Spaniard Jorge Martin (Ducati Pramac) was crowned world champion in the MotoGP category after finishing third in the Barcelona Grand Prix on Sunday at the Montmelo circuit in the twentieth and final round of the season.
Martin, runner-up last season, succeeded in winning the title at the expense of Italian Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), the world champion for the past two years, who finished first in today's race after starting from first place as well. Second place went to Spaniard Marc Marquez, who succeeded in snatching third place in the overall world championship standings from Italian Enea Bastianini (Ducati), who settled for seventh place.
Martin collected 508 points compared to 498 for Bagnaia this season to win his first title in the most prominent category in the world motorcycle championship.
On the other hand, Bagnaia won 11 races this season compared to only 3 victories for Martin, who presented the most consistent performance, finishing second in 10 races.
"It's amazing. I don't have the right words to express my feelings, I'm in shock," Martin said after his coronation.
"I dedicate this title to my people, my family, the people who supported me."
"I started crying at the end of the race, which was very emotional for me. The journey was long, a lot of crashes, serious injuries."
"I hope to continue developing and enjoying this moment," he said.
Martin will leave Ducati to join Aprilia next season.
Martin entered the race with a huge advantage, as he was 19 points ahead of Bagnaia and the latter should have won first place, hoping the Spaniard would not finish higher than ninth after the Italian closed the gap on the Spaniard after Saturday's sprint race.
Spanish rider Aleix Espargaro, born a few kilometres from the track, competed in his 255th and final MotoGP race and finished fifth.
The final round was originally scheduled to take place in Valencia but was moved to Catalonia after the region suffered its worst flooding in 50 years last month, killing more than 220 people. The race has been named the Solidarity Grand Prix to show support for the people of Valencia. - Top five in the race:
1. Italy's Francesco Bagnaia 40:24.740 minutes
2. Spain's Marc Marquez 1.474 seconds behind
3. Spain's Jorge Martin 3.810 seconds behind
4. Spain's Alex Marquez 5.322 seconds behind
5. Spain's Aleix Espargaro 5.753 seconds behind
- Top five in the World Championship
1. Jorge Martin (Spain) 508 points
2. Francesco Bagnaia (Italy) 498
3. Marc Marquez (Spain) 392
4. Enea Bastianini (Italy) 386
5. Brad Binder (South Africa) 217
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