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

Marc Marquez capped off a phenomenal MotoGP season in style at the Grand Prix of Valencia on Sunday, as he chalked up a record-breaking victory in his homeland. 

The Spaniard beat pole rider Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa to the line to secure his 13th grand prix victory of 2014 and set a new bar for wins in a single season—per MotoGP:

It means that the legendary Mick Doohan’s record is now a thing of the past, but no rider is more deserving of such a prestigious record than Marquez, who put on an exceptional show to bring the curtain down on his campaign. Here’s a look at the final race standings:

Pos.	Rider	Team	Bike	Time/Gap
1	Marc Marquez	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	46'39.627
2	Valentino Rossi	Movistar Yamaha MotoGP	Yamaha	+3.516
3	Dani Pedrosa	Repsol Honda Team	Honda	+14.040
4	Andrea Dovizioso	Ducati Team	Ducati	+16.705
5	Cal Crutchlow	Ducati Team	Ducati	+16.773
6	Pol Espargaro	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	+37.884
7	Aleix Espargaro	NGM Forward Racing	Forward Yamaha	+38.168
8	Stefan Bradl	LCR Honda MotoGP	Honda	+41.803
9	Michele Pirro	Ducati Team	Ducati	+45.710
10	Scott Redding	GO&FUN Honda Gresini	Honda	+51.191
11	Hector Barbera	Avintia Racing	Ducati	+56.512
12	Danilo Petrucci	Octo IodaRacing Team	ART	+57.000
13	Nicky Hayden	Drive M7 Aspar	Honda	+57.262
14	Bradley Smith	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Yamaha	+57.517
15	Hiroshi Aoyama	Drive M7 Aspar	Honda	+58.775
16	Alvaro Bautista	GO&FUN Honda Gresini	Honda	+58.864
17	Karel Abraham	Cardion AB Motoracing	Honda	+1'02.389
18	Alex de Angelis	NGM Forward Racing	Forward Yamaha	+1'15.795
19	Michael Laverty	Paul Bird Motorsport	PBM	+1'26.309
20	Broc Parkes	Paul Bird Motorsport	PBM	+1'37.212
21	Mike di Meglio	Avintia Racing	Avintia	1 Lap
22	Andrea Iannone	Pramac Racing	Ducati	1 Lap

Alberto Saiz/Associated Press

The MotoGP world has simply run out of superlatives to describe the brilliance of Marquez, and as the Grand Prix of Valencia played out, you just knew he was going to cross the line first.

Not because it was written in the stars, but because the way that he strikes from behind is impossible to race against.

It wasn’t one of Valencia’s better days on Sunday, as rain brought the white flags out, and Marquez wasn’t able to get to grips with the wet track in the opening exchanges.

Alberto Saiz/Associated Press

Andrea Iannone led the pack as he took advantage of the treacherous conditions, but as soon as the rain dried up, it was the Marquez show.

It took the 21-year-old a good few efforts to get his nose in front, though, as three attempts to round Iannone were in vain.

However, it was a case of fourth time lucky, as Marquez capitalised on some wide front riding to take the lead—one he then never surrendered.

Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images

The Spaniard had previously lost pole to Rossi after crashing in Q2, but the way that he atoned for his errors was admirable and the catalyst behind success. He told MotoGP's official website that he was ready to learn from his Q2 mistakes before the race got underway:

"

Today (Saturday) I’m sorry for the team because I did two mistakes, exactly the same in Turns 4 and 5. I wasn’t pushing too much or trying to go faster, I just made a mistake with the brake. It’s important to know for tomorrow (Sunday). We have a good race pace and we’re ready to fight for the victory.

"

Alberto Saiz/Associated Press

While we praise how Marquez finds a way to lead whenever he’s behind, the fact remains that he’s an impeccable front-runner, too.

Rossi and Pedrosa were in hot pursuit of the World Champion as the laps ticked by, but they simply couldn’t catch him.

That much reflects how the season has been as a whole, with everyone chasing a man that spends more time out of sight than in. Here are the final general classification standings:

Pos.	Rider	Bike	Points
1	Marc MARQUEZ	Honda	362
2	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	295
3	Jorge LORENZO	Yamaha	263
4	Dani PEDROSA	Honda	246
5	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	Ducati	187
6	Pol ESPARGARO	Yamaha	136
7	Aleix ESPARGARO	Forward Yamaha	126
8	Bradley SMITH	Yamaha	121
9	Stefan BRADL	Honda	117
10	Andrea IANNONE	Ducati	102
11	Alvaro BAUTISTA	Honda	89
12	Scott REDDING	Honda	81
13	Cal CRUTCHLOW	Ducati	74
14	Hiroshi AOYAMA	Honda	68
15	Yonny HERNANDEZ	Ducati	53
16	Nicky HAYDEN	Honda	47
17	Karel ABRAHAM	Honda	33
18	Hector BARBERA	Ducati	26
19	Michele PIRRO	Ducati	18
20	Danilo PETRUCCI	ART	17
21	Alex DE ANGELIS	Forward Yamaha	14
22	Colin EDWARDS	Forward Yamaha	11
23	Broc PARKES	PBM	9
24	Michael LAVERTY	PBM	9
25	Mike DI MEGLIO	Avintia	9
26	Katsuyuki NAKASUGA	Yamaha	4
27	Leon CAMIER	Honda	1

Where exactly does Marquez go from here, then?

He’s dominated MotoGP after rising through the ranks the right way, and while they say the sky’s the limit, he’s seemingly already there.

MotoGP returns for the 2015 season in March, when Marquez will take to the Grand Prix in Qatar looking to somehow better his 2014 campaign.

Only an invincible season of victories can do that, but if anyone’s capable, it’s the Spanish sensation.