Paris (AFP)

Marc Marquez this weekend will release his sixth World MotoGP title on the Motegi circuit in Japan and will have again to his tricks Fabio Quartararo become his most serious rival, but still running after a first success.

The Spaniard and Frenchman fought to the last meters in the last GP of Thailand, the first winning the finish and pocketing a new title to just 26 years. But the second already counts for his first season at the highest level at only 20 years four pole positions and five podiums including three 2nd places and is ranked 7th in the provisional classification of the championship with 143 points.

He misses only a first victory in MotoGP, which would also be the first of a French since 1999. Motegi "is a track that I really like.The goal at the beginning of the year was to be rookie (beginner) of the year and we will try to reach this weekend but frankly I do not think too much, "he said at a press conference Thursday.

As for Marquez, he already has his eyes set on 2020 and a 7th MotoGP title (the 9th all categories) to get closer to other legends of the bike as Valentino Rossi and Giacomo Agostini.

"I feel good, more relaxed," he said Thursday. "But the mentality remains the same, we will try to win Sunday and prepare 2020 in the best possible way," he said.

His Honda team is approaching a new title - which would be the fourth consecutive and the eighth in 10 years - and currently has 77 points ahead of Ducati and 83 on Yamaha while there are 4 races to contend.

Ducati side, Andrea Dovizioso will try to secure his 2nd place in the championship, which would be his third consecutive.

The 33-year-old Italian, world champion in 125cc in 2004 but never title in the queen category, remains under the threat of Alex Rins (Suzuki), Maverick Vinales (Yamaha) and his teammate Danilo Petrucci or, to a lesser extent, Valentino Rossi and Fabio Quartararo, both on Yamaha.

- "Dovi" for a rematch -

Winner in 2017, he had dropped last year in the penultimate lap after being overtaken by Marquez.

"I expect to be strong, there are a lot of accelerations / decelerations and I think our bike will work well, but in some corners we still have difficulties compared to some other opponents," said Dovi. Thursday.

The Yamahas have not managed to get on the podium at Motegi since 2015. But both the factory machines entrusted to Vinales and Rossi and those of the SRT satellite team (Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli) have been very fast during last races.

The team at the tuning fork has only achieved one victory this year (9 for Honda, 3 for Ducati and 2 for Suzuki) and its best driver in the provisional ranking of the championship is only 4th (Vinales). The good results of SRT machines, however, allows him to lure Ducati in the manufacturers' standings with only 6 points behind.

In Moto2, Alex Marquez, Marc's younger brother, will try to get closer to a first title in the category by increasing his lead in the championship in a very tight pack composed of his compatriot Augusto Fernandez, South African Brad Binder of Switzerland Thomas Lüthi and Spaniard Jorge Navarro.

For the Moto3, the Italian Lorenzo Dalla Porta is 22 points ahead of the Spaniard Aron Canet, unlucky at the last GP of Thailand and will do everything to pick up the championship.

© 2019 AFP