(Motorsport-Total.com) - The 2018 MotoGP World Championship was decided in the 23rd of 24 rounds at the Japan Grand Prix.
In the hunt for Marc Marquez, Andrea Dovizioso folded the front wheel in the hairpin bend 10 of the Twin Ring Motegi and he fell to the ground. "I tried to win the race," says the Ducati star and then explains: "When I crashed, I was not over the limit.
I made only one small mistake because I wanted to prepare the corner exit. My acceleration was very good, but I was not close enough to Marc to overtake him on the corner exit. "
Marquez overtook Dovizioso four laps from the end of the race and took command in the duel for victory. The Italian had to react and wanted to accelerate optimally out of turn 10, in order to then be able to brake past curve 11 at the end of the straight. "If you look closely at the repetition, you realize that I prepared the curve too soon," says Dovizioso. "It was a small mistake. I had too much tilt and I had too much for the front tire. "
As in the previous races, the duel for the victory was Marquez against Dovizioso. "From sixth on the grid," Marquez looks at his race, "the first lap had to be perfect. And at the end of the first lap, I finished second behind Dovi. That was my main goal. Then I studied him and saw that I was strong enough to fight him. When I wanted to attack eight, nine laps before the end of the race, I made a mistake on the grass. It was a great show, but Dovi overtook me again. Then he really attacked, but I could follow him again. "
Marquez then planned an early attack so as not to make it to the final lap: "I had the same strategy as in Thailand, because in the last lap he would have had the chance to win because his acceleration was slightly better. When I saw Dovi OUT on the pit lane in the last lap, I was very happy because it meant I won the title. At the finish, I was disappointed anyway, because he should have been there. He drove a great season and today is a very good race. "
Dovizioso self-confident: "We are as strong as he is"
As always, Dovizioso is a fair sportsman and praises his opponent's strength: "I think he did something special today to stay with me until the last seven laps. I can only congratulate him and his team. They have again shown a special year and deserved to win. They did better than anyone else. "Still, he is convinced," Marc's achievements are incredible, but he's not unbeatable. "
Self-confidence pulls the Italian from its current form. "Desmo Dovi" can now win on every track. That's why he says, "We are as strong as he is now, but he has won the title. Even today, only I could fight him. Still, it was not enough. I am very satisfied with our current level. We are also better prepared for the next season than we were this year. We did not find anything special, but we found something everywhere with hard work. I am very satisfied with that."
In the remaining three races Dovizioso is still defending his runner-up title against Valentino Rossi, with the Yamaha rider just nine points behind. "Now it's time for second place", "Dovi" set new goals. "Valentino is not that strong this year, but he always scores points and is the best Yamaha rider. We have to take care of him. "Next weekend Phillip Island is on the program, which on paper is not optimal for Ducati, but for the Yamaha could accommodate.
