MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Marc Marquez moved to within touching distance of a fourth MotoGP world title with victory at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, his sixth win of the season giving him a 33-point lead over nearest rival Andrea Dovizioso with two races remaining.
The 24-year-old Spanish Honda rider hit the front six laps from the end and took the chequered flag to move to 269 points, while Ducati’s Dovizioso finished 13th to edge up his tally to 236 with only 50 up for grabs in Malaysia and Valencia.
MotoGP great Valentino Rossi finished second with his fellow Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales pipping French rookie Johann Zarco on the line to round out the podium in third place.
Earlier, a violent rainstorm forced an early end to the Moto3 race. Joan Mir was leading when the red flags came out after 15 laps, a ninth win in 16 outings this season enough to secure a maiden world title for the 20-year-old Spaniard.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
