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MotoGP, Marquez: "This win is worth more than 25 points"

Marc triumphs at TT: “To win with the Honda you need the right motivation. Rins? I simply returned his pass”

MotoGP: Marquez: "This win is worth more than 25 points"

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He demonstrated both speed and intelligence, though there was no shortage of tussling either. What more can he ask for in life? Nothing. Because Marc Marquez reigns victorious at the TT, today's win worth double. While on the one hand, there's joy having returned to the top step of the podium, on the other there's the knowledge that he's extended his championship lead, now 41 points over Rossi.

“I don't know how I'd describe this race, crazy maybe. A free-for-all where everyone battled everyone else. It wasn't easy, because there was a strong wind and so the easiest thing was to follow behind another rider, as you had more of a push when it came to passing”.

Marc had to deal with Lorenzo in the early stages.

“Jorge was incredible. I couldn't have imagined it was him behind me after just a few corners, I thought it was Dovi actually. He had great pace, I tried to pass him but in the early laps I was also trying to save the tyres, seeing as I had the medium at the front. The problem was that the group was compact and there were many riders fighting. In the final stages I tried to break away and was able to find the pace I'd had in practice”.

There was also a duel with Rins, with #93 risking a crash.

“I haven't seen that move again, I've only seen a photo. He touched me, but in the end it seems like it was my fault, as I was on the outside, while he was on the inside line. I risked crashing, because my hand and leg came off the bike. Luckily nothing happened but I wanted to get him back by passing in the same place (he smiles)”.

The win is undoubtedly an important one.

“When you're leading the championship and fighting for the title, you prefer to avoid a race with so many passes. I didn't want to reach the last lap as part of a tight group, because you never know what might happen. In the end, I was able to build a gap and win”.

There was no shortage of tussling.

“This win reminds me of Australia in 2015 or 2017, it's worth a lot more than 25 points. So many passes, I'm still wondering how Lorenzo managed to pass me and the same goes for the three-way pass with Dovi and Rossi”.

One rival had #93 particularly worried at the start.

“At first, I thought that such a competitive Jorge might be a problem, as I had to deal with Dovi and Rossi, and this three-way fight could have slowed me down. I was also worried about the potential of the Yamaha, but then i saw that we could be competitive and I told the team this”.

His was the only Honda on the podium at the TT, in that Crutchlow closed sixth and Pedrosa was nowhere to be seen.

“The Honda is one of those bikes where you need the right motivation to win. Lorenzo? We'll see in the future, today he was very fast, but my mind is only focused on the present. He is more than 70 points back, but he proved fast here, so we'll see”.

Translated by Heather Watson
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