The Repsol Honda team rider crashes at Turn 11 of the first lap. Joan Mir finishes sixteenth.
Marc Márquez was unable to score points in the first sprint race ever held at the Mandalika International Urban Circuit.
The Repsol Honda Team rider, who started eighth on the grid, made a good start, gaining several places. But at the end of the first lap, at Turn 11, Márquez suffered a crash that forced him to retire.
Joan Mir made progress in a 13-lap race affected by the high ambient and track temperatures. The Repsol Honda Team rider started the sprint race from nineteenth place and, after running in twelfth position, a mechanical problem caused him to cross the finish line sixteenth.
The Repsol Honda team riders will participate in the 27-lap Indonesian Grand Prix on Sunday at 9.00h (CET)
MARC MÁRQUEZ – DNF
“Our race was very short today; I lost the front at Turn 11 on the first lap. It’s a shame to finish the race so early because normally in the first laps I am very strong. We took a risk in the first laps and this is what can happen. The negative is that we didn’t finish the race and miss some information about how the tyres behave but the positive point is that we save our physical condition for the race tomorrow which will be a very long and hard race physically. Tomorrow it will be a tough race, the aim is the top 12.”
JOAN MIR – 16th
“Today was not what we were expecting to be honest. After the feeling we had yesterday, I thought we had the potential to go into Q2 but today I arrived at the limit quite early. In the Sprint Race, I was trying very hard to recover but I couldn’t ride exactly how I wanted in the first laps because we were battling. Once I found a bit of clean air and free space, I was pleased with my lap times which were similar to the top six. Tomorrow will be a tricky day, at the end of the race today it was difficult to finish because the tyre temperatures were very high.”
