After 20 years, a rider from Suzuki has finally become a MotoGP world champion thanks to Joan Mir. Yesterday’s race in Valencia saw an epic battle upfront between Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Jack Miller (Pramac Ducati), but a seventh-place finish for Mir was more than enough to seal the deal in the rider’s championship.
Still no words to describe this feelings!#M1R #ValenciaGP
¡Todavía sin palabras para describir estas emociones!@MotoGP @suzukimotogp pic.twitter.com/BwmCRQJxRO— JoanMir36 (@JoanMirOfficial) November 15, 2020
With 171 points in total and 29 points ahead of its closest rival, Joan Mir becomes the fourth Spanish rider to win the crown after Alex Criville, Jorge Lorenzo, and Marc Marquez. He also set the new record for a championship won with the least number of races (one win in the European GP last week).
Team Suzuki Ecstar also won the team’s championship title as both Alex Rins and Joan Mir scored enough points to seal the deal (309 points). Second in the standings is Petronas Yamaha SRT with 230 points (thanks to the penalty point deduction), followed by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing with 209 points (Pol Espargaro finished in P3 yesterday).
With two titles in the bag, Suzuki is looking into getting the coveted triple crown for the last race of the season next week with the manufacturer’s title. As of now, both Suzuki and Ducati are tied with 201 points and if they’re able to obtain more points next week in Portimao, Portugal, it’ll be a historic moment for Suzuki as they celebrate its 100th anniversary this year.
