Monday 17 November 2014



The youngest ever double MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez batted away suggestions that motivation could be an issue ahead of the upcoming season, insisting he needs to improve further as his opponents will be trying harder than ever to beat him in MotoGP 2015.

Marc Marquez set the fastest time of the Valencia test just three days after winning a record breaking 13th race of the season, eclipsing Mick Doohan's win haul from 1997.

When it was put to the 21-year old that, like Doohan at the start of 1998 and Freddie Spencer in 1986 – following his 500 and 250 championship double -, motivation can be an issue after achieving great success, he denied this is the case for him.

“No. For me I will have the same motivation because I am 21. I will be 22 years [in 2015] and motivation is still very high. I know next season Valentino will still be there. I know Jorge will train a lot to arrive well to next season and also Dani. He change some parts of his team and he will be 100 percent motivated too so this is the big motivation [for me]. When you see that your opponents are changing things to try to beat you then this is the main motivation to try and improve yourself.”

Marquez's best testing time was set on his 2014 machine, having complained that Honda had taken the wrong direction with the updated bike on Wednesday. His main goal is to improve on where he struggled last time out.

“Now the first step is to try the new bike and to see if we improve in the areas that we want. In Brno when I tried the 2015 bike we improve in different areas but we lose a little bit in our strongest point which is in corner entry. With Santi [Hernandez – Marquez's crew chief] we need to think where we can improve. In the circuits that we struggle more like Misano, or maybe Brno, we will try to improve there. I think the time to think about next year is this winter at home. To disconnect some days, then in January and February try to think about next season.”

When Marquez was asked to rate his second season in the premier class, which brought 13 pole positions and twelve fastest laps along with his record win total, he suggested room for improvement.

“It's always difficult to say how I did. I think we can say a 'nine' because in this second part of the season we did too many mistakes.

“For next season I would like to improve the starts. This season I was able to manage it sometimes but in the case in some circuits next year somebody is much faster than you if you lose places from the start. Then to overtake the rider can be a race until the end. This is one problem, another point is to understand all the mistakes we made this year and to try and improve them for next year.”

Repsol Honda boss Shuhei Nakamoto stuck a deal with Marquez before Sunday's race, saying he could have a day off from testing on Monday should he close the season with a win. Yet Marquez was back on track with brother Alex to guide his brother around Valencia on his second MotoGP machine.

“[It] was hard to ride like that [with Alex]. But now I enjoyed it a lot with my brother. I have the gap to push to go up and defend but it was ok.

Now he will ride the Moto2 and think that he was not pushing. But he enjoyed a lot. Already in the last laps he was braking late, on a good line. I think when we stop in the box I asked him to go out again because I know that when you stay in the box everything cools down. If you go out again it's easier. He say 'OK' but then Emilio [Alzamora] and the team say 'No!'”

The newly crowned Moto3 world champion wasn't the only rider to try his hand at a MotoGP machine the day after competing in the 'junior' class. Runner-up Jack Miller put the RCV1000R through its paces and Marquez was impressed with the Australian's work ethic.

“Honestly I didn't follow a lot because I was with my brother and with you in the press conference,” he said. “But I heard he was impressive with the performance. We will see how is the progression. It's difficult to say in one day because this can happen in the first day. But then you go to sleep you understand everything. The second day you need to be much faster than the first. He did a lot of laps… Seventy? Not so bad! So today [Tuesday] his body will feel bad.




Repsol Honda (Factory class)
Marc Marquez SPA (RC213V)
Dani Pedrosa SPA (RC213V)

Movistar Yamaha (Factory class)
Valentino Rossi ITA (YZR-M1)
Jorge Lorenzo SPA (YZR-M1)

Ducati Team (Factory class)
Andrea Dovizioso ITA (Desmosedici GP15)
Andrea Iannone ITA (Desmosedici GP15)

Suzuki (Factory class)
Aleix Espargaro SPA (GSX-RR)
Maverick Vinales* SPA (GSX-RR)

Aprilia Gresini (Factory class)
Alvaro Bautista SPA (ART)
Marco Melandri ITA (ART)

Marc VDS Honda (Factory class)
Scott Redding GBR (RC213V)

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (Factory class)
Pol Espargaro SPA (YZR-M1)
Bradley Smith GBR (YZR-M1)

Pramac Ducati (Factory class)
Danilo Petrucci ITA (Desmosedici GP14/GP14.2?)
Yonny Hernandez COL (Desmosedici GP14.2)

LCR Honda (Factory/Open class)
Cal Crutchlow GBR (RC213V)
Jack Miller* AUS (RC213V-RS)

NGM Forward Racing Yamaha (Open class)
Stefan Bradl GER (Forward Yamaha)
Loris Baz* FRA (Forward Yamaha)

Drive M7 Aspar Honda (Open class)
Nicky Hayden USA (RC213V-RS)
Eugene Laverty* IRL (RC213V-RS)

Avintia Racing Ducati (Open class)
Hector Barbera SPA (Desmosedici GP14/14.2?)
Mike di Meglio FRA (Desmosedici GP14/14.2?)

Cardion AB Motoracing (Open class)
Karel Abraham CZE (RC213V-RS)

Iodaracing (Open class)
Alex de Angelis RSM (ART)

Monday 10 November 2014



Marc Marquez tied the 1997 record of Australian legend Mick Doohan for most wins in a MotoGP season with victory Sunday in a thrilling Malaysian Grand Prix.

It was the 12th win of the season for Repsol Honda's Marquez, who has already wrapped up his second straight world title.

He had a race long battle with the Movistar Yamaha pair of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, who completed the podium in Sepang.

The 21-year-old Marquez slipped to as low as ninth after a poor start from pole, but the Spaniard quickly worked his way back through the field, taking the lead for good on the 11th lap.
I've equaled Mick Doohan's record, with one race left maybe I can beat it!
Marc Marquez

Rossi, who won last week in Australia after Marquez crashed out, tracked him for the remainder of the race but finished 2.445 seconds adrift at the checkered flag.

Read: Rossi takes advantage of Marquez mistake

Italian legend Rossi has a 12-point advantage over his teammate Lorenzo in the battle for second place in the championship, heading into the final round in Valencia.

Marquez will get the chance to beat Doohan's record on home soil and it is a prospect which thrills him.

"I've equaled Mick Doohan's record, with one race left maybe I can beat it," he told the official MotoGP website.

"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," he added.

Marquez's teammate, Dani Pedrosa, saw his hopes ended by going off twice and he could not complete the race.

The leading three were followed home, at some distance, by Germany's Stefan Bradl on a Honda and young British rider Bradley Smith on a Yamaha Tech 3.

Smith's teammate, Pol Espargaro of Spain, came in sixth despite breaking a bone in his left foot in a fall during practice Saturday.

Read: Whizz kid Marquez retains title

Meanwhile, in the world rallying championship, Sebastien Ogier of France retained his global title with victory in the Rally of Spain Sunday.

Ogier took the honors ahead of Volkswagen teammate Jari-Mari Latvala of Finland, the only man who could have denied him the title.

Another Finn, Mikko Hirvonen, in a Ford Fiesta RS, was third.

It was the seventh win in 12 rounds for the 30-year-old Ogier, who is only the fifth driver to achieve back-to-back title triumphs.


The Marquez brothers Marc and Alex made motorcycling history Sunday with a double triumph in the final round of the season in Valencia.

Marc, who had already wrapped up a second straight MotoGP crown, set a new record for wins in a season with his 13th, while his 18-year-old younger brother clinched the Moto3 crown.

It means they are the only brothers to hold titles in the same season and it can only be a matter of time before they are direct rivals in the top echelon of the sport.


Alex, who will be promoted to the Moto2 class next season, finished third in the final race, enough to hold off Australian Jack Miller, who won in Valencia, by just two points.

He then watched as Marc overcame tricky conditions to round off another triumphant season on his Repsol Honda with an emphatic victory.

He started from fifth on the grid after a crash in qualifying Saturday, but quickly worked his way through the field.

Marquez eventually took the lead on the 11th lap and had opened up a near four-second advantage by the time he took the checkered flag from Italian legend Valentino Rossi, who clinched second in the title race.

Read: Rossi wins after Marquez crashes out

Marquez's teammate Daniel Pedrosa took the final spot on the podium, while Andrea Dovizioso held off his Ducati teammate Cal Crutchlow for fourth.

Marquez, who tied Mick Doohan's 1997 record of 12 runs in the previous round in Malaysia, said he had been inspired by his brother's earlier triumph.

"The truth is I am very, very happy. During the race at times I was thinking of my brother and thought I had to do well," he admitted.

The 18-round season has proved an all-Spanish affair at the top of all the categories, with Esteve Rabat having already clinched the Moto2 crown.

Sunday 18 May 2014

 

Marc Marquez The Winner Le Mans France 2014


Marc Marquez produced a fantastic fightback after an early mistake to lead by a second on lap 16 having been 10th on lap one. Rossi demonstrated his competitiveness again to lead for several laps in the first half of the race but ultimately could not hold off the rampant Marquez.

Whilst Rossi achieved his tenth premier class podium at LeMans and his 150th in the top category, Marquez became the first rider to win five successive premier class races from pole since Mick Doohan in 1997.


Meanwhile, it was Bautista’s first podium since 2012 and a great reward for the determination he has shown since his three DNFs at the start of the season.

An excellent ride from rookie Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech3) saw him hold off Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) for fourth. Pedrosa appeared to be riding in significant discomfort after recent arm pump surgery.

Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) finished three seconds behind Pedrosa in the unfamiliar territory of sixth for the 2010 and 2012 MotoGP World Champion.

Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP) recovered from his recent arm operation for seventh, with Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing) and Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3) also in the top ten.

Nicky Hayden (Drive M7 Aspar) crashed on the first lap after contact with Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing), only for the Italian to go down shortly afterwards. Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) was also an early crasher, though none of those three were seriously affected by the incidents.
 
1. Marc Marquez Honda 44m03.925s
2. Valentino Rossi Yamaha +1.486s
3. Alvaro Bautista Gresini Honda +3.144s
4. Pol Espargaro Tech 3 Yamaha +3.717s
5. Dani Pedrosa Honda +4.077s
6. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha +7.088s
7. Stefan Bradl LCR Honda +11.527s
8. Andrea Dovizioso Ducati +22.103s
9. Aleix Espargaro Forward Yamaha +22.626s
10. Bradley Smith Tech 3 Yamaha +23.108s
11. Cal Crutchlow Ducati +25.780s
12. Scott Redding Gresini Honda +39.523s
13. Yonny Hernandez Pramac Ducati +42.544s
14. Hiroshi Aoyama Aspar Honda +42.736s
15. Karel Abraham Cardion Honda +56.644s
16. Michael Laverty PBM Aprilia +1m14.123s
17. Colin Edwards Forward Yamaha +1m19.723s
18. Broc Parkes PBM Aprilia +1m30.934s
19. Mike di Meglio Avintia FTR-Kawasaki +1m34.521s

 

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez Recorded His Fifth Pole 


Marc Marquez extended his unbeaten qualifying streak by taking a dominant pole position for the French Grand Prix at Le Mans 2014. The world champion was almost seven tenths clear of the field with Pol Espargaro springing a major surprise to qualify second at Tech 3’s home grand prix.

Although Jorge Lorenzo finished the three practice sessions on top, the identity of the polesitter was never in any real doubt with Marquez setting a 1:32.567 on his first lap of Q2. Little did he know it, but Marc had already done enough to take pole with no-one matching his initial flyer but the championship leader caused even more pain for his rivals by going half a second quicker on his second set of tyres.


The rest of the front row looked set to be dominated by Ducati with Andrea Iannone holding second, only to be beaten by Andrea Dovizioso, but a flurry of late improvements saw the younger Espargaro brother snatch second, comfortably his best qualifying result in MotoGP so far. Stefan Bradl was among those to go quicker in the dying seconds to finish fourth with the two Movistar Yamahas of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo demoted to fifth and sixth.

Alvaro Bautista starts seventh tomorrow ahead of Aleix Espargaro while Dani Pedrosa will line up a disappointing ninth after lapping a full second slower than his pacesetting teammate in Q2. Bradley Smith rose as high as fourth at one stage but the frantic finish relegated him to tenth with Andrea Iannone eleventh after an unintended shortcut on his last lap caused it to be deleted.

Cal Crutchlow was the last rider to make it into the second session after narrowly pipping Nicky Hayden in Q1 and the Briton will start twelfth as a result, four places ahead of Scott Redding.


1. Marc Marquez Honda 1m32.042s
 2. Pol Espargaro Tech 3 Yamaha 1m32.734s +0.692s
 3. Andrea Dovizioso Ducati 1m32.755s +0.713s
 4. Stefan Bradl LCR Honda 1m32.846s +0.804s
 5. Valentino Rossi Yamaha 1m32.873s +0.831s
 6. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 1m32.899s +0.857s
 7. Alvaro Bautista Gresini Honda 1m33.006s +0.964s
 8. Aleix Espargaro Forward Yamaha 1m33.015s +0.973s
 9. Dani Pedrosa Honda 1m33.023s +0.981s
10. Bradley Smith Tech 3 Yamaha 1m33.058s +1.016s
11. Andrea Iannone Pramac Ducati 1m33.102s +1.060s
12. Cal Crutchlow Ducati 1m33.315s +1.273s
13. Nicky Hayden Aspar Honda 1m33.859s Q1
14. Yonny Hernandez Pramac Ducati 1m33.999s Q1
15. Colin Edwards Forward Yamaha 1m34.203s Q1
16. Scott Redding Gresini Honda 1m34.233s Q1
17. Hiroshi Aoyama Aspar Honda 1m34.457s Q1
18. Karel Abraham Cardion Honda 1m34.880s Q1
19. Hector Barbera Avintia FTR-Kawasaki 1m35.499s Q1
20. Broc Parkes PBM Aprilia 1m35.795s Q1
21. Michael Laverty PBM Aprilia 1m35.932s Q1
22. Mike di Meglio Avintia FTR-Kawasaki 1m36.163s Q1