MotoGP Grand Prix of Malaysia 2014 Results: Winner, Standings and Reaction

Marc Marquez came from behind to end his barren spell of four races without a grand prix win on Sunday, as he romped to victory in the Grand Prix of Malaysia—MotoGP’s official Twitter account confirmed the result:

The Spaniard, who wrapped up the MotoGP World Championship at the Japanese Grand Prix, crossed the line more than two seconds in front of Valentino Rossi, who just pipped Jorge Lorenzo to the runners-up position.

Here’s a look at the full race results from a thrilling contest at the Sepang International Circuit:

Pos	Rider	Team	Bike	Gap
1	Marc Marquez	Honda	Honda	40:45:523
2	Valentino Rossi	Yamaha	Yamaha	2.445 seconds
3	Jorge Lorenzo	Yamaha	Yamaha	3.508s
4	Stefan Bradl	LCR	Honda	21.234s
5	Bradley Smith	Tech 3	Yamaha	22.283s
6	Pol Espargaro	Tech 3	Yamaha	34.668s
7	Yonny Hernandez	Pramac Racing	Ducati	38.435s
8	Andrea Dovizioso	Ducati	Ducati	48.839s
9	Hector Barbera	Avintia Racing	Ducati	50.792s
10	Scott Redding	Gresini Racing	Honda	59.088s
11	Hiroshi Aoyama	Aspar	Honda	1m15.949s
12	Michael Laverty	Paul Bird Motorsport	PBM/Aprilia	1m17.966s
13	Mike Di Meglio	Avintia Racing	Avintia/Kawasaki	1m27.773s
14	Broc Parkes	Paul Bird Motorsport	PBM/Aprilia	1m44.244s
-	Alex de Angelis	Forward Racing	Forward Yamaha	Retirement
-	Danilo Petrucci	IodaRacing Project	ART/Aprilia	Retirement
-	Daniel Pedrosa	Honda	Honda	Retirement
-	Karel Abraham	Cardion AB Motoracing	Honda	Retirement
-	Nicky Hayden	Aspar	Honda	Retirement
-	Cal Crutchlow	Ducati	Ducati	Retirement
-	Aleix Espargaro	Forward Racing	Forward Yamaha	Retirement
-	Alvaro Bautista	Gresini Racing	Honda	Retirement
-	Andrea Iannone	Pramac Racing	Ducati	Withdrawn

Marquez has been the dominant force in MotoGP this season, and while his recent performances suggested he was in the middle of a dip in form, the way that he negotiated the Malaysian Grand Prix was textbook brilliance.

The 21-year-old has made striking at the right time his forte, and that’s exactly what won him Sunday’s race.

Lai Seng Sin/Associated Press

Marquez started a little shakily, taking the opening turns wide and slipping down to sixth after the opening exchanges, but his recovery was flawless.

After Dani Pedrosa crashed out while trying to overtake Lorenzo for the lead, Marquez moved into third; and from then on, you got the sense the strike was imminent.

Glenn Nicholls/Associated Press

That it was, as with nine laps remaining, the Spaniard seized his opportunity and edged in front of Rossi and Lorenzo thanks to a superb corner.

With just the open road ahead of him, Marquez was able to establish a healthy lead that couldn’t be caught to chalk up his 12th grand prix victory of the season.

Victory No. 12 was all important, too, as it equalled Mick Doohan’s record of grand prix triumphs in a single season, as MotoGP revealed:

It also sealed the Constructors' title for Honda, who ended Yamaha’s four-year spell of dominance.

However, the day belonged to Marquez, who spoke to MotoGP's official website after the race and reflected on another excellent performance, before looking ahead to the final event of the season in Valencia:

"

I’m really happy with the race. The strongest opponent was the weather, it was really hot! But yeah, it was difficult. At the start I was worried about the tyre life especially looking towards the end. I was not so good through turn one but then I started to overtake riders. I came back strong and I’m very happy to return to the win. I've equalled Mick Doohan’s record, with one race left maybe I can beat it! If I had a bad result here the pressure in Valencia would be more. But now I am free in Valencia and I can do well for my fans and just enjoy it! I’ll be giving all my luck to Alex (his brother) at Valencia.

"

While Marquez won’t be caught at the top of the MotoGP standings next time around, there were a few changes down the leaderboard after Sunday's race. Here’s a look at the latest table:

Pos.	Rider	Bike	Nation	Points
1	Marc MARQUEZ	Honda	SPA	337
2	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	ITA	275
3	Jorge LORENZO	Yamaha	SPA	263
4	Dani PEDROSA	Honda	SPA	230
5	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	Ducati	ITA	174
6	Pol ESPARGARO	Yamaha	SPA	126
7	Bradley SMITH	Yamaha	GBR	119
8	Aleix ESPARGARO	Forward Yamaha	SPA	117
9	Stefan BRADL	Honda	GER	109
10	Andrea IANNONE	Ducati	ITA	102
11	Alvaro BAUTISTA	Honda	SPA	89
12	Scott REDDING	Honda	GBR	75
13	Hiroshi AOYAMA	Honda	JPN	67
14	Cal CRUTCHLOW	Ducati	GBR	63
15	Yonny HERNANDEZ	Ducati	COL	53
16	Nicky HAYDEN	Honda	USA	44
17	Karel ABRAHAM	Honda	CZE	33
18	Hector BARBERA	Ducati	SPA	21
19	Alex DE ANGELIS	Forward Yamaha	RSM	14
20	Danilo PETRUCCI	ART	ITA	13
21	Colin EDWARDS	Forward Yamaha	USA	11
22	Michele PIRRO	Ducati	ITA	11
23	Broc PARKES	PBM	AUS	9
24	Michael LAVERTY	PBM	GBR	9
25	Mike DI MEGLIO	Avintia	FRA	9
26	Katsuyuki NAKASUGA	Yamaha	JPN	4
27	Leon CAMIER	Honda	GBR	1

The Valencian Community Grand Prix brings the curtain down on this year’s thrilling MotoGP season, and while the World Championship is wrapped up, Marquez clearly has another mission on his hands.

Doohan’s record of 12 grand prix wins in a season is there to be beaten, and what better way for Marquez to do it than back in his homeland?