The 2016 MotoGP championship may have already been sewn up two rounds ago at Motegi, but the excitement of the class remained as riders took to a wet Sepang track for the penultimate race of the season.
Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso took his second ever victory at the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix, as he navigated the torrential conditions of Sepang to emerge as the ninth winner of 2016: an all time first for the MotoGP World Championship to write another chapter in the ever-changing history books of the premier class. After dueling for the lead earlier in the race, Valentino Rossi came home P2, with teammate Jorge Lorenzo completing the podium.
The conditions proved challenging for even the reigning champion Marc Marquez, who lost his Honda in Turn 11 and slid out – rejoining in the points but out of contention for the victory. Marquez’s off was followed by early superstar Andrea Iannone at Turn 9, who was unable to rejoin but walked away unscathed.
The day was Dovizioso’s and his spectacular win, as well as marking the ninth different victor of the year, is his second premier class victory – the first being Donington Park way back in 2009 – and the second win this season for the Borgo Panigale factory, with the rain swept victory breaking a long drought since 2010.
The final round of the 2016 MotoGP season takes place in Valencia on the 13th of November.
