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.”

Back to news

29 Oct, 2023

Moto GP

Back to news

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.”

Back to news

01 Oct, 2023

Moto GP

Back to news

25 Sep, 2023

Moto GP

Marquez returns with superb podium on Sprint and authors classic comeback on Sunday

The first Indian Grand Prix will go down as a classic, and a highlight of the year for Marc Marquez showed the potential of the Honda RC213V as he put in an early podium challenge and impressive recovery.

With a belly full of fire and motivation after a return to the Sprint podium, Marquez shot off the line and immediately hooked himself to the back of the leading trio. As Martin and Bagnaia traded blows, the #93 sensed his opportunity and turned up the pace to stay with them. Unfortunately, at Turn 1 on lap five, Marquez fell but there was no waiting around an in true Marquez style, he remounted within just eight seconds and rejoined in 16th place.

From here, he cut through the field and found himself back inside the top ten by lap 14. Steady progress continued and the eight-time World Champion would take ninth at the flag, a solid result considering the fall.

The entire Repsol Honda Team now head directly to Japan for Honda’s home race at the Motegi circuit.

Marc Márquez, 9th :

“If you just looked at the final result and see ninth you wouldn’t know the whole story of our race – but to achieve what could be considered our ‘normal’ result after a crash is a positive. It was a really small crash but I was pushing very hard to stay in the slip stream of the bikes ahead, I went a bit wide and just fell. I came into this race with the motivation of the Sprint podium, so when I saw Pecco and Martin make a mistake I decided I needed to push. This led to the mistake. The most important thing was finishing the race, overall our rhythm was very close to Quartararo so I think we can be overall happy with what we have done this weekend.”

Back to news

25 Sep, 2023

Moto GP

Back to news

10 Sep, 2023

Moto GP

Marquez continues upward trajectory with best result of 2023

A ‘perfect race’ for Marc Marquez on his way to a hard fought seventh and a return to the top ten ahead of an important Monday Test.

The weekend of progress continued inside the Repsol Honda Team garage as the Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini reached its climax with the 27-lap Grand Prix on Sunday. As the track temperature crept above 40°C, the MotoGP field set their sights on the challenge ahead.

From ninth on the grid, Marc Marquez made another flying start to establish himself well inside the top ten. By lap nine, he had moved himself up to sixth place where he would sit for the majority of the race as he stalked Maverick Viñales. Only in the final laps would the eight-time MotoGP World Champion be challenged, first by Miguel Oliveira and then by Raul Fernandez and Luca Marini – Marquez fending off the latter two in a fierce final lap battle.

The result is another step in the upward trajectory of Marquez and Honda’s results in recent rounds, the #93 now having taken points in three consecutive races and earning a first top-ten of the year. All involved remain unsatisfied with these results however as the Repsol Honda Team strive to return to challenging at the front of the MotoGP World Championship. Monday’s test will be another important step in this journey with the final in-season MotoGP test taking place at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

Marc will be back on track for Monday’s MotoGP test, a chance to sample what Honda HRC engineers have been working on away from the track.

Marc Marquez, 7^th: “For me, this was the best race of the year alongside Le Mans. It’s my best Sunday of the season, I took the maximum that was available and passed our target. Our rhythm was very good until the soft rear option dropped a little bit at the end – but this is normal. In the end I was able to have some good battles with the Aprilia riders and Marini. The objective is to keep this going in the coming races. Before that we have an important test for the future, a first taste of what 2024 could hold. I’m looking forward to seeing how the bike will be with my riding style and then beginning to work with the engineers.”

Back to news

10 Sep, 2023

Moto GP

Back to news