You are here

MotoGP, Marc Marquez: "Rossi? He is at a distance, but still to be feared"

THE CONFERENCE Marc: "The Sachsenring reminds me of a kart track." Lorenzo: "The Championship is open. Every round is a race to itself."

Marc Marquez: "Rossi? He is at a distance, but still to be feared"

Share


It is the track where Marc Marquez and Honda seem to have no rivals. On the Sachsenring the Spaniard will be looking for his seventh consecutive win, after his second place in Assen where he confirmed his leadership in the standings. As we wait for the engines to start, the riders were talking during the Thursday press conference. In addition to number 93, also in attendance were Lorenzo, Iannone, Miller, Redding, Bradl and Zarco, in Tech3 from next year-

RECORD – The Sachsenring is without a doubt the stronghold for Marc Marquez: “In the past it has proven to be a track that has brought me important results, from the 125 class I've been fast here – he said – we'll have to see what to do here this weekend, because the weather will be a big unknown factor. At the moment we do not have a lot of acceleration – he continued – that will penalise us, but we'll see over the coming days.” The Spaniard has no doubts: “Getting off the line well and battling for the top three positions will be fundamental – he added – I am in first place in the Championship, but the Yamaha riders are lying in wait and I need to keep pushing.” Number 93 reveals the peculiarity of the circuit: “Maybe this track reminds me of a kart track where I trained with bikes when I was small – he concluded – I am more comfortable in left-handers.”

THE RACE FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP – Marquez arrives at the German round looking down on the rest from above: “At the beginning of the season I would not have thought that at the mid-season point I'd be ahead with a good advantage – he pointed out – I have felt better race after race astride the Honda and we also have new components to work on.” The rival to fear?  “At the moment Lorenzo is the rider closest to me and I am sure he will be very fast – he explained – I don't want to forget Rossì either. He may be at a distance, but it isn't that far. In fact, in the last few races he showed that he has great potential.”

GERMAN TABOO - Jorge Lorenzo has never won the German Grand Prix. Therefore, the Yamaha standard bearer wants to reverse the record: “We will have to see what the weather does, as well as how the feeling is with the bike and the electronics – number 99 said – I have various points that I need to recover, but I have had to come back from behind in the past. In this Championship anything can still happen – he continued – because every race stands on its own.  There are tracks where you are competitive straight away, whereas on others you struggle.”

Andrea Iannone is also well aware that the German race will not be that simple. The Borgo Panigale standard bearer has not forgotten the last round in the Netherlands: “Assen was a difficult race for everyone, especially because of the weather – he said – I fell, but was able to rejoin. This is not a track that suits Ducati well, but we will try to give it our all.”

HOME RACE – There are those who will be racing in front of their home fans on Sunday. This is the case for Stefan Bradl: “It is a special thing to race at home – he commented – I think that we are improving quickly in terms of performance with the Aprilia. The goal is to develop, but also to bring home as many points as we can.” What about the future? “I'm talking with a few people. I'll compare all the details to figure out what the best decision will be.”

CONFIDENCE – The Sachsenring holds fond memories for Jack Miller. It was on the German track that the Australian made his début in the 125 class. The Honda rider arrives at the German round with his confidence boosted by his success in Assen: “I can't wait to get back in the saddle after a win – he said – my family was very enthusiastic about the victory three weeks ago.” The Marc VDS rider cautions: “It was a fundamental win after all the many difficulties – he added – now we need to keep going down this road. For me this is a special track. It will be a fun race, especially because of all the left-handers.” The goal? “Top ten, although it would be nice to make another go like three weeks ago.” On health conditions, on the other hand: “My leg is still attached, he smiles. I was able to do a little cross riding during the week, without feeling too fatigued.”

Another protagonist from Assen is Redding, who finished third: “In Holland we were aware of our potential and the recent steps forward that we had demonstrated – he said – in Germany I have never achieved great results, but I hope that the Dutch podium will help. It has not been a very happy period, but the confidence we have in one another on the team is the secret. I have a lot of confidence in this bike and in the team.

NEW ENTRY - For the next premier class season, we will also have Johann Zarco. Tech3 has decided to count on the Frenchman: “I am very happy about this adventure – he commented – it will be my first year, but I think the means are there to reach certain goals. This decision will take some pressure off – he pointed out – in Moto2 I'm having fun and maybe I will have even more in the coming races.” His companions give him advice: “The jump up to the higher class will not be so easy, but Johann is a consistent rider, with a fluid riding style – Bradl said – I don't think he needs too much advice.” Redding, on the other hand, said: “He will have to ride thinking race after race”, whereas Iannone said: “The bikes in the premier category are different. In MotoGP there is a lot more in depth work, particularly before the race.”

Photo by Fermino Fraternali

Translated by Jonathan Blosser
__

Related articles