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Moto3 rider Jason Dupasquier has died as a result of injuries suffered in a crash during a Saturday qualifying session in Italy.
He was 19.
"Despite the best efforts of circuit medical staff and all those subsequently attending to the Swiss rider ... Dupasquier has sadly succumbed to his injuries," MotoGP said in a statement. "On behalf of the entire MotoGP family, we send our love to his team, his family and loved ones. You will be sorely missed, Jason. Ride in peace."
Dupasquier was involved in a three-bike crash with Ayumu Sasaki and Jeremy Alcoba during Saturday's qualifying. He was then struck by his own bike and the one belonging to Sasaki. Alcoba said he believed he ran over Dupasquier's legs as well. Medics at the track treated him on the scene before he was flown to a hospital in Florence in an attempt to save his life.
MotoGP held a moment of silence in Dupasquier's honor before Sunday's Grand Prix race.
Dupasquier was one of the most promising young racers on the circuit, sitting 10th in the World Championship standings before his death.
Marc Marquez will again be the rider to beat when the 2020 Moto GP Grand Prix season officially gets underway.
The Spaniard is set to defend his sixth premier class world championship, although the start of the campaign has been altered after the Qatar Grand Prix was cancelled amid concerns about the outbreak of the coronavirus, while the same reason has prompted the postponement of the Thailand Grand Prix.
Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso beat Marquez in Qatar last year, with the former again set to be among the primary contenders taking a crack at the title.
However, this season could belong to rising star Fabio Quartararo. The 20-year-old Frenchman pushed Marquez all the way in San Marino, Thailand, Japan and Valencia during 2019.
Quartararo, Marquez and others will pay attention to how the schedule is altered after the decision was taken to call off the main race in Qatar, per the MotoGP official website:
"The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has resulted in Qatar travel restrictions being brought into force that affect passengers from Italy, amongst other countries. As of today, all passengers arriving at Doha on direct flights from Italy, or having been in Italy in the past 2 weeks, will be taken straight to quarantine for a minimum of 14 days. Italy clearly plays a vital role in the Championship and in the MotoGP class—both on track and off—and therefore the decision has been taken to cancel premier class competition."
The same source also released another report on Monday detailing the message from the Thai government "that it won't be possible to hold the OR Thailand Grand Prix on its original date."
At the moment, these are the other 18 races confirmed on the original calendar:
2020 Season Schedule
Grand Prix of the Americas
Argentine Grand Prix
Spanish Grand Prix
French Grand Prix
Italian Grand Prix
Catalan Grand Prix
German Grand Prix
Dutch TT
Finnish Grand Prix
Czech Republic Grand Prix
Austrian Grand Prix
British Grand Prix
San Marino Grand Prix
Aragon Grand Prix
Japanese Grand Prix
Australian Grand Prix
Malaysian Grand Prix
Valencia Grand Prix
Full schedule available per the MotoGP official website.
Marquez set his sights on maintaining his dominance of the sport when he re-upped with Honda until 2024, according to Autosport's Lewis Duncan. The presence of his younger brother, Alex, who took the Moto2 crown last season, is thought to have helped swing the deal.
As for the senior rider, Marquez assessed some of his team's rivals, identifying the best bike after winter testing, per GPOne.com: "...the most complete bike was the Yamaha, but it might not necessarily be the case in the championship, races are always another thing."
Problems have been common for Honda during pre-season testing. Duncan noted for Motorsport.com how the bikes have had difficulty handling the corners and turns, leaving Marquez concerned during his recovery from shoulder surgery.
By contrast, Yamaha being up to speed means Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales both have a strong case to unseat the champion. It's a similar story for Dovizioso, who was second in the standings last season, a position he's had to settle for three times in a row.
Riders like Dovizioso and Rossi have plenty of experience on the podium, something Quartararo accrued at a prolific rate during the 2019 campaign. He might be Yamaha's best means of crowning a new champion:
Quartararo's bid to unseat Marquez will be one of the highlights for the new coverage set to begin this season, involving races being aired on NBCSN as part of Dorna Sports' agreement with the broadcaster, with individual schedule details provided by the MotoGP official website.
Marc Marquez won the 2019 MotoGP Grand Prix of Valencia on Sunday, the final race of the season.
The world champion took the lead from Fabio Quartararo on Lap 8 and never looked back, producing another super display. It was a fitting end to yet another dominant year for the Spaniard, who had already locked up his sixth MotoGP title and fourth in a row.
The win also locked up a Triple Crown for Marquez and Honda, who claimed the constructors and team titles.
Here are the full results of the race, per Crash.net (Position, Rider):
1 Marc Marquez
2 Fabio Quartararo
3 Jack Miller
4 Andrea Dovizioso
5 Alex Rins
6 Maverick Viñales
7 Joan Mir
8 Valentino Rossi
9 Aleix Espargaro
10 Pol Espargaro
11 Tito Rabat
12 Mika Kallio
13 Jorge Lorenzo
14 Karel Abraham
15 Hafizh Syahrin
DNF Andrea Iannone
DNF Franco Morbidelli
DNF Danilo Petrucci
DNF Johann Zarco
DNF Iker Lecuona
DNF Cal Crutchlow
DNF Michele Pirro
Before the start, all eyes were on Jorge Lorenzo. The three-time MotoGP champion shockingly announced his retirement from the sport earlier this week at the age of 32:
Quartararo took the early lead with a great start, while Marquez quickly settled into second place. The Spaniard patiently led the chasing group and took the lead on Lap 8 before building a slender lead.
Quartararo, Jack Miller, Alex Rins and Andrea Dovizioso all had the pace to keep things close at the front, while further back Cal Crutchlow's 2019 campaign came to an abrupt end:
Johann Zarco and Iker Lecuona also crashed, with the latter's bike sliding into the Frenchman as he was walking away from his own spill.
Track conditions were far from ideal:
With the lead, Marquez put on yet another masterclass with the clean air in front of him, steadily building his advantage over the chasing group. Quartararo and Miller battled it out for second place and never came close to catching the leader, with the former taking second place.
Andrea Iannone crashed out on the final lap, moving Lorenzo into 13th place in his last race.
The curtain will come down on the 2019 MotoGP season on Sunday, with Valencia the final stop of the campaign.
Marc Marquez will not be racing to match the record of most wins in a season—which he set in 2014—as he was second to Maverick Vinales last time out in Malaysia. Nevertheless, the Honda man will no doubt be competitive at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo as he seeks to finish a memorable campaign in style.
Elsewhere, Vinales will be looking to secure third in the overall standings after his first victory of the campaign, with Alex Rins trailing him by seven points in fourth.
The crowd in Valencia tends to provide a thrilling backdrop to the final race of the year, and the atmosphere should be white-hot again this weekend.
MotoGP: Valencia Grand Prix (GMT)
Friday, November 15
8:55 a.m.-9:40 a.m.: Free Practice 1
1:10 p.m.-1:55 p.m.: Free Practice 2
Saturday, November 16
8:55 a.m.-9:40 a.m.:Free Practice 3
12:30 p.m.-1 p.m.: Free Practice 4
1:10 p.m.-1:25 p.m.: Qualifying 1
1:35 p.m.-1:50 p.m.: Qualifying 2
Sunday, November 17
1 p.m.: Race
TV Info: BT Sport (UK), beIN Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: BT Sport website (UK), beIN Sports Connect (U.S.)
Preview
The Honda Twitter account looked at what the drivers can expect from the circuit:
Although Marquez has set numerous landmarks this season and won the world title by a huge margin, you sense a rider of the Spaniard's calibre would have been disappointed to have seen his winning streak ended in Malaysia.
After getting the better of Vinales in a last-lap duel in Australia at the end of October, it was the Yamaha rider's turn to take the chequered flag in the proceeding race at Sepang.
Here are the highlights from a fascinating previous race, with Marquez recovering from 11th position on the grid to finish in second spot:
Afterwards, Vinales said he was happy with his performance and that his thoughts had already turned to Valencia:
While there may not be much on the line for the riders individually, in the team stakes, there's still a lot to play for, with Ducati just two points ahead of Honda at the top of the standings.
Marquez's performances have kept Honda in the hunt, although he's only occasionally received strong support from Jorge Lorenzo; Honda will hope a race on home soil for Lorenzo, who memorably clinched the world championship at Valencia in 2015, will inspire a big performance from him.
Ducati have been able to rely on Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci finishing high in the standings frequently. They also have a decent record in Valencia:
For Marquez, this circuit hasn't been the happiest hunting ground by his high standards, with just one win in MotoGP races. That came five years ago.
However, he's in a class of his own. And provided he avoids starting a long way down the grid, as he did in in Malaysia, then it's difficult to see anyone maintaining the pace needed to stick with him.
Prediction: 1. Marquez. 2. Vinales, 3. Dovizioso
Maverick Vinales beat 2019 MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez by three seconds at the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday to deny the titleholder a sixth successive race victory.
Vinales, 24, clinched his only other first-placed finish of this season at the Dutch Grand Prix in June, and his victory ended a long drought for manufacturer Yamaha at Sepang International Circuit:
The winner dedicated the result to 20-year-old Afridza Munandar, a competitor in the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup who died on Saturday following a crash at Sepang, per BBC Sport:
Andrea Dovizioso completed the podium, finishing three-tenths of a second in front of Valentino Rossi in fourth, per the official MotoGP website.
The MotoGP title was decided in October after Marquez clinched victory at the Thailand Grand Prix, with Ducati's Dovizioso nailed on for second and Vinales in third.
Vinales injected some late energy into the battle for this season's bronze by winning on Sunday, leapfrogging Alex Rins, while the teams title race also remains close ahead of the Valencian Grand Prix:
A frantic start in Selangor saw the top riders jostle for position early on, and Vinales came out ahead of Frenchman Fabio Quartararo, who was on pole for the second time in four races.
Marquez, 26, started 11th on the grid and deserved huge credit for coming back into such close contention, maintaining his record of coming second or higher in every race he's finished this season.
The six-time MotoGP world champion retired during the Grand Prix of the Americas in April, but the Spaniard otherwise holds a record of 11 wins and six runner-up finishes in 2019.
Despite losing to his compatriot, Marquez was full of post-race compliments for Vinales, who made the most of his early lead:
BT Sport highlighted his second-placed feat also clinched another piece of MotoGP history with one race to go this term:
Briton Cal Crutchlow only had six laps remaining when he crashed on Turn 15 and retired for a fifth time this season, a disappointing end after he came second at the Australian Grand Prix last time out.
Jack Miller—who clashed with Rins at one point—finished eighth after he appeared to lose a piece of his aero-brake late on, an underwhelming finish for the Australian after he came third in his home race.
Marquez has already won the major honour in MotoGP in 2019, but Vinales' performance en route to victory in Malaysia showed there's still plenty to fight for ahead of the season finale in Valencia, Spain, on Nov. 17.
The penultimate weekend of the 2019 MotoGP season will see the riders head to Malaysia, with Marc Marquez seeking to take another step towards a record-equalling campaign.
The Honda star has long sewn up the world championship, having dominated throughout the season. If he wins the last two races of the term, he will match the 14 victories he secured in 2014, a feat that has never been bettered in MotoGP history.
Last weekend, Marquez was pushed hard by Maverick Vinales in Australia, with the latter crashing out after an absorbing last-lap battle. Vinales and a number of other competitors will be desperate to provide the world champion with a serious challenge before the curtain comes down on the 2019 season.
MotoGP - Malaysian Grand Prix Schedule (GMT)
Friday, November 1
2:50 a.m. - 3:35 a.m. - First Practice
7:05 a.m. - 7:50 a.m. - Second Practice
Saturday, November 2
2:50 a.m. - 3:35 a.m. - Third Practice
6:25 a.m. - 6:25 a.m. - Fourth Practice
7:05 a.m. - 7:20 a.m. - First Qualifying
7:30 a.m. - 7:45 a.m. - Second Qualifying
Sunday, November 3
7 a.m. - Race
TV Info: BT Sport (UK), beIN Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: BT Sport website (UK), beIN Sports Connect (U.S.)
Preview
For Marquez, the 2019 season has been another to remember, having earned his eighth title overall and his fifth in premier-class racing.
The campaign has been full of dramatic battles the Spaniard has tended to get the better of, including in the previous race in Australia. After stalking Vinales for long spells of the contest, the Honda rider eased past him at the start of the final lap.
In a desperate attempt to regain first place, the Yamaha rider pushed too hard and eventually crashed out:
With two races to go, all eyes will be on Marquez to see if he can match his glut of season wins from five years ago. If he takes victory at the Sepang International Circuit and then in Valencia on November 17, it would be seven victories in a row.
Per Haydn Cobb of Crash.net, the Spaniard can break the record for the most points in a single season on Sunday too. Fellow Honda rider Jorge Lorenzo earned 383 points in 2010; Marquez is currently on 373.
BT Sport MotoGP summed up just how much of a stranglehold he has had over the rest of the field this season:
The Box Repsol account noted Marquez is on course for his most podiums in a season too:
Vinales will be out to bounce back after last weekend and will be looking to overhaul Alex Rins for third position in the overall standings, with just seven points separating the two. Danilo Petrucci and Fabio Quartararo—who has enjoyed an encouraging debut season—are also still in the frame for third.
But it's to Marquez's credit that he's remained zoned in after winning the title, as the Honda rider appears determined to finish the campaign on a high. With that in mind, it's difficult to see anyone keeping pace with him once again.
In his career he's had mixed fortunes in Malaysia, with two wins and two retirements among his results. Barring any sort of mechanical issue on Sunday, it's hard to see any result other than yet another Marquez win.
Yamaha's Maverick Vinales crashed out of the Australian MotoGP Grand Prix on the final lap on Sunday, handing victory to world champion Marc Marquez.
Having qualified on pole position, Vinales led for long spells of the race before he engaged in a gripping battle with the Honda rider in the final stages. Marquez was able to get past his rival in the early stages of the final lap and when Vinales tried to make his move to get back in front, he lost balance.
The error from the Yamaha rider allowed Cal Crutchlow to take second, with Australian Jack Miller finishing in third place and securing a maiden premier-class podium on home soil.
BT Sport MotoGP shared the highlights from an absorbing final lap of action:
The MotoGP Twitter account shared the result from the race at Phillip Island and a look at the standings with two races remaining:
Vinales and Marquez started off on the front row of the grid, but got off to slow starts, allowing Valentino Rossi to move to the head of the race.
That was before Crutchlow overtook the Yamaha rider to establish himself up front. But as the race settled down, Vinales started to find the impressive pace that was on display in qualifying and cut his way through the field into first place.
From there, the only man who was capable of staying with Vinales was Marquez, who also moved past Crutchlow to nestle behind the race leader. The Spanish duo were then able to pull away, leaving the rest of the pack in what appeared to be a battle for the final step on the podium.
Over the course of the final 17 laps, Marquez loomed ominously behind Vinales before he made his decisive move on the final lap. After the race, the world champion detailed how he had planned to earn the win:
Honda commented on what was another landmark win for the 26-year-old during a season in which he's been able to dominate:
Per MotoGP writer Neil Morrison, Vinales said after the race that he wasn't willing to settle for a minor place on the podium on Sunday:
The last-lap drama served up another moment to savour for Marquez in a season that will live long in the memory.
Having already clinched the 2019 title, the Honda rider could have become complacent in the final weeks of the season. But it's clear how driven he is by the prospect of winning MotoGP events.
Marquez will be seeking to equal the record 13 wins he accrued in his 2014 title-winning season. He needs two wins from the final two rounds of the 2019 campaign to do so. Given the form he's in, it's difficult to envisage any other competitor in the field halting him.
Marc Marquez will target another victory at the 2019 MotoGP Grand Prix of Australia to help close out his title-winning season in style.
The champion won in Japan earlier this month and will again be the rider to beat this weekend on the Phillip Island Circuit in Victoria. However, he can count on a strong challenge from Fabio Quartararo, after the Frenchman crossed the line second in Motegi.
Quartararo has made a habit of being Marquez's closest challenger, finishing as runner-up in Japan, Thailand and San Marino. The 20-year-old is putting together a strong case for being the man who can end Marquez's domination of the title next season.
Race Schedule
Saturday, October 26
Live-streaming links: BT Sport App, beIN Sports Connect
Quartararo Primed to Beat Marquez
Last year's race was a tough one for Marquez and Johann Zarco, who crashed after tangling at close quarters:
Marquez finished next to last and watched Maverick Vinales take top spot on the podium. Yet there has been little wrong with the Spaniard's form as of late, based on his wins at San Marino, Aragon, Thailand and Japan.
It's been another near-flawless season for Marquez, but there have also been signs Quartararo is ready to assume his mantle. He's raced with bravado and can take greater confidence from Vinales' ride to victory 12 months ago.
Vinales added another win for Yamaha on a track where the team has traditionally performed well. Quartararo will be on the Petronas Yamaha, a bike he believes in, per Crash.net's Haydn Cobb: "I feel very confident with the bike right now, and that feeling from the front end of the bike will be important at Phillip Island."
Cobb also noted how Yamaha has won three of the last six races in Australia, a good omen for Quartararo's chances.
There is extra motivation for Quartararo, whose performances as the top rookie in the sport are putting pressure on Yamaha chiefs to sign him to a contract. MotorSport Magazine's Mat Oxley believes "Honda's rivals know they need the youngster if they want to try to end Marc Marquez's domination."
It's a strong position to be in for a rising star Oxley thinks is playing a waiting game while his Petronas deal runs until 2021. Beating Marquez over the line would not only further endorse the idea Quartararo is a champion in waiting, it would also increase his power at the negotiating table.
Honda's Marc Marquez shows no signs of slowing down in the final weeks of the 2019 MotoGP season, coasting to victory at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.
Marquez was crowned as the world champion last time out in Thailand but was at his brilliant best again at the Motegi circuit. After starting on pole, the Spaniard was imperious, holding off the impressive Fabio Quartararo in second, while Andrea Dovizioso finished third for Ducati after a fascinating scrap with Maverick Vinales.
The win was Marquez's fourth in a row and 10th of the 2019 season. If he finishes on top in the remaining three races of the campaign, the Honda star will match his record haul of 13 race wins in a single season from 2014.
Victory also saw Honda reach a landmark in overall in Constructors Championship successes:
After qualifying in pole position, Marquez was expected to come under some early pressure at Motegi given the way the start is set up. However, the world champion was able to negotiate the initial stages comfortably:
After establishing first position, Marquez opened up a significant lead at the front, with the chasing pack unable to match his blistering early pace. With just a couple of laps on the board, it was already clear the rest of the riders were in a fight for second spot.
Quartararo emerged as the best of the rest on the day, with the Frenchman taking another big step forward in what's been an encouraging debut campaign for him.
The Petronas Yamaha rider found himself isolated out on track, as he built a gap to the remaining riders and even started to close down Marquez's advantage at one stage:
However, as the Box Repsol account noted, the leader appeared to have another couple of gears to go through when he came under even the smallest amount of pressure:
Quartararo finished second by 0.870 seconds. However, his sixth podium of the season saw him ensure he would end 2019 as the Rookie of the Year:
Those looking for action late on got some in the fight for the final step on the rostrum, as Dovizioso and Vinales went wheel-to-wheel. The former was able to get the better of the Yamaha man, completing an impressive fightback from seventh spot on the grid. The Italian was made to work hard for his third-placed finish:
Although there was little action at the front of the race on Sunday, it's clear there's still a competitive edge to the riding as the season edges towards a close.
Marquez's target will be repeating the feat of his dominant 2014 campaign. Given the confidence and freedom with which he is racing, you would be brave to back against the Honda star finishing the season with consecutive successes.
