at the Argentine Grand Prix as he celebrated his fifth straight premier class title on the NSR500. Doohan’s records and results stood as the standard for Honda riders for almost two decades after the Australian surpassed the feats of Freddie Spencer from the 80s.

Like Mick Doohan, all of Marquez’s wins have come in the premier class. His first victory in 2013 at Austin saw him beat fellow Honda legend Freddie Spencer’s 30-year old record as the youngest premier class Grand Prix winner. From his 125 premier class starts, Marc Marquez has taken to the top step of the podium 55 times and has finished on the podium in 75% of races since his 2013 MotoGP debut. Only Valentino Rossi (89) and Giacomo Agostini (68) have more premier class victories to their names than the 26-year-old from Cervera.

2019 has also seen Honda take their 300th premier class win, Marc Marquez taking victory in France, continuing the story of Honda’s premier class success which began in 1966 with Jim Redman, who won a total of 45 races for Honda.

Marc Marquez

Alongside holding the win record for Honda riders in the premier class, Marquez is also the most successful Honda rider in terms of premier class World Championships with six titles and holds the outright pole position record in the premier class with 62 – four more than Mick Doohan. Marquez needs just nine more podium finishes to equal Pedrosa’s record 112 premier class podiums on Honda machinery.

With two races still remaining in 2019, Marc Marquez (375 points) is just nine points away from surpassing Jorge Lorenzo’s record 383 points from a single premier class season.

The Spaniard and compatriot Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) broke clear but last lap drama saw the Yamaha man crash, allowing Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) to take P2 and home hero Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) to claim a stunning P3.

Race Summary

Sunday in Australia got off to a solid start for Marc Marquez as he lined up on the front row for the eighth straight year at Phillip Island.

The World Champion found himself in the heart of an incredible nine-rider battle during the opening laps as the field fought for early position. With perfect precision, Marquez carved his way forward to join Cal Crutchlow and Maverick Vinales at the front.

Lap ten saw the race enter its second stage, Vinales trying to break away from the chasing pack. But both Marquez and Crutchlow responded with low 1’29s to keep Vinales within just a few tenths. Lapping consistently in the 1’29s, the eight-time World Champion stalked Vinales and used the RC213V’s superior top speed to blast into the lead on the last lap and eventually cross the line for an 11th win in 2019.

The victory is Marquez’s 55th in the premier class and makes him Honda’s most successful rider as he moves ahead of Mick Doohan’s 1998 record of 54 wins. Now only Valentino Rossi (89) and Giacomo Agostini (68) have more premier class victories to their names. Marquez has now achieved five-straight premier class wins for the first time since 2014 and continues his run of 14 straight top-two finishes intact.

As a result of the win, the Repsol Honda Team are just a single point behind the Ducati Team in the Team Championship as Honda aim to complete the coveted triple crown.

The MotoGP World Championship will now travel to Malaysia for the final leg of the yearly flyaways – Round 18, the Malaysian Grand Prix at the familiar Sepang International Circuit.

Marc Marquez 93 1ST
“It has been a crazy weekend with the weather and everything. Maverick was very fast today, but I was able to follow him and start slowly cooking the victory. Vinales started to push very hard and very fast at the front, but I knew that if I could stay with him for four or five laps then the victory was possible. The Repsol Honda Team have done a great job with the limited track time we have had. We had to gamble a little bit with the soft rear tyre and it was on the limit in the end, but we were able to win! It’s really special to take this 55th win with Honda, I feel incredible with the Honda family and I’m excited to enjoy this moment with them and the team."

ðŸ�� #MotoGP RACE@marcmarquez93 WINS as @mvkoficial12 crashes on the final lap!!! ðŸ'¢ #AustralianGP 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/LXvMBllvUW

— MotoGP™ 🇦🇺 (@MotoGP) October 27, 2019

5⃣5⃣ Premier class wins for @marcmarquez93 �@HRC_MotoGP rider is the third most successful rider in the class in terms of victories, overtaking @micksdoohan �#AustralianGP 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/hByMA9WGAl

— MotoGP™ 🇦🇺 (@MotoGP) October 27, 2019

Results

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