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MotoGP, Marquez: "The crash? I'm human, not a machine"

THE PHOTOS OF THE CRASH, Hayden: "I could have been seventh, but that's racing"

Marquez: "The crash? I'm human, not a machine"

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The race seemed like a done deal, because after three laps he had already managed to widen the gap. Then, when you least expect it, a crash that shuffles the entire deck. It was a black Sunday for Marc Marquez at Phillip Island, ending up in the gravel with 18 laps left in the race. The script was the same two years ago, with the Spaniard forced to wave the white flag.

You had a great pace at the start, enough to run away.

“It was a race more or less like the one in Japan, where I took the lead and tried to manage my advantage over the rivals. In fact, I had managed to widen a good gap ahead of Cal’s Honda and then I crashed.”

Exactly what happened?

When you are already the champion, you don’t take the same care as when you are in the race for the title. Unfortunately, on that corner I braked too late. I tried to follow the same line, but I ended up on the ground. I am very sorry for the team. In fact, I apologized to them as soon as I got back to the garage, since it was my mistake and we are still in the battle for the manufacturer title.”

How do you consider this false step?

“I think it was a good race anyway. At the end of the day, I’m human, not a machine. You can make a mistake. It was probably a good lesson to prepare for next year.”

The Honda showed straight away that it had great potential on this track.

“The podium was our final goal. I had a consistent pace and so I wanted to have a go. I really wanted to celebrate last week’s title with a victory, but it did not go as I had hoped.”

This weekend was doubtlessly conditioned by the weather.

“We definitely suffered in the slow corners. This circuit is definitely still one of my favourites, even if this is my second mistake.”

What did they say to you when you got back to the garage?

“They knew that I wanted to bring home a good result, trying to win the race. I spoke with Santi Hernandez and he told me not to forget that I am the champion.”

Crutchlow won the race.

“I knew that he could do a great race. He had the right configuration on this track and he has proven to be very competitive in Australia in the past. I am happy for Honda and for him too. He is a very gracious person (he smiles).”

With Marquez out of the games, Honda’s hopes rested in Nicky Hayden. The American was battling for seventh place, but contact with Jack Miller forced him to throw in the towel early.

"It was a weekend with a lot of changed because of the weather, where adapting was anything but simple. Fortunately, the warmup in the dry helped. In the race I struggled a bit in the first laps, but then I was able to find my pace and feel good.”

Then came that contact.

“I am really disappointed because it was a fantastic battle. Unfortunately, Miller bumped into me in the hairpin and there was nothing I could do. I could have finished seventh, but that’s racing, especially in a group like that one with a lot of riders. I’m sorry most of all for Honda, since I really wanted to bring home a good result for them.”

SEE THE GALLERY WITH THE PHOTOS OF MARQUEZ AND HAYDEN’S CRASHES

  

Translated by Jonathan Blosser
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