Marquez swept Motegi to give Ducati 100th MotoGP win
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 4, 2026
Marquez swept Motegi
Marc Marquez left Motegi with a perfect weekend and a tighter title chase. He won Saturday’s MotoGP Sprint and Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, then banked the maximum 37 points from the round to trim Jorge Martin’s championship lead to two points. Martin finished second in Sunday’s race, Marco Bezzecchi took third and Enea Bastianini crossed fourth after losing out to Bezzecchi in the closing laps. Ai Ogura also stayed in the mix, finishing sixth in Sunday’s race after placing fifth in the Sprint. That spread at the front mattered for the standings and for the tone of the championship fight, because Marquez did more than win one race. He swept the weekend, matched the best possible points haul and kept himself squarely in the title picture with six rounds remaining after the Japanese Grand Prix.
Title fight stayed close
Marquez said the title fight remained a three-way battle involving Martin and Bezzecchi. Martin’s runner-up finish still left him with the championship lead, but the margin narrowed to two points and the result gave Marquez real ground after Motegi. Bezzecchi’s third place also kept him in the conversation, and Marquez made clear he saw the contest as a three-way battle rather than a simple duel. The standings left little margin for error, and the Motegi points swing put Marquez back in the center of the fight. With six rounds left, Motegi underlined how quickly one clean weekend could reshape the race to the title.
Ducati reached 100
Marquez’s Motegi victory also delivered a milestone for Ducati and Gigi Dall’Igna, giving them their 100th premier-class MotoGP win together. The number tied the celebration to Marquez’s sweep of the weekend. It came after a messy off-track moment as well. Marquez skipped the scheduled Sunday-morning kart race, sent a body double in his place and drew a reprimand from MotoGP organizers. He said he put the race weekend first and needed to stay focused on the championship fight. That answer matched the way he rode on track. The result gave Ducati a milestone and gave Marquez a stronger position in the title chase. It also left Motegi with a clear storyline, a dominant rider, a tightened standings margin and a manufacturer celebrating triple digits at the top of the sport.
