FIM MotoGP World Championship Valencia, Spain November 10, 2013 Race Results (all on Bridgestone tires): 1. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Yamaha), 30 laps, 46:10.302 2. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (Honda), -3.934 seconds 3. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), -7.357 4. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), -10.579 5. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Honda), -14.965 6. Stefan Bradl, Germany (Honda), -24.399 7. Bradley Smith, UK (Yamaha), -29.043 8. Nicky Hayden, USA (Ducati), -39.893 9. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), -53.196 10. Michele Pirro, Italy (Ducati), -62.983 11. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (ART-Aprilia), -64.197 12. Hector Barbera, Spain (FTR-Kawasaki), -66.826 13. Claudio Corti, Italy (FTR-Kawasaki), -71.481 14. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ioda/Suter-BMW), -73.643 15. Colin Edwards, USA (FTR-Kawasaki), -84.249 16. Hiroshi Aoyama, Japan (FTR-Kawasaki), -93.010 17. Michael Laverty, UK (ART-Aprilia), -1 lap 18. Luca Scassa, Italy (ART-Aprilia), -1 lap 19. Bryan Staring, Australia (FTR-Honda), -1 lap 20. Martin Bauer, Austria (Suter-BMW), -1 lap 21. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Ducati), -4 laps, DNF, crash 22. Randy De Puniet, France (ART-Aprilia), -7 laps, DNF, retired 23. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Yamaha), -21 laps, DNF, crash 24. Yonny Hernandez, Colombia (Ducati), -22 laps, DNF, retired 25. Lukas Pesek, Czech Republic (Ioda/Suter-BMW), -27 laps, DNF, crash 26. Damian Cudlin, Australia (PBM-Aprilia), -27 laps, DNF, crash World Championship Point Standings (after 18 of 18 races): 1. Marquez, 334 points 2. Lorenzo, 330 3. Pedrosa, 300 4. Rossi, 237 5. Crutchlow, 188 6. Bautista, 171 7. Bradl, 156 8. Dovizioso, 140 9. Hayden, 126 10. Smith, 116 11. Aleix Espargaro, 93 12. Iannone, 57 13. Pirro, 56 14. Edwards, 41 15. De Puniet, 36 16. Barbera, 35 17. Petrucci, 26 18. Hernandez, 21 19. Corti, 14 20. Aoyama, 13 21. Ben Spies, 9 22. TIE, Katsuyuki Nakasuga/Alex De Angelis/Karel Abraham, 5 25. Laverty, 3 26. Staring, 2 27. Javier Del Amor, 1 More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: Marquez takes Championship as Honda celebrate 2013 Triple Crown Repsol Honda rookie, Marc Marquez, has won the 2013 MotoGP World Championship by taking 3rd place in the final race of the season in Valencia. Teammate Dani Pedrosa took second to complete the team’s eleventh double podium of the season and claim Honda’s 62nd Constructor’s Championship in the premier class. The race began with Lorenzo taking the lead and trying to bunch up the field. Dani pursued him and attempted several passes, but was unable to make them stick. At the beginning of lap 10, Dani and Lorenzo touched briefly and this allowed Marc to come through and take the lead with Dani dropping to 5th. Lorenzo would not give up so easy and on lap 11 he re-passed Marc. By lap 14 Dani was back up to 3rd and closing in on Marc. Dani recorded a new lap record on lap 22 with 1’31.628 and passed the young rookie on lap 26. With just 4 laps remaining Marc, showed maturity and patience, knowing that his position was enough to claim the Championship. He passed the line in 3rd place and took his first MotoGP crown on his maiden year, becoming the youngest rookie at 20 years 266 days to win the Championship. Dani Pedrosa, 2nd Championship Standing: 3rd – 300 points “The race was difficult at the start because of the overtaking moves between myself and Jorge. However, we fought to the limit until I was taken a little off the track and lost ground as a result. Above all, I want to congratulate Marc today. He has done an excellent job this season and had a great campaign. We should take our hats off to him because he has achieved something historic; to win the MotoGP title as a rookie is incredible” Marc Marquez, 3rd Championship Standing: 1st – 334 points “It was a really long race, maybe the longest of my career! At the start I was very nervous, I know I said I wasn’t but if I’m honest I really was. Jorge had a very good start, as usual, and I wasn’t sure which tactic to take. I followed Jorge and Dani and began to settle into the race. Then towards the end, I decided not to push as I knew my position was secure and safe to take the Championship. It has been a fantastic year, I am still in a dream! I really didn’t expect this at the beginning and I am really so very happy. So thank you to all my team, my family and of course Honda and all our sponsors. The support from everyone and all my fans around the World has been incredible and I dedicate this Championship to you all!” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: Marc Marquez – MotoGP World Champion 2013 Records relating to world title: • Marquez is the first Rookie to win the premier-class world title since Kenny Roberts became 500cc world champion in 1978. • At the age of 20 years 266 days Marquez is the youngest rider to win the premier-class world title, taking the record from Freddie Spencer who was 21 years 258 days old when he won the 500cc title in 1983 riding a Honda. • Marquez is just the fourth rider in the 65 years history of grand prix racing to win world titles in three different categories, along with: Mike Hailwood, Phil Read and Valentino Rossi. Records set in 2013 on way to winning world title: • At the opening race of the year in Qatar he became the fourth youngest rider of all-time to finish on the podium in the premier-class of Grand Prix racing after Randy Mamola, Eduardo Salatino and Norick Abe. • At the first race of the year, Marquez set a new record for youngest rider ever to take the fastest lap of the race in the premier-class at the age of 20 years 49 days. The previous record holder was Freddie Spencer who was 20 years 161 days old when he had his first race fastest lap in the 500cc class at Misano in 1982. • His win at the Grand Prix of Americas at the age of just 20 years 63 days, made him the youngest ever rider to win a premier-class grand prix, taking the record from Freddie Spencer who was 20 years 196 days when he won the Belgium 500cc GP at Spa-Francorchamps in 1982. • Qualifying on pole position in Austin at the age of 20 years and 62 days made Marquez the youngest ever rider to qualify on pole in the premier-class, taking the record from Freddie Spencer who was 20 years and 153 days when he qualified on pole for the first time in the 500cc class at Jarama in 1982. • The victory in Austin also made Marquez the youngest ever rider in the 65 year history of World Championship Grand Prix racing to have won in three different classes, taking the record from his team-mate Dani Pedrosa who achieved this at the age of 20 years 227 days when he won in China in 2006. • Marquez is the first rider to have won in either their first or second start in the premier-class for 15 years, since Max Biaggi won on his 500cc debut at Suzuka in 1998. • He is the first rider since Jorge Lorenzo in 2008 to finish on the podium in his first two races in the premier-class. • After podium finishes at the first two races, Marquez had joint leadership of the championship classification with Jorge Lorenzo and is the youngest rider ever to lead the premier-c lass championship, taking the record from Jorge Lorenzo who headed the championship standings after winning at Estoril in 2008 at the age of 20 years 345 days. • The win in Austin also gave Marquez the record of being the youngest ever rider to take back-to-back podium finishes in the premier-class, taking the record from Randy Mamola who finished on the podium in Spain and then France in 1980 at the age of 20 years 197 days. • At the Spanish Grand Prix, Marc Marquez became at the age of 20 years 77 days, the youngest rider to finish on the podium at three successive premier-class GP races, taking the record from Jorge Lorenzo who was 20 years 345 days old when he has his third successive podium in 2008. • At the French Grand Prix he became only the second rider to finish on the podium in his first four races in the premier-class; the other rider to have achieved this is Max Biaggi in 1998. • The victories by Marc Marquez at the Sachsenring and Laguna Seca give him the record of the youngest rider of all-time to win back-to-back races in the premier-class of grand prix racing at the age of 20 years 154 days, taking the record from Freddie Spencer who was 21 years 104 days old when he won in South Africa and France in 1983 riding a Honda. • His wins at the Sachsenring and Laguna Seca also made Marquez the first rookie in the premier-class to win back-to-back races since Kenny Roberts in Austria and France in 1978. • His win at Indianapolis made Marquez only the second Rookie ever in the premier-class to win three successive GP races; the other is Kenny Roberts who won in Austria, France and Italy in 1978. • The victories by Marquez at the Sachsenring, Laguna Seca and Indianapolis give him the record of the youngest rider of all-time to win three successive races in the premier-class of grand prix racing at the age of 20 years 182 days, taking the record from Freddie Spencer who was 21 years 125 days old when he won in South Africa, France and Italy in 1983. • His win at the Czech GP gave Marquez the record of being the first Rookie ever in the premier-class to win four successive GP races. • His win at Brno was the fifth win of the year – the greatest number of wins ever in the premier-class by a Rookie. • The victories by Marc Marquez at the Sachsenring, Laguna Seca, Indianapolis and Brno give him the record of the youngest rider of all-time to win four successive races in the premier-class of grand prix racing at the age of 20 years 189 days, a record previously held since 1962 by Mike Hailwood at the age of 22 years 139 days. • Marquez has finished in the top three sixteen times in 2013 – the greatest number of pod ium finishes ever by a Rookie in the premier-class. • He has qualified on pole nine times in 2013 – the greatest number of pole positions ever by a Rookie in the premier-class. • His points’ total of 334 is the greatest number of points ever achieved in a Rookie season in the premier-class. First steps (1993-2000) On the 17th February 1993, a future champion was born in Lleida. Marc has always lived in Cervera, a small town near the capital of the province where he lives with his parents and his brother Alex. Year after year, his father used to drive with thousands of other fans by bike to Jerez, so it can come as no huge surprise that Marc would chose this path. At the age of four, Marc asked for a motorbike for Christmas and, with two training wheels, he had his first experience. He would go with his father to an esplanade near their house, to an industrial area or even a friend’s field to practice before taking part in his first races. When he was five, he participated in “Enduro for kids” in the initiation category. He would have preferred to practice motocross, which was more fun and where all the riders started at the same time. Marc was able to test himself against other kids, without having to look at the times when the race is over. However, there wasn’t a class for his age at that time in motocross. In 1999, his father bought him a second-hand 50cc off-road pocket bike, on which he continued to enjoy enduro and also to begin in motocross. In 2000, although he continued competing in enduro, he was also runner up in the Motocross Catalan Championship and, a year later, he took another step forward and won the Catalan Championship of the initiation category. He kept practising enduro, a discipline in which he finished fourth that year. From dirt to tarmac (2000-2007) Later tha t year, The Catalan Motorcycling Federation launched the Conti Cup, a road racing series that included bike, helmet, overall, gloves, boots and licence. His strong performances in the fastest motocross races inspired him to try his luck on the Kart circuits’ tarmac, although the initial stages were a little disappointing. However, by mid season he started to feel more comfortable and decided to repeat the experience the following year. It was then when he entered in Procurve, a team from Mataro with which he finished third in the Conti Cup. He kept competing in motocross but in 2002 he started to focus on road racing. With the same team he changed to the big circuits by taking part in the Open RACC 50, a six-race Catalan Championship held in Montmeló (2), Calafat (3) and Can Padró (1). His first year was expected to be one of adaptation and learning, but Marc won the Championship with an overwhelming performance, sometimes finishing races with an advant age of 20 seconds over his rivals. Due to the excellent results of 2003, the following year Marc jumped to the 125 class with a Honda 125 GP. He signed for the RACC Impala team, with Pol Espargaró –who was two years older- as his team mate. After the six races held in Montmeló (2), Valencia (2) and Albacete (2), he took the runner-up position behind his team mate. A year later, the team changed their name to RACC CajaMadrid and the Monlau mechanics became a part of it. It was an important year for Marc, as it was then when he met Emilio Alzamora, 1999 125cc World Champion with Honda. During that season Marc won the 125cc Catalan Championship, as well as the Supermotard Catalan Championship 85cc class. The following year he repeated the Catalan triumph, and at the same time made his debut in the Spanish Road Racing Championship (CEV), where he achieved eighth overall position. In 2007 he participated again in the CEV, this time wit h KTM, but several crashes prevented him from taking a better position than ninth overall. Marc, with 1.50m height and 43kg, was forced to take a 20kg ballast that affected the bike negatively in the changes of direction, as the inertia would drag him out of the track. Nonetheless, he was able to win one of the seven races of the Championship, at the Jerez circuit. World Championship Debut (2008) At the end of the 2007 season, shortly before the last race in Valencia, he went with Emilio Alzamora to the Ricardo Tormo Circuit to attend the Valencia Grand Prix. Immersed in the world championship atmosphere, Marc thought he was there to learn and prepare himself for the last CEV round. But Alzamora had a surprise for him: the next year he would be part of the big World Championship family. Both surprised and elated, Marc accepted the challenge and in 2008 he embarked in a new odyssey, in which he would learn and grow as a rider. His debut in the Motorcycling World Championship was with the Repsol KTM Team livery at the Portuguese Grand Prix that took place in Estoril. During the pre-season, an ill-timed crash ended with a fracture of his right arm that prevented him from being on the starting grid in the first two races. But he was finally able to make his debut around the middle of April. Marc showed glimpses of his talent in that very first race, but it was in the second race, in China, where he took his first two points and made his remarkable potential clear. In the following races he continued to ride among the top riders, but it was in his sixth race, at the British Grand Prix, where he was able to set a milestone in motorcycling history. Marc took third position, the youngest rider ever to make it onto a World Championship podium. The Repsol rider alternated great performances, especially in San Marino and Indianapolis, with an occasional setback, such as in the Malaysian Grand Prix, wher e he ended his season early. In the practice sessions, Marc was run over by a rival, with incredibly bad luck his leg was trapped between the wheel and the swingarm and broke the epiphyseal plate of his tibia. Nevertheless, the season’s assessment was impressive, as he finished in thirteenth position overall, despite having missed four races due to injury. Second year in the World Championship (2009) Again sporting the number 93 on his Repsol fairing, celebrating the year he was born, Marc demonstrated in his second World Championship campaign the talent that had impressed everyone. Riding in the official KTM team, he broke new records: at the French Grand Prix, he was the second youngest rider ever to take pole position in the World Championship, and fought week after week to finish on the podium. He achieved it in the third round of the year, in Jerez, and despite being among the top group on several occasions, bad luck and crashes combined to prevent him from repeating the feat for the rest of the season. Despite all the difficulties, Marc finally achieved his objective: to finish nearly all races in the top five. Considered as one of the young promises of the Spanish Motorcycling, he did not lack offers for 2010, but he decided on joining Ajo Motorsport team riding a Derbi. World Champion (2010) It was his third year in the Continental Circus and the first one where he had the same weapons as his rivals. Armed with an identical bike to the rest of the candidates for the top spots, it was the season in which Marc was able to show his full potential and took every opportunity to keep setting records in his short but remarkable career as a rider. From the pre-season, he set a record pace, showing a great adaptation to his new bike and team. In the first race, Marc showed his aspirations when he took pole position and followed it up with a podium finish, although he had the feeling he could have done better. However, he soon found the first obstacle: after setting another pole position in the second Grand Prix of the season in Jerez, he was incredibly unlucky in the race. He had not completed the first lap when the exhaust system broke, detaching itself and knocking the rear wheel in one of the fast corners at the Andalusian track. Marc was thrown through the air and dislocated his right shoulder. Putting a lot of effort into his recovery, he once again reached the podium in the following race, in France, and then two weeks later his first victory of his career at Mugello. A success that demonstrated his talent, he went on to win the following four races consecutively, setting all the pole positions and breaking records set years ago by the young Valentino Rossi. The summer break interrupted Marquez’s winning streak and in the first practice of the Czech Republic Grand Prix he dislocated his left shoulder in a crash. Despite that, he was able to compete in the race and, although he chose the wrong tyres, which ended completely worn, he finished in seventh position. Again with a huge effort in his physical recovery, Marc showed again the high level he had before the summer. Nevertheless, a mistake at the Indianapolis Circuit made him crash again when he was leading the race. He was able to finish tenth – despite receiving a 20-second penalty, and maintained the lead of the Championship. A lead that, although reinforced by another victory in the following round in San Marino, he lost two weeks later at the Aragon Grand Prix. He was run over by another rider and was forced to leave with no points for the second time in the season. He then faced the Asian leg of the season fully determined and with the personal aim to return to Spain as Championship leader again. He succeeded. Marc dominated in Japan, Malaysia and Australia, winning the three rounds and setting the fastest t imes in the practice sessions. Undoubtedly, this was an important step forward in his battle for the title, as he set a perfect hat-trick without a single mistake. Then the Portuguese Grand Prix arrived. Marc astonished all the motorcycling world with an incredible performance. With the race suspended due to the rain, Marc crashed on the new formation lap, less than ten minutes before the restart of the race. His bike was repaired just in time with the help of all his mechanics and even other riders’ mechanics. He started from the last position of the grid, but was already fourth at the end of the first lap after a wonderful performance. In the end, he recorded an epic victory just ahead of Nico Terol. Pol Espargaró, finishing tenth, was out of the Championship battle. The title would be decided in Valencia in a duel between two riders: Marc and Nico Terol. Marc arrived at the last round of the season with an advantage of 17 points in the overall classifi cation, but perfectly aware that the World Championship had not finished and that he had to remain focused until reaching the chequered flag. In a perfect weekend Marc set yet another pole position, matching the record of pole positions set by a living legend of motorcycling, Repsol Honda’s Mick Doohan. In the race he showed the maturity that had characterised him all season, although for once he avoided entering the battle for victory. His fourth position allowed him to reach the finish line celebrating the title. He was the 2010 125cc World Champion at 17, after taking 10 victories and 12 pole positions. Runner-up in Moto2 in his first year (2011) After winning the title, the natural step for the young rider was to change classes in 2011 and follow his unstoppable progression with any bike he might lay his hands on. Marc joined a team created especially for him, boasting engineers and mechanics with experience in Moto2 and MotoGP. It took him four r aces to get to grips with the class, as three crashes from the opening four races gave him plenty of food for thought. At the French GP, however, he announced his arrival as a serious title contender. His victory at Le Mans and second place at Montmeló showed that he was not out of his depth in the class, but one race later he suffered another crash whilst fighting for the win at the British GP. This was the final blip before a huge comeback, in which he picked up three consecutive wins —Assen, Italy and Germany—, one second place —Brno—, a further three wins on the bounce —Indianapolis, San Marino and Aragón— and another second place —Motegi. There was still to be another amazing comeback in 2011 —this time at the Australian GP. After being penalised for an infraction in Free Practice and sent to 38th on the grid, he would have to do something very special to take something away from Phillip Island. That Sunday he overtook 35 rivals to take the last spot on the podium. Seven wins, three second places and a third place gave Marc the Rookie of the Year honour for 2011, although his season ended on a sour note when he crashed in qualifying for the penultimate race of the season in Malaysia, after marshals failed to display rain flags at that part of the circuit, and was unable to compete in the final two events. That meant that he conceded the title, albeit taking a creditable runner-up spot in the Moto2 World Championship. Moto2 World Champion for 2012 Marc faced his second year in the intermediate category with the highest possible aspirations. Accompanied by the same team as the previous year, he fought to repeat the form shown in his brilliant 2011 season. The start of the year was not easy for Marc, who missed almost the entire pre-season whilst recovering from the injury sustained in free practice for the 2011 Malaysian Grand Pri x. Marc had been experiencing double vision which had not improved since the accident and after three months he opted to have surgery on 16 January 2012. He was treated for paralysis of the upper right oblique muscle, caused by trauma to the fourth right cranial nerve. The operation was a success and he recovered in time for the Qatar Grand Prix, the first race of 2012, but had accumulated very few miles on his Moto2 bike. Despite this, he started 2012 as one of the favourites to take the title. He did not disappoint. Marc overcame everything thrown his way and and took the win in the desert, showing that he was fully recovered and ready to push for the title. That victory was followed by a second in Jerez and another win in Portugal. At the fourth round, held at the Le Mans circuit, the Spaniard took pole position but suffered a crash in an intense downpour on race day. That small blot on his record was followed by 9 podiums from 12 races. Eight wins —in Qatar, Port ugal, Holland, Germany, Indianapolis, Czech Republic, San Marino and Japan—, two runner-up finishes —Catalunya and Great Britain—, and three third places —Jerez and Aragon, established his credentials. With everything going in his favour, rain again caught Marc out at the Malaysian Grand Prix. Three laps into the race, the Repsol rider crashed out. Fortunately, the advantage gained at the preceding races allowed for him to clinch the crown just one week later in Australia, where he was crowned Moto2 World Champion. Step up to MotoGP and first World Championship As the Repsol Honda Team bid farewell to double World Champion Casey Stoner, after the Australian announced his retirement at the French GP in 2012, there was a huge amount of expectation on what Marc could achieve in his first season in MotoGP and how he would adapt to the bigger bike. A strong pre-season saw Marc get to grips with his RC213V and by the Mal aysian Winter tests, he demonstrated he was able to fight with the elite of the class. On arrival at the private pre-season test in Austin, Marc remained unbeaten in all three days there as he became more and more comfortable on the bike. In the first race in Qatar, Marc achieved his first podium, fighting with Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi in his first ever race in the premier-class. Then as the paddock flew west to Austin again, this time in race-mode, the young rookie completed the impossible taking pole and recording his first race win in MotoGP in just his second race. In doing so, Marc become the youngest ever rider to win a premier-class grand prix at the age of 20 years 63 days taking the record from Freddie Spencer (who was 20 years 196 days when he won the Belgium 500cc GP at Spa-Francorchamps in 1982). Unbelievably, Marc was now leading the Championship as the next round got underway in Jerez. A gutsy last corner manoeuvre on 2012 Champion Jorge Lorenzo secured second place for Marc as teammate Dani Pedrosa took his maiden win of 2013. At the next round in France, Marc took his second pole of the season but wet weather on race day saw Marc drop back to 8th on the first lap. It was Marc’s first experience of racing MotoGP bikes in the wet but he used the opportunity to learn and he gradually made his way through the pack. After passing Lorenzo, Bradl crashed out and Rossi made a mistake which promoted him to 5th on lap 18. He then chased down Hayden and Dovizioso to claim a remarkable podium in very difficult conditions. The Italian GP weekend was one to forget for Marc as he luckily escaped serious injury from a heavy crash in FP2. He was able to ride again for qualifying but was clearly shaken. However, starting from 6th in the race, Marc pushed in the race and was up to second but with just three laps remaining he lost the front and crashed out, unhurt. The next round in Catalunya was a tough weekend for Marc, w ho once again started from 6th on the grid. However, in the race Marc was able to push and again finished on the podium in third position. On arrival in Assen, the temperatures were cooler and many riders suffered big crashes. Title rival Jorge Lorenzo fractured his collarbone on Thursday’s practice session and Marc suffered a big crash, breaking a finger and toe, in FP3 on Friday. Incredibly Lorenzo was operated on and returned to race, and Marc didn’t let his injuries hold him back either. Marc took 2nd place and an important 20 points after his DNF in Mugello. The GP of Germany was a huge turning point in the season. Another crash from Lorenzo sidelined him for the race, as he took time to properly recover, and Marc’s teammate Dani Pedrosa also had a big crash – hitting his head hard and cracking his collarbone. Marc needed no other invitation as he dominated the race and regained the Championship lead as his two main rivals were forced to sit out. Marc cont inued this run of success winning in Laguna Seca – becoming the first rookie to win in there in the premier-class and became the youngest rider to win back-to-back races in the premier class at the age of 20 years 154 days (the previous record-holder was Freddie Spencer, who won the opening two races of the 1983 season in South Africa and then France at the age of 21 years 104 days). Again in Indianapolis, becoming the third rider of all-time to win three premier-class GP races in the same country in a single season (Jorge Lorenzo in 2010 – Jerez, Catalunya & Valencia, and Casey Stoner in 2011 – Catalunya, Aragon, Valencia, in both cases the three wins were from four races held in Spain). Marc also became the first rookie in the premier-class to win three back-to-back races since Kenny Roberts in 1978, who won in Austria, France and Mugello. As the MotoGP circus headed back to Europe, Marc was on a roll and took his fourth win in a row at Brno, becoming the first rid er since Valentino Rossi in 2008 to win four or more successive races in the premier-class and also the youngest rider to have won four successive premier class Grand Prix races. The run came to an end in Silverstone, when in warm up on Sunday morning, Marc crashed and dislocated his left shoulder. Fortunately he was able to ride and starting from pole, he managed to take second place – marking his 50th podium finish, which at the age of 20 years 196 days made him the youngest rider to reach a half century of grand prix podium finishes, taking the record from Dani Pedrosa who was 21 years 162 days old when he stood on a GP podium for the 50th time. Marc was back to full fitness two weeks later in Misano and smashed the pole record on his way to securing his sixth pole position of the season. He didn’t have a perfect race but again, was able to take second place and another 20 points, maintaining his lead in the Championship, 34 points ahead of Lorenzo and Pedrosa. In Aragón, the inevitable finally happened. After so many battles and such close racing, the two Repsol Honda Teammates came together – only slightly – on track and the minor contact resulted in the rear wheel speed sensor cable on Dani’s bike breaking, launching the Spaniard into the air and his Championship hopes with him. Marc ran wide but remained unaffected and chased down Lorenzo to take his sixth win of the season and extending his lead by another 5 points. As the Paddock flew East for the final fly away races, Race Direction pulled in the two Repsol Honda Riders for a hearing concerning the Aragón incident in Malaysia before the race weekend. The outcome was a loss of 25 Constructor Championship points for Honda and another point on Marc’s record (after the two received in Silverstone) – one more would result in him starting his next race from the back of the grid. The team moved on from this and had another fantastic weekend with a 1-2 finish, M arc in second but importantly finishing in front of Lorenzo, putting another four points between them and stretching his lead to 43 points with three races and 75 points. With no time to rest, the teams flew to Australia for the next race. Cold and wet conditions greeted them in Phillip Island but gradually the weather improved and became quite warm by the weekend. Tyre issues for all the riders (also in Moto2) dictated a dry flag-to-flag race for the MotoGP class, with no rider permitted to make more than 14 laps on any one slick rear tyre. Marc needed to take 7 points or more than Lorenzo – and not lose more then 5 points to Dani – to seal the Championship. Additional issues in warm up on Sunday morning further complicated things and the rules changed once again. The new format dictated a new race distance of nineteen laps with a mandatory change of bikes at least once during the race. Riders were also not permitted to complete more than ten laps on any one rear tyre, m eaning they had to change machine at the end of lap nine or lap ten. The race began well and Championship leader Marc held second position from the start, behind pole man Lorenzo. At the end of lap ten, race leader Lorenzo entered the pits – along with the majority of riders – but Marc did not follow, instead completing lap ten and then entering the pits before passing the line of lap eleven. Marc rejoined the circuit as Lorenzo came through turn one and slotted into second. Shortly after Marc rejoinined the race, he was shown the black flag – meaning instant disqualification – as he had exceeded the lap limit as set out in Race Direction’s earlier instructions. The team made a mistake, understanding he was able to complete ten laps and come back in before completing lap eleven, and the ‘BOX’ instruction on his pit board was therefore one lap late. Marc and his team had to move on from this and he had no time to dwell on the situation. The next morning the team were on th eir way to Japan for the final of the three fly away races. On arrival in Japan, the typhoon in the South of Japan had begun heading north and with heavy cloud cover over the circuit, the circuit medical helicopter was unable to fly and was therefore not available in the event of an emergency, with the nearest hospital an hour away by road. This meant no track action at all, in any class, on Friday. After an earthquake in the night, the teams arrived at the Motegi circuit on Saturday to be greeted by another obstacle. The sessions were once again cancelled, this time due to track conditions, and the entire paddock forced to wait patiently again. Finally at 12h50 race direction deemed the track safe and the Moto 3 class took to the Japanese circuit. Conditions slowly improved, although there was still a lot of standing water on track when the MotoGP class session began at 13h55. Race direction declared this session as an extended qualifying session with a time allowance of 75 minutes and Marc took second spot on the grid in preparation for the race. Sunday morning, the Sun arrived and presented everyone with the same dilemma; just 45 minutes of dry track set up time. Marc suffered a high speed crash in the session on a cold front tyre and was fortunate to avoid serious injury and received an injection before the race to numb the pain. Having only experienced 45 minutes on a dry track at Motegi on the MotoGP machine, Marc began to have some issues midway through the race. He attempted a few moves on Lorenzo but was unable to complete a pass and finally stopped pushing and settled for second place and important Championship points. Now with just 13 points separating him and Lorenzo, the final round of the season in Valencia was to be the Championship decider. Warm weather welcomed the MotoGP teams, as did a sell out crowd at the Valencia circuit. Marc was fastest in FP1, FP2 and FP3 – breaking the pole record – and then recorded his ninth pole of the season. Marc rode a mature race, keeping out of the battle between Dani and Jorge, and took a safe third securing his first MotoGP World Championship in his maiden season. More, from a press release issued by HRC: Honda claim 62nd Constructor’s Championship Today Marc Marquez has claimed his first MotoGP World Championship of his career, in his maiden season, by taking victory in the Valencia Grand Prix. Honda Motor Company have won a record-extending 62nd Constructors Championship with the second position of Dani Pedrosa and third position of Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V) at the Valencia GP. The 2013 MotoGP Constructors Championship was Honda’s 20th in the premier class – seven in MotoGP and thirteen in 500cc – to add to the six 350cc titles, nineteen in the 250cc class, fifteen in the 125cc class, and two in the 50cc category. Honda riders have won 667 races, a number that’s sure to continue growing. Honda’s 2013 Repsol Honda Team riders, Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa, both contributed to the Constructors Championship which is calculated by the result of the highest placed motorcycle of a Constructor, according to the position in the race. They scored a c ombined tally of 389 points with Marc taking Honda’s top result eleven times, and Dani Honda’s top points-earner seven times. Honda satellite rider, Alvaro Bautista also contributed to the tally with his 4th place finish in Aragón, after Marc’s result was cancelled due to his contact with Dani. A Honda rider finished on the podium in every race this season and the Constructors Championship was won by the following placed finishes: Qatar – Marquez 16, Americas – Marquez 25, Spain – Pedrosa 25, France – Pedrosa 25, Italy – Pedrosa 20, Catalunya – Pedrosa 20, Netherlands – Marquez 20, Germany – Marquez 25, USA – Marquez 25, Indianapolis – Marquez 25, Czech Republic – Marquez 25, Great Britain – Marquez 20, San Marino – Marquez 20, Aragon – Bautista 13, Malaysia – Pedrosa 25, Australia – Pedrosa 20, Japan – Marquez 20, Valencia – Pedrosa 20. Tetsuo Suzuki HRC President Senior Managing Officer and Director of Honda R&D co.,ltd “This has been a very exciting season for our HRC Factory outfit, the Repsol Honda Team, with both Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa fighting for the title and challenging in every race possible. We, as Honda, celebrate our third successive Constructors Championship and 62nd in our history which I am very proud of, this is a wonderful accomplishment. My congratulations go to our rookie Marc on an outstanding performance and his achievement in winning the MotoGP World Championship in his maiden season, breaking many records along the way. Dani was unfortunate to sustain an injury in Sachsenring and thus making the remainder of his season very hard to close the gap I&r squo;m sure he will be ready to fight again in 2014! I would like to thank everyone at Honda and HRC and all our sponsors and technical partners for their valuable support and input this season, also to all our fans around the World, we appreciate all your support!” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Magic Marquez claims MotoGP™ World Championship as Lorenzo wins at Valencia Round 18: Valencia MotoGP™ – Race Circuito Ricardo Tormo, Sunday 10 November 2013 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Extra-soft & Soft. Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric) Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main) & Hard (Alternative) Weather: Dry. Ambient 23-24°C; Track 27-30°C (Bridgestone measurement) Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez is the 2013 MotoGP World Champion after the rookie took third place behind race winner Jorge Lorenzo to become the youngest ever premier-class title holder. Lorenzo, Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa and Marquez were engaged in an enthralling dogfight in the opening laps, before Lorenzo broke away in the second half of the race to win comfortably by 3.934 seconds. Pedrosa took second place, while Marquez rounded out the podium in third, the result ensuring he becomes only the second rider to win the premier-class world championship at the first attempt. First CRT rider across the finish line at Valencia was Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro who took eleventh place. Today’s weather conditions were similar to the previous two days of the race weekend, with fine, dry weather and a peak track temperature of 30°C recorded at the start of the race. Faced with the same track conditions, tyre choice was similar to that seen in practice. For the rear tyre, there was a clear preference for the hard compound rear slicks amongst the works riders and a preference for the softer rear for the CRT riders. Nine of the thirteen works riders – including all the riders on the podium – selected the new hard specification rear slick, while eleven of the thirteen CRT riders selected the soft compound rear slick. For the front tyre, only two of the twenty-six starters selected the softer front slick, the majority of the field selected the harder front option. The pace in today’s Valencia Grand Prix was record-breaking with Pedrosa setting a new Circuit Record Lap of 1’31.628 and the overall race time beating the old record by thirty-three seconds. Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department “Congratulations to Marc Marquez and Repsol Honda on winning the MotoGP World Championship. Marc’s amazing performances in his rookie year make him a deserving world champion, but it was also an excellent effort by Yamaha and Jorge Lorenzo who did everything they could to defend their world title, including winning at Valencia today. It was great to see a huge crowd at Valencia this weekend cheering on their local heroes and today was a fitting end to one of the most exciting seasons in recent years. I would like to extend my thanks to the teams and riders, Dorna, the FIM and IRTA for their cooperation and support throughout the year. Bridgestone is now looking forward to taking the first step towards next season through our support of the Valencia post-season test which starts tomorrow.” Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department “The consistent weather over the three days meant the tyre combinations used on Friday and Saturday afternoon were well suited to today’s race conditions. Our new specification asymmetric hard rear slick was chosen by most of the works riders, while the CRT riders preferred their softer rear option. As expected, the harder front slick was by far the most popular choice for the riders. I’m very happy with the performance of our tyres this weekend, and it was great to see both the circuit record lap and overall race time records being smashed. It was a great weekend for Bridgestone and a great ending to the MotoGP season.” Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda – 2013 MotoGP™ World Champion “It’s a dream come true to be World Champion. I can’t explain how I feel to win the championship in front of all the Spanish fans, while fighting with Jorge and Dani who are both fantastic riders. Thanks to Honda, all my team, my family and friends, for always being there for me.” Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha Factory Racing – Race Winner “Coming into this weekend my strategy was to try go fast from the start of the race, but this morning we had a meeting and decided to change the strategy and slow down the race in the opening laps. However, the other riders outside the top three couldn’t keep with the lead group, but with Dani and Marc so close it was a bit risky. We tried our best for the championship, we did all we could but today Marc is the deserving World Champion.” More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse: 2013 MotoGP season comes to an end for Ducati Team. Tomorrow first 2014 tests for Crutchlow and Dovizioso, headed by Luigi Dall’Igna, new Ducati Corse General Manager The Ducati Team wrapped up a difficult season today at Spain’s Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana, with Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso finishing in eighth and ninth places, respectively, on a day that saw Marc Marquez crowned 2013 MotoGP World Champion. Hayden, in his final race with the Ducati Team after a five-year stint, had a bad start from his fourth-row grid slot aboard his Desmosedici GP13, but he made several overtakes in the early going and passed the chequered flag in eighth position. Row-three starter Dovizioso was involved in a near-race-long battle with fellow Ducati rider Andrea Iannone and after getting the better of that contest, he finished the race one spot behind his American teammate. Dovizioso and Hayden finished eighth and ninth overall in the final championship standings. After starting from the seventeenth spot on the grid, Ducati Test Team rider Michele Pirro was 18th at the end of lap 1, but he pushed hard for the rest of the 30-lap race and completed the day rounding out the top ten. Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team, 8th “The start wasn’t very good, as the same thing happened as in Japan, but I was able to make up some places and finish in eighth place. It’s not a great result, but it was nice to finish the race as first Ducati rider. For a while, I thought maybe I could get on the back of Bradley [Smith] as I cut the 3 second gap in half but then I had a moment coming off the last corner and hit the windscreen. He went faster after that anyway, so that was it. It’s pretty emotional. I spent five years with a great group of guys, and although it hasn’t always been easy, we were a good team together. I wish them all the best.” Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team, 9th “It was a pretty disappointing and slow race for me. I had no feeling; this track continues to be difficult for me, and I just didn’t do very well. Nicky was good though, and once he was gone, I tried to base my race strategy around Iannone. All things considered, eighth place overall isn’t too bad, but these obviously aren’t the positions that we want and we’ll approach the 2014 season with confidence and determination.” Michele Pirro – Ducati Test Team, 10th “It was a tough race because apart from the fact that I haven’t raced for two months, 30 laps here is very difficult. I just regret that my crash yesterday compromised my grid position, and instead of starting close to Andrea and Nicky, I was two rows behind them. In the early laps, I found myself in eighteenth place. I ruined the tyre when I started battling with the others. I made up a bit of ground, but the other riders were still far away. Thanks to Ducati for the opportunities they have given me this season; I’m sure we’ll do some great things in 2014.” The 2014 season gets underway tomorrow with the start of the first winter tests and the Ducati Team will be on track for three days of testing activity with Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow, Ducati’s new signing. The test will also mark the first official Ducati appearance of Luigi Dall’Igna, who was recently appointed Ducati Corse General Manager. “Today’s race brings to an end a 2013 season that for Ducati has been particularly short on satisfaction,” declared Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati Motor Holding, at the end of the race. “Tomorrow we’ll begin with the first tests of the 2014 season, with a new structure headed by Luigi Dall’Igna, to whom I would like to give a warm welcome and offer best wishes, both on a personal level and on behalf of the entire company. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank and say goodbye to Bernhard Gobmeier, who has managed Ducati Corse in the last ten months, and who today hands over the baton, so to speak, to Gigi. Big thanks also go to the teams and the riders, in particular to Nicky, who will leave his team and his garage this evening to tackle a new professional challenge, but who in these last few years has always been a proud ambassador for our brand throughout the world. And finally I give a warm welcome to Cal who will join Andrea on our team next year. Both riders will do their utmost to help us forget the disappointments we have suffered in the last few seasons.” “We are delighted to welcome on board Luigi Dall’Igna, who will be at the circuit from Monday onwards for the first tests of 2014,” declared Maurizio Arrivabene, Vice-President of Philip Morris International. “Obviously we cannot consider ourselves satisfied with the results we have obtained recently, but we have been alongside Ducati for the definition of the new racing structure. We did it with continuing confidence in the project, in a spirit of total and constructive collaboration, with the aim of working together towards a future of mutual satisfaction.” More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Factory MotoGP Team: Lorenzo Signs Off 2013 With Masterful Valencia Victory Valencia (Spain), 10th November 2013 Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo wrapped up the 2013 MotoGP season today with victory in the Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana, his third consecutive victory of the season. Trailing leader Marc Marquez by 13 points going into the race, Lorenzo had nothing to lose and everything to gain as the Spanish showdown unfolded in front of a record crowd of 104,000 race fans at the Ricardo Tormo circuit. Taking off past Marquez from second on the grid, the 2012 world champion took the holeshot and control of the race. Lorenzo kept the pace down on the opening laps, hoping to bring the chasing pack into play to challenge Marquez. The daring strategy allowed Dani Pedrosa to attack, the two rivals entering an intense battle over several laps as they swapped positions countless times in a stunning display of riding skill at the limit. Pedrosa was to end up the loser in the exchange as the two touched going into turn two with 21 laps to go. Pedrosa ran wide, losing position as he rejoined the race. The incident allowed Marquez to briefly pass Lorenzo for the lead but he was only allowed to stay ahead for a lap before Lorenzo reclaimed the front on lap 11, putting the hammer down to reel off a number of 1’31 second laps as he flew to his eighth win of the season. Teammate Valentino Rossi moved up to fourth off the line after a good start, chasing Marquez into the first corner with Alvaro Bautista in hot pursuit behind. As the race unwound Bautista was able to make a pass on Rossi but with 19 laps to go the nine-time world champion showed his mastery of late braking, taking third position back from the Spanish rider. The provisional podium position was not to last as a recovering Pedrosa re-passed on his way to second, leaving Rossi to claim fourth at the line. Despite dominating not just the last quarter of the season but the final race, it was not enough to overcome the points difference to Marquez, leaving Lorenzo to claim a worthy second place in the standings after an incredible season of unrivalled performances. Rossi’s eighth fourth place finish of the season was enough to secure him fourth in the final standings. Jorge Lorenzo 1st / 46’10.302 / 30 laps “I slowed the start of the race a little but I think it didn’t work out because the other riders, Bautista, Valentino, Crutchlow and the others needed some tenths more to stay there. I tried first and last to play a little bit with the race and I managed it quite well but I couldn’t stay there for too long. When I looked behind I could see that Valentino was very far away so I thought that today it was better to concentrate on winning the race and waiting to see if Marc makes a mistake. Now we have to celebrate second in the standings which is a good place. We have to congratulate Marc because he really deserved the championship and we will make a party tonight!” Valentino Rossi 4th / +10.579 / 30 laps “The race was not so bad, especially after this morning where I had a lot of problems and wasn’t fast enough. Unfortunately I didn’t have the pace to fight for the podium. I was able to stay close at the beginning and try to fight but after I didn’t have the speed, like more or less all the season where I am two or three tenths slower compared to the top guys. For this reason I couldn’t challenge for the pole position, the race and the championship. The season was not so bad for me but we have to try more to increase our speed and our performance to fight for the podium more constantly. This is the target for 2014.” Yamaha Factory Racing Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager “It’s been a fantastic season and of course a great win today, it was an amazing show. The first ten lap tactics were to keep the pack together. Jorge did a great job, it was on the edge and that’s racing; all that counted today was the championship. Marc was clever and stayed calm, Jorge did his best at his maximum and he won the race but lost the championship. This loss is exceptional; he won eight races and broke his collarbone twice. It’s an incredible result to finish just four points from the title given the conditions. It is a great achievement and we are very proud about that.” Yamaha Factory Racing Massimo Meregalli Team Director “It has been an incredible season. I think we deserved the championship, we really did the maximum that we could. I would like to say a big thank you to everybody, Jorge and the team. We never gave up and Jorge never gave up. He delivered some really impressive performances. Even today he made a fantastic race. He started the race having a plan and tried to manage the race until he understood that he couldn’t do any more. Then when he decided to win he pulled away. The season has been really long, hard and tough but we are satisfied with all we did. I would like to thank everybody and wish all the best to team members Jeremy, Walter and “Bibo” who are leaving us. Tomorrow the new season is already starting with a three-day test. We will aim to give the Japanese engineers as much information as possible to work with.” More, from a press release issued by NGM Mobile Forward Racing: Corti and Edwards in the points at final 2013 race of the season The 18th and final round of the MotoGP world championship comes to an end with both NGM Mobile Forward racing riders in the Top15 at the Circuito Ricardo Tormo in Valencia. The season ends with the NGM Mobile Forward Racing team as 2nd CRT team and with Colin Edwards as the 2013 2nd best CRT rider with in the MotoGP Championship with his FTR – Kawasaki bike. Claudio Corti ends the season with a fantastic performance in his final race with Forward Racing team. Corti was able to finish the race in 13th place but was aiming to finish as best CRT given the good race pace he had, the Italian rider believed he could have been in the fight for best CRT with Espagaro. American teammate Colin Edwards admits the Valencia track is not one of his favorites but would have liked to finish the race with a better result. Edwards looks forward to getting started on the 2014 season that will officially begin with tomorrow’s testing of the FTR – Yamaha bike. The 2014 season will begin tomorrow at Valencia with Colin Edwards and Aleix Espargaro testing the Yamaha – FTR bike. Colin Edwards “This is not the weekend we wanted to finish the year on. I think I have a stigmatism with this track I never seem to be good here but I don’t know why. We ended up second CRT for the year, everything started coming together on the second half of the season and we got some decent results. Espargaro and the ART package were just too much for us this year. Thanks to everybody in the team, it was awesome, thanks to all my guys. It is time to move on and start thinking about testing the new bike tomorrow.” Claudio Corti “I didn’t have a good start, I was stuck in traffic at the very beginning. When I saw that the others were using the soft tire I really thought I could be very performing on the second half of the race but the group in front of me started to open a gap and I was not able to stay with them. Little by little the bike was getting lighter and I was able to find my race pace, I had Petrucci ahead of me but I waited until the last few laps to overtake him. I am happy to finish last race of the season in the points, I would have preferred to finish closer to Espargaro but I lost too much time in the start.” Sergio Verbena, MotoGP Technical Director “We have achieved our goal for the weekend of getting both riders in the points and we are very satisfied. Claudio has done a great race today, he was close to Petrucci, who had qualified as best CRT and overtook him two laps before the end of the race. He crossed the finish line in 13th place, a good result for him for his last race with the team. Colin had more trouble during the race and was still able to take a point but he is not completely satisfied with his performance. We finish this year’s championship as 2nd CRT in both the rider standing and team standing. The 2013 season has come to an end, we struggled at the beginning but we have gradually improved throughout the year. We have to concentrate on the upcoming season that will begin tomorrow.” More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda: BRADL ENDS IN 6th HIS FINAL GP OF 2013 SEASON Valencia, 10 November: in the final SOLD-OUT race of the 2013 calendar in Valencia (more than 104.000 spectators), the Spanish racer Marc Marquez has been crowned the premier class World Champion whilst the LCR Honda rider Stefan Bradl finished the 30-lap race in 6th position overcoming the unfortunate history which saw the German never completing a race at the 4.005Km circuit. Stefan ends his second season in the premier class in 7th place with 156 points. Stefan Bradl “First of all I want to thank my Team for their excellent job during the season and, for the first time in my career, I could finished the race in Valencia so I am happy to keep working with this crew in 2014. The race itself was quite tough as we expected because we have been struggling with front-end issues for the whole weekend. Actually it was not a bad race but we lost a bit of time in certain areas so we will focus on those points from tomorrow during the testing days. My best moment of the season was Laguna Seca podium because we did an incredible job the whole weekend whilst the worst moment was the injury in Malaysia but I can say that, even in that case, Lucio and the guys were incredibly professional making my recovery easy and fast. The 2013 season is over but we will start working on 2014 in less than 24 hours…”. More, from a press release issued by Dorna: Marc Marquez is the youngest ever rider to clinch the premier class world title in MotoGP™. Thanks to a truly amazing debut season, the 20-year-old from Cervera, Spain also becomes the first rookie premier class World Champion for 35 years. Márquez’s debut World Championship campaign in 2008 immediately served notice of his talent and he took a podium at Donington Park in his first season, despite a shortened campaign due to injury. In 2009 he scored a single podium on his way to eighth overall, before his full talent truly blossomed in 2010 as he scored an incredible ten victories from 12 pole position on his way to the 125 World Championship title. One of his most notable rides was his win from last on the grid in Estoril. Stepping up to Moto2™ in 2011 the youngster got off to a rocky start, crashing out of the first two rounds. However, a first win in Round 4 at Le Mans laid the way for six more victories as he pushed Stefan Bradl closely for the title, until a crash in practice at Sepang ended Marquez’s season prematurely. Problems with his vision as a result of that crash cut short his 2012 pre-season, but he was well on the pace in the final test at Jerez and was therefore an instant favourite for the title. Márquez did not disappoint in 2012, as he took victory in the first Moto2™ race of the season in Qatar and made his intentions clear with some tough and controversial overtakes in the race. A first DNF after a crash at a wet Le Mans gave his rivals hope, as compatriot Pol Espargaro mounted a strong challenge, yet after a coming together of the two at their respective home race in Catalunya – where Espargaró crashed out and Marquez collected valuable points – the title race was strongly skewed in the eventual World Champion’s favour. A total of nine wins – including two which saw him fight his way through the whole pack in Japan and Valencia – and 14 podiums ultimately saw the Spaniard take his maiden Moto2™ title before moving up to the Repsol Honda Team in the MotoGP™ premier class for 2013. Moving into 2013, Marquez joined the previous season’s runner-up Dani Pedrosa. A remarkable start to the campaign saw him go head-to-head in Qatar with multiple World Champion Valentino Rossi, eventually losing out to the Italian. Despite that, Marquez’s rostrum at Losail would remarkably prove to be his first of 16 across the 18-round season, with the only two blots on his copybook being a crash while running second in the closing stages at Mugello and a disqualification for failing to make a mandatory bike change in time at Phillip Island. At the inaugural Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas, he phlegmatically achieved his maiden premier class victory from pole position at only the second event of the campaign, in the process taking records away from Freddie Spencer as the youngest ever pole-sitter and race winner in MotoGP™. In Jerez, Marquez made headlines as he collided with reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo to grab second place at the final corner, then pulled a memorable pass on Rossi around the outline of Laguna Seca’s world-famous Corkscrew. At Silverstone, he lost out to Lorenzo in a last-lap battle that will go down in MotoGP™ folklore as the pair crossed the finish line just 81 thousandths of a second apart. They would trade paint again at Sepang, as Marquez came out on top for second position to further increase a championship lead he had retaken at July’s German GP following heavy crashes for both Lorenzo and Pedrosa. At both the Sachsenring and Indianapolis, the 20-year-old enjoyed perfect scores of pole position, fastest lap and race victory. He clinched the title in Valencia on 10th November, replacing Spencer as the youngest ever premier class title winner by finishing in third place behind Lorenzo and Pedrosa following a thrilling early-race battle as the outgoing Champion attempted to slow the pace. Marquez therefore becomes the first debutant to clinch the premier class title since Kenny Roberts won in his first season of 1978. In doing so, he also becomes the 26th premier class World Champion in the series, which dates back to 1949. He is the third Spaniard to claim the ultimate honour, after Alex Criville (1999) and Jorge Lorenzo (2010, 2012), and has won the titles of all three classes across just four years. A few facts about Marc Marquez: At the age of 20 years and 266 days, Marquez is the youngest rider of all-time to win the world title in the premier class, taking the record from Freddie Spencer who was 21 years and 258 days of age when he won the 500 title in 1983, also riding a Honda Marquez is just the fourth rider in the 65-year history of Grand Prix racing to win world titles in three different categories, along with: Mike Hailwood, Phil Read and Valentino Rossi Marquez has finished in the top three 16 times in 2013 – the greatest number of podium finishes ever by a rookie in the premier class. He has qualified on pole position nine times in 2013 – the greatest number of pole positions ever by a rookie in the premier class. At the second race of 2013 he became the youngest ever winner of a premier class Grand Prix race (20 years, 63 days) and the youngest rider to start from pole; Freddie Spencer had held both records since 1982. His points total of 334 is the greatest number of points ever achieved in a rookie season in the premier class. MotoGP™ Career: 2008: 125 World Championship – 13th position on KTM, 13 starts, 63 points 2009: 125 World Championship – 8th position on KTM, 16 starts, 94 points 2010: 125 World Championship – WORLD CHAMPION on Derbi, 17 starts, 310 points 2011: Moto2™ World Championship – 2nd position on Suter, 13 starts, 251 points 2012: Moto2™ World Championship – WORLD CHAMPION on Suter, 17 starts, 324 points 2013: MotoGP™ World Championship – WORLD CHAMPION on Honda, 18 starts, 334 points Biography Date of birth: 17th February 1993 Place of birth: Cervera, Spain First Grand Prix: Qatar 2008, 125 First pole position: France 2009, 125 First podium finish: Great Britain 2008, 125 First Grand Prix victory: Italy 2010, 125 Grand Prix starts: 96 Grand Prix victories: 32 Podium finishes: 55 Pole positions: 37 Fastest race laps: 27 World Championship Wins: 125 (2010), Moto2™ (2012), MotoGP™ (2013) More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing: The 2013 MotoGP season ended today at Valencia before a large, passionate crowd that took advantage of the perfect weather conditions, filling the grandstands of the Ricardo Tormo Circuit. As Yonny Hernandez started the morning warm-up session, he was trying to take care of his painful hand ahead of the 30 race. In said race, he managed to stay close to the first ten riders for some laps, but despite trying hard to add a positive note to his difficult weekend in Spain, he instead ended the day early. As in the preceding days, the Ignite Pramac Racing Team rider was forced to give in to the pain caused by his fractured right pinky, returning to the garage on lap 9 of 30. Although the last day of the 2013 World Championship ended with a some bitterness, the Colombian is ready to turn the page and start building toward the 2014 season, starting with the IRTA test set to take place here in Valencia over the next three days. Yonny Hernandez – Ignite Pramac Racing Team “Today I’m really sorry and sad. I didn’t want to end the season in this way, but despite my best efforts the finger didn’t allow me to do more. I started off well, then I had a contact with Espargaró. I tried to close the gap but the rear of the bike slipped. I managed to keep the bike up, but I certainly strained the hand, which started to hurt me too much and I returned to the pits. It wouldn’t have made much sense to continue in those conditions. I’m so sorry because the team worked very well to help me. I was learning a lot, but unfortunately, the fracture has changed things a little bit. Now let’s see what we can do in the next few days. I hope to be able to take advantage of the tests and to be able to ride a bit, but much will depend on how I’ll feel.” More, from another press release issued by Pramac Racing: For the last time this year, the field of riders powered away for the start of a round of the 2013 MotoGP World Championship, this time in front of a packed, partisan crowd at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo Circuit. After a good start, which allowed Andrea Iannone to immediately make up three positions and head the quartet of Ducati riders, the Italian had to defend his tenth place. He was involved in a battle with Dovizioso which was characterized by a series of passing moves that lasted until lap 20. A sudden crash at Turn 1 three laps from the end brought an end to Iannone’s good race, and he was forced to retire. The Italian ended the 2013 season in 12th position in the overall standings, and is now ready to begin a new chapter with the Energy TI Pramac Racing Team, starting from tomorrow during the three-day IRTA tests held at the same circuit. Andrea Iannone – Energy T.I. Pramac Racing Team “I made a very good start today, I pushed hard from the first lap, but then I took some risks. The track was different compared to this morning, it was very windy and we did not have the same front-end grip as the previous days. Then Nicky passed me, he was very fast and he went away from me. I managed to stay with Dovi for almost the entire race, but maybe I made a wrong tyre choice. I used the soft one, but after 23 laps the bike started to slide too much, the electronics were intervening a lot, and I was struggling to pick up speed coming out of the curves. Then I crashed, I lost the front with which I didn’t have the right feeling all weekend. It has been a difficult year, I often got injured but I’ve always tried to do my best anyway. The team helped me to learn a lot, my first year has finished and I will use everything I learnt to tackle next year starting from tomorrow. We don’t have a lot to test, we should wait for Malaysia for the most important new things, but we can revise what we did during this year. The arrival of Gigi Dall’Igna will surely be the first big news. I’m happy, he is a reassuring person and I really trust him. I think, however, that all the people working at Ducati are good guys, who have won in the past, and I don’t think they have forgotten how to do it. A reorganization is definitely needed but I have full confidence in them, something that confirms the choice I made last year. I’d like to thank again all the people who have supported me throughout the year, allowing me to be able to get to the end of the season.”