MARQUEZ TAKES SECOND AT MUGELLO

Marc Marquez play starring role in thrilling race, finishing just centimetres from victory.

The Italian Grand Prix provided another spectacular race for MotoGP fans, from the first lap to the last. Marc Marquez would have a big role in the action, placing second.

Despite a poor start, Marquez was up into third by Lap 2. Ten laps in, an engine breakdown for Valentino Rossi cleared the way, and Marquez’ pursuit of Jorge Lorenzo was completed at the halfway mark. On a dramatic final lap, featuring several passes between the pair, the winner would be decided on the home straight. Lorenzo bested Marquez by 0.019s, thanks to his use of the slipstream.

Following the Italian GP, Marquez is second in the MotoGP World Championship with 105 points, while Pedrosa is fourth with 66.

Marc Marquez: “Today we made a good race, we managed to get very close, and finally we made the podium which is always positive, but even with the slipstream I wasn’t able to overtake Jorge. We struggled throughout the weekend with acceleration and top speed. I tried to give my all and I did the best race I could do today, I really tried everything. I took several risks in an attempt to win, but on the home straight Jorge slipstreamed me. Now we have to keep working on acceleration because we’re still lacking a little in that regard. Honda is working hard back in Japan, as we do at the tracks and we’ll try to take a step forward ahead of the next race”.

MARC MARQUEZ WANTS TO CLIM THE PODIUM AT MUGELLO

Marc Marquez faces one of the most challenging tracks on the MotoGP calendar, with very different characteristics to Jerez and Le Mans.

The MotoGP World Championship rolls on to Italy this weekend, as the Repsol Honda rider face Round 6 of the 2016 season. Marquez take on the unique Mugello circuit in his latest challenge, and the Cervera rider has fond memories of the track. Marc Marquez took his first Grand Prix win at the track in 2010 –racing in the 125cc class.

Following five races in the 2016 season, Marquez lies second in the overall standings with a total of 85 points –just 5 points off series leader Jorge Lorenzo.

Repsol Honda’s engineers, Santi Hernandez and Ramon Aurin, highlight adapting to quick changes of direction and grip at full lean as keys to mastering Mugello.

Marc Marquez: “I look forward to the next two races: we need to focus and concentrate on Mugello and Montmelo which are two very different tracks from both Jerez and Le Mans. They require more corner speed and if two years ago I would have said that they were demanding tracks for us now I think that maybe they can be better. We have work to do but I believe that if we improve the acceleration, our bike is one of the best out there. Not easy to get it due to the actual rules that prevent us from working on the engine, but I know that Honda is working hard on every other area of the bike and I believe in them, so we remain positive and in Mugello we will go with the podium as a target but we will see how the situation will shape up and in case we will try to get the most the conditions will allow us to.“

MARC MÁRQUEZ SHOWS HONOUR AT LE MANS

Marc Márquez suffers a crash and places thirteenth.

The rider from Cervera did not enjoy such a positive race, crashing on Lap 16 when riding in fourth place and closing in on the Top 3. The Repsol Honda rider picked his bike back up and showed pride to rejoin the race, crossing the line in thirteenth. The result gives him three points for this overall tally, which could be vital at the end of the season.

Following the fifth round of the 2016 season, Marquez occupies second place in the MotoGP World Championship with 85 points -5 off leader Jorge Lorenzo-.

Marc Márquez: “It was a pity about the crash today. I was having a good race, but these things can happen when you’re at the limit on every lap. I could have opted for a more conservative race, but here you can end up far back if you do that, so today I had to take risks. In the race I saw that I was losing ground under acceleration, and I had to make that back with my braking. Finally I lost the front and crashed. The positive is that I managed to get three points and I’m only five off Jorge Lorenzo in the standings, which isn’t a lot. Now we have a run of tracks that we found a little tough last year, but they’re quite different to Jerez and Le Mans, so I hope to be fast and have some good races.”

MARQUEZ READY TO CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD IN FRANCE

Marc Marquez is the only MotoGP rider to have finished on the podium at every race so far this season. At Le Mans, Marc Marquez has taken 3 pole positions from 3 MotoGP races.

The French Grand Prix is the second European round of the year for the MotoGP World Championship. After leaving the Circuito de Jerez with a good feeling just over a week ago, following a positive race and Monday test, Marc Marquez is back in action this weekend at the historic circuit of Le Mans –where he hold previous victories. Marquez comes into the French round leading the overall standings, thanks to two wins and two third positions from the first four races.

Marc Marquez: “I like the Le Mans track although it requires that you be ready to deal with many variables. To begin with, the weather: you never know what it will do there. Last year the temperature rose significantly on Sunday and we suffered a lot with front grip in the race. Rain also isn’t unusual there. In addition, the track has a stop-and-go layout, with many slow turns where braking and acceleration are crucial. We’ll see if we find ourselves in a situation similar to Austin, where acceleration out of slow corners was a lot better than expected, or if we have to face a bigger challenge. During the last test in Jerez, we worked a lot on electronics and the chassis setting to find more grip, and on the balance of the bike to reduce wheelying. It’s always a compromise but I think we’ve gathered useful info for Le Mans and, knowing how far we’ve come since this winter and how quickly we’ve been able to react to many situations, I feel confident and look forward to starting the next racing weekend.“