Defending world champion Marc Marquez won the Japanese MotoGP on Sunday, closing the gap to championship leader Jorge Martin to just two points with six rounds remaining in the season. Marquez overtook fellow Spaniard Martin on lap 11 at Motegi after initially staying behind the pole-sitter, before controlling the race through the closing stages.

The victory completed a successful weekend for Marquez, who had also won Saturday's sprint race. The Ducati rider's latest Grand Prix triumph was his sixth of the season, strengthening his title challenge after he had lost ground to Martin at the previous round in Austria. Marquez's consistency has kept him firmly in contention despite missing races in Le Mans and Catalonia while recovering from surgery on his foot and shoulder.

Martin settled for second place after starting from pole and remained relatively comfortable once Marquez moved ahead. The result nevertheless reduced his advantage at the top of the championship standings to two points. Italian Marco Bezzecchi finished third but continued to fall further behind the leading pair in the title battle.

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Bezzecchi had to defend his position under pressure from fellow Italian Enea Bastianini, who eventually finished fourth. Spain's Pedro Acosta, who secured his maiden MotoGP victory in Austria, came home seventh, while Japan's Ai Ogura finished sixth in front of his home crowd. Ogura had been aiming to become the first Japanese rider to win a MotoGP race at Motegi since 2004.

The race took place under changing weather conditions, with sunny skies giving way to cooler and more overcast conditions shortly before the start. However, the expected rain did not arrive, allowing the race to proceed without a significant weather disruption. Marquez appeared in control after taking the lead and completed the race without facing serious pressure from Martin.

Brazilian rider Diogo Moreira, who had finished second in Saturday's sprint after Martin was demoted to third because of a penalty, was unable to repeat that performance in the Grand Prix after crashing out. With six races still remaining, Marquez's victory has intensified the championship battle and placed him within touching distance of Martin at the top of the standings.

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