Marc Marquez is back to his winning ways…

The 21-year-old Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racer, who won his second MotoGP championship title in as many seasons three races ago in Japan, came in first on Sunday in a tight race at the Sepang Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Marquez has struggled in the last couple of months, but managed to return to the top of the podium after a hard-fought victory.

Marquez’s 12th win of the season ties him with legendary Australian Mick Doohan, who won 12 of 15 races in 1997. Marquez has won 12 of 17 races this season, with only Valencia left to close out the schedule on November 9.

“I’ve equaled Mick Doohan’s record,” he told reporters after the race. “With one race left, maybe I can beat it. If I had a bad result here the pressure in Valencia would be more.

“But now I am free in Valencia and I can do well for my fans and just enjoy it.”

The Honda rider fell back as far as ninth at the start, but was back up to third by the second of 20 laps around the 3.4-mile track. He pulled away from Yamaha teammates Valentino Rossi of Italy and Jorge Lorenzo of Spain to cruise to a comfortable 2.445-second winning margin.

With Marquez’s victory, Honda claimed its 21st Contructor’s Championship at motorcycle racing’s premier level for road bikes.