Marquez wins at Motegi, cuts Martin’s lead to two points

Marc Marquez won the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi on Sunday, overtaking Jorge Martin on lap 11 and finishing 1.363 seconds ahead. The victory left Martin with a reported two-point lead over Marquez in the MotoGP championship standings, 333 points to 331. Martin started from pole position and led through the opening stages, with Marquez following closely as the pair pulled clear of the chasing group. Marquez increased the pressure from lap seven before passing Martin at Turn 9 on lap 11. Martin initially stayed near the leader, but Marquez built a gap and held it to the finish. Marco Bezzecchi took third, 2.252 seconds behind Marquez. Enea Bastianini finished fourth, just 0.078 seconds behind Bezzecchi after closing late in the race. Raúl Fernández placed fifth, ahead of Ai Ogura, while Pedro Acosta finished seventh. Marquez’s win was his sixth Grand Prix victory of the season. He also won Saturday’s sprint race, completing a weekend double at Motegi. The result followed a difficult previous race in Austria, where Marquez lost ground in the championship contest, according to race coverage. The reported standings put Bezzecchi third on 284 points, 49 behind Martin.