Paris (AFP)

Who can stop Marc Marquez? Winner of the last five races, the Spanish Honda rider is the favorite of the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix, penultimate round of the season Sunday in Sepang, facing in particular the convalescent Fabio Quartararo.

Fell in free practice last week in Australia, the French was left for a hematoma left ankle, before being released by the Italian Danilo Petrucci (Ducati) in the first round of the GP, without aggravating his condition.

"I feel better," he says on Thursday, "it's still painful, but there will be more things to think about the bike."

Best beginner in the category, Quartararo is also close to the distinction of best independent driver. He needed to widen the gap on the Australian Jack Miller (Ducati Pramac) from 22 to 25 lengths and not let the British Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) back from 30 to 25 points.

Another good reason for "El Diablo", his team Yamaha SRT evolves at home in Malaysia.

Another Frenchman in the running, Johann Zarco, who broke with KTM during the season, made the second of his three years at LCR Honda, replacing Takaaki Nakagami. "My energy is very good and I hope to sign a top 10, or even a top 5", he announces.

The Japanese has been operated "successfully" with a recurrent injury to his right shoulder, his team said on Wednesday.

- "How to stop Marquez"? -

The title of champion in his pocket, Marquez has several records within reach of handlebars.

This weekend, he can improve the number of points scored in one season (383 by Jorge Lorenzo in 2010, while he himself has 375) and the number of podiums in one season (16, which he shares with Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner and Lorenzo).

The Catalan can also match his record of 13 wins in a season set in 2014 if he wins the last two races.

But "at this moment, nobody knows how to stop Marc," points the Italian Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati), vice-world champion as in 2018 and 2017. "The gap is crazy, it's a little too much. "

The Spaniard missed the podium only once in 2019, giving up on a fall at the GP of the Americas mid-April. And when he does not win, the 26-year-old driver is "happy" with second place (5)!

"We are in a very good period, we are enjoying ourselves and everything we are trying to do is working," says Marquez. "The points record is something that will only be remembered if someone improves it again, so I'm not going to focus on it, I'm just going to try to win."

After the titles drivers and manufacturers, it also aims for a coronation teams, the official "team" Honda pointing a length behind Ducati.

- Third place coveted -

Since 2012, the Japanese brand has won five times at Sepang, including two with Marquez in 2014 and 2018, and its Italian rival twice with Dovizioso in 2016 and 2017.

If the Italian is assured of second place in the championship, there are still many in the running for the last step of the podium: the third Alex Rins (Suzuki), the fourth Maverick Vinales (Yamaha), the fifth Petrucci and sixth Quartararo, in particular, stand in 20 points.

Vinales, the fastest at Phillip Island last weekend before dropping in the last lap, is Marquez's favorite and "Dovi".

Also note this weekend the package of Tito Rabat (Ducati Avintia), who suffers from the right hand and will not be replaced.

In Moto2, Alex Marquez (Kalex), Marc's little brother, has a second chance to win the title and a comfortable lead of 28 points over Switzerland's Tom Lüthi (Kalex), 33 over South African Brad Binder ( KTM) and 43 on the Spaniard Jorge Navarro (Speed ​​Up), with 25 units to take maximum after Malaysia.

In Moto3, the Italian Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Honda) has been crowned in Australia, but the place of vice-champion is very coveted, among others by the Spaniard Aron Canet (KTM), the Italian Tony Arbolino (Honda) and Spaniard Marcos Ramirez (Honda), only 18 points apart.

© 2019 AFP