Champions weekend: A coronation in MotoGP and a shocker in MotoAmerica

Here's a quick look at championship weekend and how we got there, starting with a weekend of dramatic twists and turns in the plot at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

MotoAmerica: The highs and lows of racing, all in one weekend

This MotoAmerica Superbike season was one of streaks, as the championship battle distilled to three riders who won 19 of the 20 races. First, five-time champion Cameron Beaubier on the Tytlers Cycle BMW M 1000 RR started strong with three wins and a second in the first four races. Then defending champion Josh Herrin unleashed a five-race winning streak on his Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati V4 R to move to the top of the standings. Then Bobby Fong threw down his own five-race winning streak on his Attack Performance Progressive Yamaha YZF-R1. Meanwhile, Herrin had a disastrous run at VIRginia International Raceway and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course where he scored just 11 points in three races and fell from the points lead to third.

Along the way, at Mid-Ohio, Beaubier set a new record for the most AMA Pro roadracing wins across all classes. But what he wanted to go along with that record was a sixth Superbike title. That all came down to New Jersey, where Fong came into the weekend with an eight-point lead over Beaubier and a 22-point advantage over Herrin.

And what an up-and-down weekend it was. On Friday, Fong looked like almost a sure thing, qualifying in pole position while two crashes left Beaubier perplexed and problems with the bike during the qualifying sessions meant Herrin would start all three races from 10th on the grid.

Fong's position was even stronger after he won Saturday's race ahead of Beaubier and then Herrin. Two second-place finishes on Sunday would have guaranteed him his first Superbike championship, and second is exactly where he was, behind Herrin, starting the last lap of Sunday's first race. But instead of cruising to the finish, Fong continued pushing Herrin and nearly touched him on the last lap, crashing out of the race. (See the highlights video below.) That moved Beaubier into first place in the points and, in the final race, Fong was fighting with Beaubier for the lead and crashed again.

Going into New Jersey, Fong was the only racer among the top three who had scored points in every race. Then he finished the season with two DNFs. (You can see all three Superbike races from New Jersey free on the MotoAmerica YouTube channel.)

That handed the championship to Beaubier, his sixth Superbike title and first since 2020. Beaubier has had to fight his way back himself, after two winless years in Moto2 in 2021 and 2022 and being hampered with injuries the last two years. In 2023, he suffered a concussion in one crash and was caught up in two other crashes that were no fault of his. In 2024, a broken heel at Road America set him back. Even in this last round of 2025, he was racing with a sore wrist injured in a bicycle training incident.

"I don’t even know what to say," Beaubier said after getting his #1 plate. "This year has been one of the craziest Superbike years I’ve ever had, with the speed Bob (Fong) had at the beginning, and middle of the season, and then (Josh) Herrin coming on strong.

"I showed up with some confidence after COTA and went and fell down twice Friday and was scratching my head. I just have to thank my team for continuing to believe in me and making adjustments to the bike literally all weekend to get to where we were that last race. I felt awesome in the race. We were able to get there this weekend, which we didn’t see that happening Friday."

MotoGP: The comeback is complete

Coming into this weekend's Motul Grand Prix of Japan, everyone expected Marc Márquez to clinch his ninth world championship and his seventh in MotoGP's top class. Before the season started, lots of people considered him the favorite, now that he was on the factory Ducati Lenovo team. Fewer people predicted that his closest competition would be his brother, Álex. It's the age of sibling rivalry in motorcycle racing, with Jett and Hunter Lawrence finishing first and second two years in a row in SuperMotocross and Marc and Álex one-two in MotoGP.

Common Tread's own Dustin Wheelen, temporarily residing in Japan, was on the scene in Motegi, roaming the paddock on Saturday and rubbing shoulders in the grandstands with the regular fans on Sunday.

"The atmosphere around the Twin Ring is one of composure and order," Dustin reported. "While Japan's GP fans aren't known for raising a ruckus, they wear their fandom on their sleeves. Quite literally. In the crowd were Vale shirts, Quartararo shirts, and even Pedro Acosta shirts. Some donned official team polos from Aprilia or Yamaha. Others proudly rocked Ducati or Honda apparel. However, the ones most prominently flying their flags were Marc Márquez fans. At nearly every corner of the track, a number 93 banner waved in the wind."

After struggling all season, 2023 MotoGP champion and fellow Ducati factory rider Pecco Bagnaia has regained his form lately and led from the start of Sunday's race. Álex Márquez, starting eighth, had little hope of catching his brother. Marc Márquez worked his way into second, past KTM's Pedro Acosta. Dustin reported there was a gasp from the fans as puffs of smoke began emerging from Baganaia's Ducati, putting the victory in doubt despite his lead of nearly four seconds. But whatever was going on with the machine, it held together and Bagnaia and Márquez finished one-two for a perfect weekend for the team.

The championship marks an amazing comeback for Márquez, who suffered a broken arm in the first race of the disrupted 2020 season, rushed back to competition the next race after surgery, and suffered more complications, eventually having four operations on the arm, among other setbacks, such as problems with his vision. At the low point, he finished the 2023 season ranked 14th in points. Now, after 14 wins in 17 sprint races and 11 wins in 17 full-length races this year, he's clearly back on top.

"It's hard to find the words to describe the emotions I'm feeling right now," Márquez said afterwards. "After the challenges and the injuries of 2020, I continued to fight and I can now say I'm at peace with myself. This has been the biggest challenge for me."

The comeback, for arguably the greatest motorcycle roadracer in history, is complete. As he said when he was trying to come back from his injuries, "They asked me, 'Are you dreaming to win again?' I dream to ride a bike with no pain." Now he's done both.