Marc Marquez claimed a record 13th win of the 2014 MotoGP season by battling to victory in the drizzly Valencia finale.

Valentino Rossi clinched the championship runner-up spot with second in the race, and was on course to seal his points position even before a disastrous tyre gamble ruined rival and Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo’s day.

That tyre miscue was prompted by the second shower to hit the Valencia Grand Prix.

The first came just in time for the start, and second-place qualifier Andrea Iannone revelled in it, charging into an early lead on his Pramac Ducati as the rest tip-toed around on the slippery track.

Iannone’s lead grew to 1.7 seconds before Rossi and Marquez, who had jumped from fifth to third off the line, found their feet and reeled him in, swapping places along the way.

Although the shower quickly passed, Iannone maintained a strong pace and led until one-third distance.

He fought doggedly when the champions caught him, and Marquez needed to try three passes before finally making one stick and taking first place for good.

Rossi had a tough time passing Iannone too, with Dani Pedrosa catching them as they battled.

Iannone’s speed then waned and he fell back to seventh place, before gambling on a change to wets when another shower arrived.

Lorenzo did likewise. He appeared to be spooked in the early drizzle and dropped to seventh, before gaining confidence and fighting back past the Ducatis into fourth, until to lose those places again when the rain returned.

Wets proved wildly over-ambitious, though. Lorenzo and Iannone were over 10s off the pace, with Lorenzo giving up and retiring, while Iannone finished a lapped last.

Rossi had been under heavy pressure for second from Pedrosa until the shower. As the track conditions changed, the Yamaha pulled clear and for a while closed in on Marquez, before the world champion upped his pace and stretched away to win by 3.5s.

Pedrosa tumbled 10s away from Rossi, but held on to third place ahead of a superb race-long battle between the Ducatis of Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow.

After countless passes and re-passes, Dovizioso claimed fourth by 0.068s over his team-mate.

Pol Espargaro sealed sixth in the championship in his rookie season by beating brother Aleix to the same place in the race. Bradley Smith’s bid for the place ended when a fall dropped him from eighth to an eventual 14th.

Stefan Bradl, Ducati test rider Michele Pirro and Scott Redding completed the top 10.

RESULTS – 30 LAPS:

FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: