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After three wins in a row, the last two in less than seven days, this weekend, Marc Márquez arrives at the Circuit de Catalunya in unbeatable form. The Repsol rider ‘is playing at home’, on a track that he knows well and where he was able to train during pre-season on the bike he is using this year, the Derbi RSA 125 with the number 93 on the front and the Repsol colours on the fairing. Aware that every race can be different, Márquez approaches the seventh Grand Prix of the season, on a track that he knows like the back of his hand, with caution and with his feet on the ground.
“The main straight of the Circuit de Catalunya is one of the longest in the World Championship. A little over halfway, there is a point where it goes uphill a bit and the engine revolutions drop a little. Then comes the downhill section towards the first turn.”
Turns 1 and 2
“You get to the end of the straight in sixth at full throttle, at around 230 KM/H. At the one hundred metre sign, you start braking and reach a turn that you take in second and where it’s very important to come out hugging the inside to enter the second.”
Turn 3
“Coming out of the turn two, you change up to fourth and take the long right-hander. It’s a section where you can gain or lose a lot of time because it has a blind exit, and you let yourself be intuitively carried to the Repsol turn.”
Turn 4
“It’s a very long turn where at first you go wide a little and then close back in because otherwise, you cannot quickly open the accelerator.”
Turn 5
“The SEAT turn is one of the hardest braking sections on the circuit before the slowest angle, which we take in first. You have to come out very fast to make the most of the downhill acceleration.”
Turns 6 and 7
“This is a very important turn because after it comes ‘La Moreneta’ uphill section. This turn is taken in second and you have to come out of the change of direction fast.”
Turn 8
“You quickly change up linking third and fourth and reach the Campsa turn, which is also taken in third. It is also a very difficult turn because the exit is blind, and you let yourself be carried to the flat.”
Turn 9
“After the back straight, which is downhill, you reach the La Caixa braking section, whose main difficulty is that it is a left-hander taken in second and you have your inside foot on the clutch. Here you have to quickly change gear with the bike inclined, up to fourth.”
Turn 10
“You reach the Banc Sabadell turn, which we usually take in second. It’s very long, so at the beginning you go wide and then close back in again because if you take it all on the inside, it will take a long time to be able to fully open the accelerator.”
Turns 11 and 12
“These are two very fast turns, where again there is a lot of time to gain or lose and usually, whoever does this the best clocks up the fastest lap. You have to delay entry a lot to come out on the inside and take the last turn very fast and approach the straight at high speed”.
