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Final third of MotoGP season begins at the Misano Marco Simoncelli circuit, with Repsol Honda riders leading the overall rankings
• Marc Marquez has won on his last three visits to Misano –in Moto2 in 2011 and 2012, and in 125cc in 2010.
• Dani Pedrosa has one victory -2010- and a further two podiums -2009 and 2011- from his six trips to San Marino.
• Alex Rins and Alex Marquez have shared the podium at two of the last three races–Indianapolis y Silverstone–.
After twelve races, the Motorcycle World Championship returns to Italian soil this weekend for the San Marino and Rimini Riviera GP. It is at the Misano Marco Simoncelli circuit where Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez will defend their position as MotoGP leaders. Alex Rins and Alex Marquez will be racing at the track for the second time and will be motivated after a podium finish in Great Britain.
The MotoGP series leader comes into the race with an enviable record: He has won at Misano for the last three years –in 2011 and 2012 in Moto2, and in 125cc in 2010, and placed fourth on his first two visits –in 2008 and 2009. With more than a week off after the British Grand Prix, the Repsol Honda Team rider has been able to rest up and undergo physiotherapy to regain fitness, having dislocated his left shoulder in practice at Silverstone. Teammate Dani Pedrosa will attempt to put some demons to rest at the track: Knocked down on the opening lap last year, he has won before at Misano. He has also been able to rest and continue with his recovery from a collarbone injury.
Improving race by race, Alex Rins and Alex Marquez head to the San Marino GP on a roll, after a podium double at Silverstone. It was the second time in three races that the duo had shared the rostrum, and they have been continually fighting for the win. Rins was part of a five-rider battle for the podium last year, which was only resolved on the final lap.
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Dani Pedrosa
“I was slightly disappointed after Silverstone as we knew we had the speed and race pace to challenge for victory, anyway we must learn from the mistakes and move on. Misano is quite a tricky track and the grip level is always a challenge, but I enjoy riding there. I’ve had good results in the past even if last year we experienced a nightmare on race day! This year we arrive confident and looking to reduce the points to Marc in the Championship.”
Marc Marquez
“I’m already feeling much better since my accident in Silverstone, so hopefully I’ll be almost 100% by this weekend! I will arrive in Italy for the race weekend a little later than usual as I will use the time to have more physiotherapy on my shoulder. Misano has a lot of braking and is a smaller and slower track compared to others on the calendar, so it will be interesting to ride the MotoGP bike there. Once again, the aim is to start to work like always, focused on Sunday and prepare ourselves in the best way.”
Alex Rins
“I like Misano and last year we had a good Grand Prix there, but in the end I made a mistake which kept me off the podium. If we continue as we have been, then I think we can have a good weekend. I am adapting well to the circuits and the entire team is very motivated, focusing on Sunday. We will try to hone in on the best setup, in order to be ready for the race.”
Alex Marquez:
I remember that last year the weather wasn’t too good. We had a lot of sessions in the wet and didn’t have dry track time until qualifying. I found it hard and it affected my race, because I started far down the grid. I was able to take a step forward, but in the end I crashed with another rider. It is a varied track: It’s slower at the start and there is a much faster bit towards the end, with three fast corners. We will try to keep up our performance from recent races and get a good setup.”
