Joan Mir took Suzuki’s first MotoGP title win for 20 years when he crossed the line in seventh yesterday at Valencia and said it was the thing he had been fighting for his whole life.

The Spaniard did exactly what he needed to do for the championship while Franco Morbidelli fended off Jack Miller for the win and took the big trophy with a 29-point lead and one round left to run next weekend.

“Unbelievable. I don’t have words to describe this emotion because it’s something that I’ve been fighting for all my life. And to finally get this result at the moment I don’t laugh, I cannot cry. It’s a mix of emotions,” said Mir, speaking at the track.

“I’m really, really happy. You can’t believe, because when you follow one dream all your life and finally you achieve it, at the moment I don’t believe what is happening.

“To be the person who brings them another crown after 20 years is an unbelievable feeling and a true honour. The entire team did an incredible job, and I’m just so overjoyed with this championship win.

“I’ve come a long way since being a child with hardly any money to go racing, and my family are to thank for this. I worked very hard to get to the top and this reward is amazing. Today’s race wasn’t easy, but I got the result I needed and I hope to have a great end in Portimao.”