Italian rider Marco Bezzecchi won the final race of the MotoGP season in Valencia, capping a fine end to his campaign.
Bezzecchi, 27, also claimed victory in the penultimate race in Portugal and became the first Aprilla rider to seal back-to-back MotoGP wins.
His latest victory followed a fifth-placed finish in Saturday’s sprint, which secured him third place in the overall season standings – a first top-three finish for Aprilla.
“I had a lot of fun,” said Bezzecchi, who started on pole and edged Spanish Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez into second place, while Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio was third on his Ducati.
“It was tough but I am very, very happy for the work the team did and I can’t hope for a better way to finish the season, and now we have to celebrate for sure.”
Spaniard Marc Marquez, who clinched his seventh world title with five events to spare in Japan in September, ended his season early last month after suffering a collarbone injury.
His brother Alex sealed second place overall in October and finished sixth in the Valencia Grand Prix, after winning the sprint race.
