Repsol Honda Team rider falls when riding in the leading group, missing out on a chance for victory, but remounts for eleventh place. Hiroshi Aoyama finishes sixteenth.
The Malaysian Grand Prix saw a second crash in as many races for Marc Marquez, who this season had limited his mistakes en route to the MotoGP World Championship. On a completely wet Sepang International Circuit, after intense rainfall just a few minutes before the start, Marquez got off the line well and settled into a leading group consisting of six riders. However, he crashed after a mistake at Turn 11 midway through the race and, after rejoining, had to battle back to finish eleventh. His teammate at the Malaysian Grand Prix, Hiroshi Aoyama, finished just outside the points, in sixteenth
Marc Marquez >> Audio
11th +36.480 sec.
“Today was a difficult day. In the morning the weather was already unstable and finally the race was in the wet. Before the start I decided to use the carbon front brakes, which gave me the chance to be stronger in braking. It was the right choice and it has nothing to do with my crash. At the beginning of the race I was riding quite comfortably in the leading group, trying to save the tires for the end of the race, but suddenly I crashed by losing the front at Turn 11. I thought I had a chance to finish on the podium here, but it was not to be, and it is better that this happens now that we already have the title. This experience will help us for next year and helps us appreciate the World Championship even more.”
Hiroshi Aoyama >> Audio
16th +52.665 sec.
“It was a rather tough race. When it started raining heavily, I think I could have finished in a better position, but unfortunately I had traffic in front of me for a few laps. When I passed Rabat, it was too late to catch the riders ahead. At first there was plenty of water on track and I could barely see what was ahead of me, so I couldn’t overtake. After a while, I saw that the sun was beginning to come out and I decided to push a little more, but my situation was not easy. This weekend the team worked very hard to get me comfortable and provide me with the best bike possible. I’m very glad to have been able to ride for the Repsol Honda Team, I thank the team again for the chance and hope that at the next race Dani can return”.
