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MotoGP, Quartararo: "Finally a duel with Marquez. His engine is an airplane."

"His Honda has more engine than my Yamaha. It won't be easy, but we can now try to always be on this level on all tracks."

MotoGP: Quartararo: "Finally a duel with Marquez. His engine is an airplane."

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It seemed to be the right time, but that long-dreamed-of victory fade away at the best part. We certainly can't speak of a defeat for Fabio Quartararo, who knew how to keep up with Marc Marquez at Misano. Hats off to the French rider's performance. He just keeps jumping the gun and keeps dreaming big.

"Unfortunately, I lost one of my ear plugs and raced almost the whole time without it," Fabio explained."I think this performance is the best for us. I arrived less than a second from Marc and, next time, we'll have to do even more. Marquez had more engine than my Yamaha, but we are improving and, in the next races, we'll have to try to get in front of him."

Honda's Spanish rider made the French rider's dreams vanish, right when they were about to come true.

 

"I knew Marc would make an attempt on the last lap. After he overtook me at Turn 1, I was able to respond, but I saw that Marc was really confident at Turn 4. Then from 6 to 8 he took advantage of Honda's engine as if it were a plane. I tried to catch up with him, but there was nothing I could do. I battled it out with Marc in this race and, I have to say, there are other riders who can give him problems besides me."

Then there's a key aspect that Fabio focuses on.

I don't think Marc wore his tires out much and, on the last lap, he performed really well. I was struggling a lot on the left side of the tire. Besides that, I have say that the tests allowed us to have more confidence with the bike and, at the same time, helped us find the right direction."

Surely the performance enhances the qualities of the Petronas SIC rider.

"We have to stay focused on the fact that I'm a rookie, and there are still so many things to learn. I rode several laps in front of Marc, so I can say I'm satisfied. I believe that I'm going through the best moment of my career, and I can only be enthusiastic about it."

There are those who say that the French rider could already be fighting for the World Championship in 2020.

"Before thinking about the title, you have to aim for the podium. This is the first time I manage to duel it out till the end and throughout the entire race with Marc. It's an important thing, also because Marquez is a rider who puts a lot of pressure on you. He has a lot of experience and, as you can see in all the circuits, he's always ahead with the best."

Quartararo closes the Misano GP in second place, but he's really satisfied.

"Today we lost a race against Marc, one who won seven World Championships. that's why I can't be disappointed. Obviously, I'm sorry I didn't win, which would have been my first in the MotoGP. The important thing is to have battled it out with him for the entire race, without making mistakes, and Marc realized this. I personally believe that this is the best weekend of the entire season, since we've always been at a high level."

Many asked themselves when the foreseen victory in the MotoGP would arrive.

"We're almost ready. Not 100%, but we're here. The fact is, we must not think about victory, but to gain experience. When we'll reach our  best, then we'll have to win. I think we can try to keep up with the top riders in all the races, even if it won't be easy."

Translated by Leila Myftija
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