Marc Marquez won a thrilling inaugural Thailand MotoGP Sunday to extend his lead in the championship in pursuit of a fifth title.
MotoGP champion Marc Marquez snatched the lead from Andrea Dovizioso at the death to win the inaugural Thailand Grand Prix on Sunday and take a huge stride toward a third successive title.
After fierce wheel-to-wheel racing in the closing laps at Buriram, the Honda-riding Spaniard nosed in front at the last corner and edged the Italian by 0.115 seconds to prevail in a thrilling duel.
The win extended the four-times champion's lead to 77 points over Ducati's Dovizioso with four races left, and Marquez can wrap up the series in Japan in two weeks with a win at Motegi.
"Amazing to win here after a difficult weekend," Marquez said, flashing his toothy grin after his seventh win of the season.
"But the boys did very, very good work through the whole weekend. They give everything. So one more step to the final dream."
Yamaha-rider Maverick Vinales finished third ahead of teammate Valentino Rossi.
Marquez started on pole after winning his 50th qualifying on Saturday but relinquished the lead after a poor early lap, allowing Rossi and Dovizioso to pass.
Veteran Rossi's challenge soon fell away, leaving Dovizioso to battle Marquez alone.
Ducati had tested poorly at the track in February and it looked gloomy for the Italian as Marquez bided his time to strike.
With four laps left, Marquez pounced and snatched the lead but Dovizioso bravely wrested it back quickly to kick off a breathless series of overtakes.
Marquez appeared to have struck a decisive blow in the penultimate lap but Dovizioso again stormed back to take the race into the final corner.
In the end, it was a bitter pill to swallow for the Italian who has battled gamely but fruitlessly throughout the series to reel in a champion who often seems racing in a class of his own.
"It's not nice to lose at the last corner but ... at the end we battled for the victory so we did incredible work and we are continuing to improve," he said.
Marquez now has 271 points, 77 ahead of Dovizioso with a maximum of 100 available in the final four races of season, making him a strong favourite to retain his title.
Marquez also made history over the weekend as he became the first rider to climb out of Q1 to claim pole position, the 50th of his stunning career.
The Spaniard delighted his supporters, who sought out pictures with him and wore caps with his number 93.
Thailand's first MotoGP is being held in the rural town of Buri Ram in the northeast, about a five-hour drive from the capital Bangkok.
Buri Ram has seen explosive growth through investment in football and racing sports, and expectations for the event were high.
Thousands of hotel rooms and jobs have been created through a football stadium and the 2014 Chang International Circuit, the only Formula One grade track in the country.
The town has a population of about 30,000 but more than double that have turned out to see the debut spectacle, which attracted fans from all over the country and abroad.
But attendees missed out on seeing star Jorge Lorenzo, who had to pull out of the race after a crash injured his wrist in practice.
The maiden MotoGP had a local twist as the country's famous food was being sold by vendors alongside a popular exhibition of Muay Thai, the traditional martial art
Both Dovizioso and Marquez praised the energy and excitement of supporters.
"In Europe the fans have to learn from the Thai fans," Dovizioso said, while Marquez described the atmosphere as akin to a party.
(Video YouTube/YTV Channel)