Andrea Dovizioso keeps Championship hopes alive with Sepang win
The wet circuit failed to dampen Andrea Dovizioso’s thirst for victory – as he emerged victorious in the Malaysian GP, the penultimate race before the Championship race at Valencia.
(Image: Motogp)
The Ducati rider crossed the finish line with a timing of 44 minutes and 51 seconds, behind fellow Ducati rider Jorge Lorenzo who finished a mere 0.743 seconds behind him. Dovizioso refuted speculations that his teammate Lorenzo was instructed to pave the way for him when Lorenzo was ahead of him on Lap 16. The Spaniard mentioned that he thought he was on the verge of crashing, but thankfully regained his grip. Dovizioso struck while the iron was hot and took the lead.
(Image: Motogp)
"Honestly, I did not see anything. In the rain you cannot lose any concentration.
"I wanted to win the race but was not prepared to do something crazy. I lost grip in the front in turn 15. I thought I was going to crash. I did not want to crash into Dovizioso."
-Jorge Lorenzo
(Image: Motogp)
Yamaha rider Johann Zarco clinched his second podium win of the year by finishing in 3rd place, while Marc Marquez ended in fourth. After securing a win in Sepang, the Italian has closed the gap with Marquez to have a shot at the championship title – from 33 points at the Philip Island circuit, to a 21 point differential leading to Valencia. Nevertheless, this means that so long as Marquez secures an 11th place in Valencia, he will be crowned the champion for MotoGP this year even if Dovizioso triumphs again.
The Valencia race will be on Sunday, 12th November, at 9 pm (Singapore Time).