Marquez, Pedrosa, Bou, Fujinami and Busto visit school in Sant Andreu de la Barca (Barcelona), winners of a competition organised by Repsol that encourages schoolchildren to extol the benefits of teamwork.
Repsol Honda MotoGP riders Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa, and trial riders Toni Bou, Takahisa Fujinami and Jaime Busto paid a visit to the Josep Pla primary school, located in the town near Barcelona of Sant Andreu de la Barca, this week. In an event that brought together more than 500 pupils from the centre, the Repsol riders –who have 29 world titles between them– answered questions from the youngsters.
The students had the opportunity to pose their funny and original questions to all of the Repsol riders –starting with the current MotoGP World Champion. Asked if he had a girlfriend in school, Marquez replied: “Yes, I did. I’m sure many of you have too.” Pedrosa explained to the children that “I always behaved well because I had a deal with my parents. If I was good, I could ride a motorcycle during the weekend.”
The students of the educational center won this visit in the contest organised through repsol.com, which encouraged children from all over Spain to record a video in which they showed the value of teamwork above individuals. Some 37 centres participated, receiving more than 1,700,000 votes. The 10 schools with the most support went through to the final stage.
The judging panel picked the video submitted by the Josep Pla school, which perfectly represents values such as effort, team spirit, generosity and teamwork, typical of a team like Repsol Honda and its riders. In the video, which can be seen on repsol.com, the students simulate a motorcycle race in which the winner thanks their team for the help they have given, inviting all the members to climb to the top of the podium and share the success.
Marc Marquez
“We had an event like this last year and it has been very nice to repeat it. The children are always sincere and cheerful and I think they have enjoyed it a lot, because we saw them all smiling during our visit. It’s exciting to have many children recognise you, know what you do and ask about it.”
Dani Pedrosa
“It has been a very pleasant experience. The energy that a child gives you means a lot. They are very funny but at the same time a little scary, because you never know what they are going to ask you –and as they are very sincere they can leave you almost lost for words. One of their questions can leave you stumped, and it’s a lot of fun.”
Toni Bou
“It’s been a fun day, watching how kids have enjoyed themselves. We have just finished our season and this is a bit of celebration. Their questions are a lot of fun because they are different from what journalists usually ask us. The event also allowed us to meet the other Repsol riders again and give the children at the school a fun day.”
Takahisa Fujinami
“All the children –and even some teachers– have come to see us and had a good time today. It is a unique experience for them that they have enjoyed a lot, but we were also able to spend a great day with all of them.”
Jaime Busto
“It shows that the children were very excited to see all the Repsol riders at their school; We have had a great time too, meeting them again. What surprised me most about the students was their questions; they are very fun and they make you enjoy yourself too.”
