Repsol Honda rider wins San Marino GP after two bike changes. Pedrosa finishes ninth.
The San Marino Grand Prix offered a totally unpredictable MotoGP race, in which Marc Marquez took advantage of opportunity to achieve his fourth win of the season, following victories at Austin, Sachsenring and Indianapolis. The current MotoGP World Champion managed the situation flawlessly when required to make two bike changes during the Misano round. Teammate Dani Pedrosa was hindered by the onset of rain and bike changes, and finally placed ninth.
As it happened two weeks ago in England, rain appeared at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli just moments before the start of the MotoGP race. It did so timidly and all riders took the start on slicks, with Jorge Lorenzo, Marquez, Valentino Rossi and Pedrosa in the first four positions. However, only a few laps later the riders decided to come into the pits to change bikes –returning to the track with their machines for wet conditions.
On completely wet asphalt, the protagonists were the same, with Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi and Marquez at the front and Pedrosa losing ground after the bike change. However, the rain died down, the asphalt dried up quickly and several riders decided to change their bikes again.
Marquez was the first of the trio to do so and achieved an advantage that proved definitive. Rossi and Lorenzo decided to wait two more laps to change bikes, with Lorenzo crashing out and Rossi placing fifth. Bradley Smith and Scott Redding joined Marquez on the podium.
Pedrosa had gone down to thirteenth, but recovered ground on the final laps to cross the line in ninth.
With this victory, Marc Marquez has now only failed to win at Phillip Island and Motegi in the premier class. He remains third in the World Championship with 184 points. Dani Pedrosa is seventh with 109 points. Next up, the series heads to Spain for the third time this season, to celebrate the fourteenth round of the year: The Aragon Grand Prix.
Marc Marquez >> Audio
“It was a very strange race but I’m happy with the end result. It is difficult to explain everything that happened during the race but I think the key was the second tyre change – from wets to slicks. That was where we made a difference and – believe it or not – it was not me who decided everything! The team informed me of the situation with the pit board and helped me decide when to come in to change bikes, and I have to thank them! Also Honda, because we keep working and doing our best, even though our title chances are slim, so our target to the end of the year remains; The more wins, the better!”
Dani Pedrosa >> Audio
“Today was a very tough race and we missed out on a good result. The team did their job well, they had the bikes ready and I was well informed from the pits about the strategy, but I made the mistake. I didn’t see my board a few times going down the straight, so I could not see the team’s orders to enter the pits to change bikes. Now we have to move on and think positive about the next race in two weeks.”
