29 Oct, 2023

Moto GP

Marc Márquez fight until the very end in red-hot Buriram spectacular

Fans and riders alike hardly knew which way to look during an explosive 26-lap Thai Grand Prix, the premier class putting on one of the most exciting races of the year. There were battles throughout the entire field from the moment the lights went out until the field crossed the line, the Repsol Honda Team pair featuring heavily in the action as each authored strong races.

An intense opening lap saw Marc Marquez immediately thrust into the heart of the action as the entirety of the top ten were glued together for the first five laps. Every corner there was a new challenger as the #93 battled the likes of Aleix Espargaro and a mix of Ducati riders. One of the fiercest battles would be with MotoGP World Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia, the pair duking it out for sixth place in the early part of the race.

The melee would last until the middle of race when the group began to stretch out, Marquez focusing on holding himself inside the top ten. Another battle late in the race with Fabio Quartararo gave the fans in the MM93 Grandstand something to cheer about again, audibly erupting whenever Marquez made a move. Crossing the line in seventh, a post-race penalty of Aleix Espargaro would see Marquez promoted to sixth place.

The Repsol Honda Team will now enjoy a well-earned week away from the circuit after an intense period of five races in six weeks before returning for the final push of the year. Another triple header consisting of Sepang, Qatar and Valencia will sign off the 2023 season.

Marc Márquez, 6º: “It was a really exciting race, straight away from the start there were battles and everywhere I looked in the first laps there were bikes! I had good battles with Aleix, Pecco and later Fabio – they were all hard but really fun. I was fighting really hard at the start which meant the tyre dropped a bit at the end, but then when the others started to drop, I was able to recover more. Overall the weekend was positive, we rebuilt some confidence after Mandalika and Australia so this is really positive. Now we have a week off after three busy and physical races before ending the season.”

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29 Oct, 2023

Moto GP

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22 Oct, 2023

Moto GP

Marc Márquez work for more after Australia’s first Saturday Grand Prix

Schedule changes made for a busy Saturday in Australia as the Repsol Honda Team contested practice, Qualifying and the Grand Prix all in the same day.

For the first time since 2015, a Grand Prix was held on Saturday as weather warnings forced a change of schedule on safety grounds. This made for an intense day as the MotoGP field completed practice, two Qualifying sessions and had the full length Australian Grand Prix all moved to the same day.

As the weather continued to cool from Friday, the Repsol Honda Team headed out on track for Q1 alongside a number of big names for an intense 15-minute session. Marc Marquez would time his run perfectly to enter the top two on his final flying lap, advancing through to Q2. Ultimately taking seventh on the grid with a best time of 1’28.012, the eight-time World Champion ended 0.766s off pole.

From the head of the third row, Marquez lost a little ground in the run down to Turn 1 but quickly rallied and recovered to challenge the top five. A spirited start to the race had the #93 as an early podium contender but he quickly had to switch into a more defensive posture as the competition around him increased. Gambling with the soft, the latter half of the race became about survival, and he crossed the line in 15th to collect a solitary point.

Unfortunately, the #TissotSprint has been cancelled due to weather conditions and forecast

Marc Márquez, 15^th: “Last year the soft tyre brought us the podium, this year the gamble didn’t pay off. I was hoping for a slower race, but straight away Martin was pushing hard and I knew it would be a very fast race. At the start I really enjoyed the ten or so laps with Bagnaia and Zarco as we were fighting a lot. Then I needed to change my tactic and just focus on bringing the bike home as I was suffering more with tyre life. Now we wait and see what will happen with the situation tomorrow.”

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22 Oct, 2023

Moto GP

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16 Oct, 2023

Moto GP

Double DNF for Marc Márquez at the Indonesian GP

A weekend full of complications resulted in a disappointing double DNF for Marc Marquez.

The Indonesian Grand Prix at Mandalika turned into a grueling affair as a third of the grid suffered falls and experienced issues. Both Repsol Honda Team riders would be unfortunate victims of the former, Marc Marquez the first to fall on lap seven and Joan Mir coming off a few laps later on lap 12. Neither rider sustained any injuries in their falls.

Marc Marquez had been running a comfortable pace inside the top ten when he fell from eighth.

There’s not long to wait for a chance of redemption, the entire paddock heading directly to Australia for Round 16 at the iconic Phillip Island Circuit.

Marc Marquez, DNF: “The weekend started in a good way but then day by day, it became more complicated. Today in the race I kept calm, I was losing a little bit of ground, but I was not panicking. The aim was to finish the race and I was riding with this in mind. Unfortunately, at one point in Turn 13 I lost the front and I couldn’t save it. A tricky crash to understand but we start thinking about Australia.”

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16 Oct, 2023

Moto GP

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04 Oct, 2023

Moto GP

Honda Racing Corporation and Marc Marquez to end collaboration early by mutual agreement

Honda Racing Corporation and Marc Marquez have mutually elected to terminate their four-year contract prematurely at the end of the 2023 MotoGP World Championship season.

With a year still remaining on the four-year contract between HRC and Marc Marquez, both parties have mutually agreed to end their collaboration upon completion of the 2023 MotoGP World Championship season. Both parties agreed it was in their best interests to each pursue other avenues in the future to best achieve their respective goals and targets.

This brings an end to 11 years of collaboration between the #93 and HRC in which they achieved six premier class World Championships, five Triple Crowns, 59 wins, 101 podiums and 64 pole positions together.

Marquez took his debut victory in the premier class aboard the Honda RC213V at the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas in 2013 to become the youngest premier class winner and would become the youngest premier class World Champion later that year. In 2014 he defended his title and won the opening 10 consecutive races of year, going on to also claim titles in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 as an HRC rider with the Repsol Honda Team.

Both parties will continue to give their full support for the remaining rounds of the 2023 MotoGP World Championship season.

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04 Oct, 2023

Moto GP

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01 Oct, 2023

Moto GP

Marquez makes ‘romantic’ return to podium in waterlogged Japanese GP

A wet and wild race in Motegi was cut short due to the extreme conditions and fading light, Marc Marquez taking his 140th career podium and returning the Repsol Honda Team to the rostrum.

Overnight rain saw the MotoGP field discover a damp track for Warm Up as they arrived at Mobility Resort Motegi for race day. As the grid formed up for the 24-lap Japanese Grand Prix, the predicted rain began to fall and the MotoGP field shot forward on tender hooks with everyone starting on slicks. It would not last long as the majority of the field pulled into the pits at the end of the first lap. Marc Marquez showed his undeniable skill in the changing conditions as he immediately put himself into contention with the leading group.

Opting for a cautious approach as the rain began to intensify, Marquez let those ahead judge the conditions as he settled into a comfortable rhythm. With the conditions settled on completely wet, the eight-time World Champion began his attack and quickly made his way into the top five. Passing Bezzecchi on lap 11 to move into third, the #93 kept up an intense pace as he worked to eat into the lead of Bagnaia and Martin.

Conditions would worsen at this point and the red flag was displayed, ending the race. A restart was attempted but the combination of standing water and the waning light meant the result was declared and full points awarded.

Marc Marquez once again climbed onto the podium with third place, his first podium since taking second place at the Australian Grand Prix in 2021. This podium, the 140th of his career and his 101st in the premier class, moves Marc Marquez to fifth overall in terms of podium finishes across all classes. It is the 455th podium for the Repsol Honda Team in the premier class.

After two intense back-to-back races, the Repsol Honda Team will now enjoy a week off before heading to Mandalika for the Indonesian GP.

Marc Márquez, 3rd: “It feels great to return to the podium after so long away, and to do it here in Motegi, at Honda’s home, with so many fans and people from Honda here, honestly it is quite romantic. In the race it was all about understanding the wet tyres once we switched over, at the start it was quite dry so it was important to be careful to not destroy the tyre. I stayed calm and when I saw there was more water on track, I began to attack. I was feeling really good with my pace and I think we could have had an interesting end to the race, but ultimately Race Direction did a really good job and they made the right call at the right time. I want to say thank you to them and of course all of the Repsol Honda Team as well, days like today have many factors at play and my team worked really well to handle everything. This podium is what we have been looking for all year and it’s a nice boost for the last push in 2023.”

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01 Oct, 2023

Moto GP

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