Repsol Honda riders face the first race of the decisive final stretch of the World Championship at the circuit where Márquez clinched the title in 2014 and 2016.
After victory at Aragón, the reigning MotoGP World Champion became the youngest rider to reach 60 wins and will go to Motegi as leader of the standings 16 points ahead of Andrea Dovizioso.
Dani Pedrosa, fourth overall and 54 points behind Márquez, is the rider who has won the most races -five- at the Japanese track.
With the double achieved at MotorLand Aragón, Márquez and Pedrosa reached the figure of 100 podiums since becoming teammates on the Repsol Honda team.
Marc Márquez
“There are four GPs to go in the season, and we must give 100% at every one, starting with the three flyaway rounds. These races are always demanding due to the different time zones and conditions, and this year with the Championship so close, they’ll be even more of a challenge. The most important thing for us is that since Montmeló, we’ve been on the podium in every race but Silverstone. We’ve done a good job of managing different conditions and different circuits, which gives us confidence and shows that we’re at a good level everywhere. We have some great memories in Japan, because we won last year and got the title there twice, but every season is a new story and we must remain focused and ready to handle every situation. Track conditions in Motegi can vary dramatically, and we’ll have to work hard on the setup to find a good compromise for the hard acceleration and braking. We’ll give our best effort and push hard to get another good result in front of Honda’s home fans.”
Dani Pedrosa
“I look forward to racing at Honda’s home circuit in Japan! Not only are the fans very special – they are incredibly passionate and in love with Honda and with the sport which makes you feel very welcome – but also the circuit is great. I’ve had a good feeling with the track from the first time riding there, when I was 15 years old. It suits my riding style and I enjoy the track a lot. Last year unfortunately I had a big crash and suffered a serious injury but I hope this season we can keep up the good momentum and have a strong race. We’ll definitely give our 100% to make it happen!”
