2019 FIM MOTO2 GRAND PRIX WORLD CHAMPION
ALEX HITS THE MARQ
Alex Márquez (Kalex) completed a stunning turnaround to win the 2019 FIM Moto2 World Championship with a round to spare, despite finding himself sixth in the standings and thirty-nine points off the leader after the opening four races of the season. At that stage Lorenzo Baldassarri (Kalex) had made a blistering start with three wins already to his name, however the Italian’s campaign was blighted by inconsistency and he soon lost his grip on the lead as Márquez hit his stride.
Five wins from the next six races propelled the Spaniard into a thirty-three-point lead over Thomas Lüthi (Kalex) as the championship crossed the halfway point at Brno, before a first Moto2 victory for Brad Binder (KTM) at the next round in Austria sparked a resurgent second half to the season from the South African. Binder mounted a title challenge with further wins at Aragon, Phillip Island and Sepang, but although Márquez was unable to return to the top step during that period, second-place behind his main rival in Malaysia was enough to secure the crown and settle any final-round nerves in Valencia.
Márquez made his Grand Prix debut as a wildcard in 2012, the same season he was crowned FIM CEV Champion. He made the step up full-time to the FIM Moto3 World Championship in 2013, taking a win in his first season and the title in his second. This season’s success means the twenty-three-year-old makes history as the first former FIM Moto3 World Champion to win the Moto2 crown.
PALMARES
FIM Moto2 World Champion – 2019
FIM Moto3 World Champion – 2014
