SEPANG, Malaysia (Reuters) – Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales staved off MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez’s spectacular charge to win the Malaysian Grand Prix for his second win of the 2019 season at the Sepang International Circuit on Sunday.
A week after crashing out in the final lap at Phillip Island to allow Marquez win the season’s penultimate race in Australia, Vinales built an early lead and raced clear of his fellow Spaniard, who finished second after beginning 11th.
Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso finished third, denying Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi a podium place.
Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo finished a disappointing seventh, failing to reproduce the speed which earned him pole position on Saturday.
Marquez had sewed up his sixth MotoGP title and fourth in a row in Thailand last month.
Valencia hosts the final race of the season on Nov. 17.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
