Only Casey Stoner has become world champion outside of non-Japanese teams
The success of Suzuki Ecstark racer Joan Mir in winning the 2020 MotoGP world title has further emphasized the dominance of the Japanese racing team in motorsport. Joan Mir managed to lock the title of world champion in MotoGP 2020 after undergoing the MotoGP Valencia 2020 at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit, Valencia, Spain,
Even though he did not occupy a podium position, let alone be the winner of the race, the result of finishing in seventh was enough to lead Mir to the world title this season. With an additional 9 points, Joan Mir now has 171 points, 29 points ahead of Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) who is second in the drivers' standings.
The difference in points can no longer be pursued because the 2020 MotoGP world championship only leaves one more racing series, namely the Portuguese MotoGP at the Portimao Circuit next weekend.
Meanwhile, Suzuki has become the next Japanese team to successfully lead its racer to become world champions since the MotoGP era began in 2002. Interestingly, since the new era began, only Casey Stoner has become world champion outside of non-Japanese teams. Stoner won the MotoGP world title in the 2007 season with Ducati, which is a factory team from Italy.
Stepping back, Valentino Rossi was recorded as world champion with two different teams from Japan, Honda and Yamaha. Rossi made this prestigious achievement in the 2002-2005 season.
One season later, it was the turn of Honda racer, Nicky Hayden, who became the world champion of MotoGP 2006.Casey Stoner and Ducati only broke the trend of world champion of the Japanese racing team in 2007. However, starting one year later, Honda and Yamaha took turns winning the title again. champion of the world.
The Yamaha team showed their superiority in the 2008 to 2010 season through Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo. The competition between Honda and Yamaha became increasingly sharp in the 2012-2019 period. Yamaha relied on Jorge Lorenzo, while Honda made Marc Marquez spearhead the team.
In that time frame, Lorenzo successfully won the world title in the 2012 and 2015 seasons. Marquez became world champion in the 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 seasons. Lorenzo's move to Honda and became Marquez's partner in MotoGP 2019 seemed to pave the way for Marquez. to maintain the title.
When Lorenzo was hampered by injury, Marquez's dominance throughout the season was unstoppable until he managed to record 12 wins. In the 2020 season, the absence of Marc Marquez due to a right arm injury and inconsistencies in the appearance of the Yamaha team gave Suzuki the opportunity to break the dominance of the two squads.
Joan Mir's success in becoming the 2020 MotoGP world champion also reaffirms the superiority of the Japanese factory team for the last 19 seasons.
The world title achieved by Mir also ensures that Suzuki has embraced an achievement that has been "absent" for 20 years.
The last time Suzuki had a world champion racer was in 2000 (when the MotoGP race was still called 500cc) through Kenny Roberts Jr.