Thailand MotoGP - Friday LIVE!

Live updates from Friday's Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP practice sessions at Buriram - Marc Marquez intends to return to action in FP2 after a big accident and visit to hospital this morning...

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After a short break following the Aragon round, MotoGP begins the flyaway races in Asia starting with in Thailand where Marc Marquez has his first opportunity to seal the 2019 world title.

While the breakdown of points permutations is diverse, the simple fact is Marquez needs to outscore Andrea Dovizioso by two points at the Chang International Circuit to secure his sixth MotoGP title and his eighth world crown in total.

Marquez defeated Dovizioso in a gripping last-lap duel at the Buriram circuit 12 months ago, gaining revenge on the reverse result he suffered to the Italian rider at the Austrian round earlier in the season, with a similar battle predicted at the second-ever Thailand MotoGP.

A repeat result would be enough to secure the riders’ title with four races to spare, but with the Repsol Honda rider refusing to change his approach in Thailand expect more of the same from the 26-year-old who is compiling a stunning set of statistics this season.

With victory in Aragon, Marquez has now achieved at least eight GP wins per season in five different year – matching the same feat produced by Angel Nieto and Giacomo Agostini – with only Valentino Rossi scoring more with at least eight wins across eight different campaigns.

Over the last 23 races he has finished, Marquez has always been on the podium while that run includes 14 wins, nine second places and just one third place.

With Marquez’s momentum carrying him to the 2019 MotoGP world title, when realistically it is a matter of when rather than if he can clinch the championship, Dovizioso has already switched his mindset to preparing for a 2020 title tilt as Ducati looks to counter against Honda over the winter.

But with race victories on offer it won’t stop spirited challengers attempting to spoil Marquez’s party at the Thai track which hosted a thrilling maiden MotoGP race 12 months ago.

With the multiple long straights in the first section of the 4.554km circuit, Honda, Ducati and KTM will look to gallop clear with higher horsepower and top speed while the superior cornering and handling of the Yamaha and Suzuki packages is catered for in the twisty middle sector.

That goes some way to explain how three different manufacturers were represented on the podium last year, with four brands inside the top six overall split by a little over three seconds at the chequered flag.