Andrea Dovizioso claimed his fifth victory of the 2017 MotoGP season on Sunday in Japan as he and title rival Marc Marquez duelled race long for the honour of standing atop the podium and claiming the maximum amount of points.
The battle could only be described as 'epic' as the pair tussled for the lead of the race down to the final corner of the final lap, crossing the finish line split by just two-tenths and now 11 points apart in the championship.
Pramac'c Danilo Petrucci completed the podium places, but was a massive ten seconds adrift.
The race began with Marquez takingt he lead, followed by Jorge Lorenzo, before the Ducati rider snatched the lead. Dovizioso stormed through from ninth on the grid to slot in behind Petrucci and Johann Zarco in fifth, as Marquez fought for the lead once again, only to lose it to Petrucci moments later, with Dovizoso also passing to go up to second.
With six laps to go, Dovizioso attacked at Turn 6, and the cat and mouse continued. Marquez then hit back with a brutal pass in Turn 3 with three laps to go, and the fuse was lit. Dueling it out with some of the most spectacular racing of the season – and in the pouring rain – it seemed Marquez was holding the cards as the final lap approached.
Pushing hard to catch the race and championship leader, the gap was hovering just over half a second for Dovizioso, until Marquez suddenly suffered a moment at Turn 8 and the Ducati was back on him. The Italian struck to take the lead soon after and prepared himself for the aptly-named victory corner – knowing the number 93 was close behind and undoubtedly with Austria on his mind.
The door didn’t prove closed for Marquez as he shot up the inside, but Dovizioso was prepared for the move and kept it together as the Repsol Honda headed wide. Almost neck and neck over the line, it was ‘DesmoDovi’ who took the victory in a duel that will go down in history.
Behind the trio on the rostrum it was a stunning ride for Andrea Iannone into fourth, as the Italian picked his way through from P12 on the grid as was able to close in on his teammate Alex Rins, then getting past him in the latter stages. Rins was top rookie after his own display of brilliance, however, earlier shadowing Zarco and then moving through as the Frenchman faded.
After dropping back after a stunning start, Jorge Lorenzo was able to move back past those ahead of him to cross the line in sixth for another good haul of points – getting back Aleix Espargaro as his final victim, with the Spaniard coming seventh. Zarco faded in the latter stages to head home in P8, ahead of a difficult day for Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP). Viñales is now 41 points off Marquez at the top of the table.
Loris Baz completed the top ten as he sliced through in the rain, with Pol Espargar taking another top result for the Austrian factory in P11. In twelfth, it was wildcard Yamalube Factory Racing rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga – 2017 Suzuka 8H winner and former MotoGP podium finisher – as the Japanese veteran impressed as ever.
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