Publications
Partners
• Joan Mir becomes the ninth different winner in the 2020 MotoGP season.
• The standings leader crossed in the line ahead of Suzuki teammate Alex Rins in Valencia at the European Grand Prix.
• Suzuki scored their first 1-2 finish since 1982.
MotoGP championship leader Joan Mir will not finish the season without a win after the Suzuki rider crossed the line a 1-2 victory at the European grand prix.
Mir's team mate Alex Rins led the GP for 16 of the first 17 laps of the race before the former took the lead.
Mir's victory in Valencia increased his lead in the championship over Petronas SRT Yamaha's Fabio Quatararo to 37 points with two races left. Quatararo's title assault took a huge knock when he crashed on the opening lap, the Frenchman eventually finished 14th.
South Africa's Brad Binder on the KTM finished seventh to collect nine championship points.
Rins' second place finish saw him move level on points with Quatararo with 125 as he scored a second consecutive second place finish.
The teams remain in Spain for a second consecutive race in Valencia as part of the shortened season due to the impact of the coronavirus.
Injured Honda rider Marc Marquez will not win his fifth championship in a row after the Spaniard suffered a fracture to his right arm at the start of the season.
Marquez's absence has seen several riders claim their first victories in the premier class but few have had a grip on the championship.
Six riders are still in contention of winning the 2020 title, with sixth-placed Andrea Dovisiozo on the Ducati and Franco Morbidelli level on points with 117. The duo's scenario is unlikely to unfold however. In order to stand a chance of winning title they need to win both grand prix and need their rivals to fail to score points.
Mir's win in Valencia gives the 2017 Moto3 champion a huge boost heading into this Sunday's race and he'll be hoping Quatararo's inconsistent form will continue.
Mir's most fierce competition could be from team mate Rins, who is in a purple patch of form. The 24-year-old has one win and two second-place finishes in his last three races.
There are 50 points available from the final two races of season which means predicting a winner of the championship remains too close to call.
All we know is, it's going to be a nail-biting finish.
