Rain almost dictated the destiny of the Moto2 title after Marc Marquez crashed out of the Malaysian Grand Prix. Fortunately for the Spaniard, his lone challenger Pol Espargaro finished in 11th, leaving Marquez 48 points clear with only 50 more on offer in the final races in Philip Island and Valencia.
The Malaysian Grand Prix got underway on a soaking wet track in hot and humid conditions with Marquez third on the front row behind pole man Espargaro.
There was no need for Marquez to win the race and he made a cautious start, seemingly happy at the back of the leading pack. With Espargaro struggling in 12th Marquez had one hand on the title.
The real excitement in this race was at the front where Alex de Angelis was doing battle with Gino Rea and Anthony West.
The track was beginning to dry but there were still wet patches and it looked like the result might go to the rider who was able to look after his rain tyres in the conditions. As a dry line began to form in places there was a real danger of tyres overheating.
Then it started raining again and the drama became even more instense. Local hero Hafiz Syahrin was already working his way through the pack and as the conditions worsened he went even faster. To the delight of the crowd he took the lead on lap 9 of 15.
Marquez eventually crashed out on lap 13 after losing his front on the brakes trying to stay ahead of Andrea Iannone. He didn't need to push though – with Espargaro in 12th he would've won the title coming in behind Iannone.
Syahrin, meanwhile, lasted three laps at the front before dropping back to fourth as de Angelis, West, and Rea swapped places at the front in heavy rain. The downpour was so heavy the race was red flagged with the result counted at the end of lap 15, with de Angelis finishing ahead of West and Rea.
