Alex Marquez finishes fifth in an uncomfortable race. Alex Rins moves up through the field for podium.
Alex Marquez will have to wait until Valencia and the closing round of the 2014 season to see if he can achieve his dream of becoming Moto3 World Champion. At Sepang he experienced a tough race and eventually finished fifth, whilst Miller placed second to keep the title fight alive. Following this race, Marquez heads to Valencia with 262 points to Miller’s 251. Alex Rins was third today, climbing from seventeenth.
The race featured, as is customary in this category, bunches of riders battling amongst one another. Marquez and Rins were amongst the candidates fighting for the win. Together with them, Miller, Kent and Vazquez –amongst others– took turns to lead the way. Miller’s strategy was to make things hard for Marquez. He was hit by the Australian on the penultimate lap and dropped to fifth, where he remained when crossing the finish line.
Miller was second, Rins third and Marquez fifth in a race won by Efren Vazquez. At Valencia, Marquez will begin the race with an 11-point lead over Miller.
alex Rins >> Audio
3rd to 0.385 Sec.
“It was a fun race, in which I learned a lot, but it was also tough both mentally and physically. I think I made the best start of my life and I gained many positions, but I went into the first corner with a little wariness about the other riders because they go beyond their means. Then I pushed until I reached the lead group and eventually I finished on the podium. Overall it has been a tough week as we struggled to find the right setup; I have to thank the team and Honda for their hard work.”
Alex Marquez >> Audio
5th to 0.831 Sec.
“The TV footage speaks for itself; it was a very hard fought race. I had to go very carefully at all times, because there was a title at stake. Perhaps I was overly cautious, but in the end I did the right thing. We stayed on the bike and, although I had to settle for fifth place, luckily Miller did not win. I’m happy because we scored some very important points. I would have liked to have won the race and clinched the title here, but the important thing is that we lead going to Valencia.”
