Madrid, Nov 11 (IANS) Marc Marquez was crowned as the world champion in MotoGP after the last race of the season in Valencia.
Marquez, 20, in his first season after moving up from Moto 2 last year went into the race with a 13 point lead over reigning champion, Jorge Lorenzo and knowing that even if Lorenzo won the race, a finish in fourth place or above would assure him the title, reported Xinhua.
Although he started the race in pole position with Lorenzo in second place on the grid, Marquez made it clear that he was going to keep risks to a minimum and saw his rival race into an early lead.
Lorrenzo finished the race first with a big lead over Pedrosa and Marquez, but as Marquez crossed the line in third place with his arms high in triumph, the glory was all for him as he became the youngest MotoGP champion in history.
“The fact is that I was very nervous before the race, although I told everyone in the press that I wasn’t,” Marquez said.
“At the start of the race Jorge Lorenzo tried to ride his race and I didn’t know what to do, whether to follow him or not and I felt very stiff on top of the bike,” he said, adding that maybe he had become world champion “too early”.
“I am really grateful to Honda for this title, to all of the team, because they have helped me a lot. I have fulfilled my dream, but maybe I have done so too early, because I wasn’t expecting it so soon,” said Marquez.
Lorenzo, meanwhile, was gracious to the youngster who had taken his crown.
“We tried everything to win right to the end, but it was not to be. It has been a great season and I have to congratulate Marc because he deserves it,” he said.