Once again Marc Márquez was the fastest of the Repsol riders present in the Czech 125cc GP. Their teammate Cameron Beaubier ruled himself out of the race yesterday morning after a fall which injured his shoulder, something that Marquez also did twice on the Saturday; this meant that he started well down the field and in a little pain. But in spite of these setbacks the Repsol rider put in a good race today at the Czech track. Marc overcame all his problems to round off the weekend with a good race and getting a deserved 8th position.
After completing the first lap in an excellent 12th position – he started from row 5 having set the 20th fastest lap time – Márquez moved into the chasing group that was going to fight for 4th place during 19 laps. At the front Simón, Iannone and Terol had got away on the first few laps and were fighting for the places on the podium. Márquez played his hand very intelligently today, staying well-placed in the group but without getting mixed up in the dogfights that developed. In spite of his lower speed, compared to his rivals, at the end the young Spanish rider overtook a couple of his rivals on the final lap to finish with a well-earned 8th position.
His compatriot Esteve Rabat was on the way to completing a good race too, fighting hard to catch the group Márquez was in from an intermediate starting position, which at that moment would have given him 4th position. But with 12 laps left and after overtaking Márquez he fell on corner 8 when his front wheel lost its grip and he and his Aprilia fell.
For Scott Redding a weekend to forget as he finished in a disappointing 15th position, a bad result considering the aspirations the British rider has. Redding could not keep up with the pace set by the first two groups, and in the end he crossed the finishing in 15th place after riding alone for most of the race.
Marc Márquez, 8th at 17.202 secs. >> Audio
“In spite of the way the weekend had gone we finished 8th, which without being a spectacular result is just what we needed: finishing the race after two consecutive zeros. We were not in too good a condition but the race was bound to be a tough one because there was a group between 5th and 8th places that was very tight, where it was really difficult to overtake. I was not able to get my confidence back in the front wheel because we could not test too much yesterday, but in spite of everything I was able to stay up with the group. We have to be pleased with this result and think about the race in Indianapolis. This was a circuit where I did well last year, and I think it suits the KTM very well because it has very slow corners and short straights, there we will try to get a good result”.
Esteve Rabat, fell >> Audio
“I started quite well but on the first two laps the tyres were still very cold and the bike slid around a lot. I almost fell a few times, but then they got the right temperature and I picked up a faster pace. I tried to fight back and get close to the leading group, but just when I had got myself in the right place and was starting to overtake the others I fell. The steering blocked when I was braking and I could do nothing to prevent it. I want to apologise to the team because they had been working very hard and whether I finish near the front or near the back they are always encouraging me. We have to carry on working hard just like we have been because in the last few races I have been up in the fastest eight, but in the end I have not been able to finish. I am sure good results are on the way”.
Scott Redding, 15th at 41.558 secs. >> Audio
“This was a tough race, because I am bruised after yesterday`s fall although that was not really the problem, it was the bike`s fault because it did not work 100%. It was really hard trying to keep up with the chasing group, even though I had a good start two riders got past me on the inside when I was braking on lap 2, and they pushed me off the track. And we used a hard front tyre and I did not feel very comfortable. I could not brake strongly but I carried on the best I could, just concentrating on finishing”.
