Thailand presents first shot at 2019 MotoGP World Championship
The second running of the Thai Grand Prix presents Marc Marquez with his first chance to wrap up the 2019 MotoGP World Championship as an incredible campaign enters its closing stages.
2018 saw Buriram debut on the MotoGP World Championship calendar. The first running of the race produced a thrilling battle between Marc Marquez and Dovizioso for victory. It was the Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez who claimed victory by 0.115s on that day in 2018. Round 15 brings not only the second Thai GP, but also begins the most intense period on the MotoGP World Championship calendar with races in Thailand, Japan, Australia and Malaysia in just five weeks.
The reigning World Champion again has victory in his sights as he looks to wrap up the 2019 MotoGP World Championship. Alongside taking victory in Thailand in 2018, Marquez also claimed pole position and the fastest lap of the race. With all the records in his pocket, the reigning World Champion appears as the man to beat.
Entering the weekend with a 98-point lead over title rival Andrea Dovizioso, Marquez must finish in at least 14th place while out scoring the Italian by two points to leave Thailand with an eighth World Championship. Across all the permutations of finishes, Marquez must finish the weekend in Thailand with a 100-point advantage over Dovizioso to be crowned the 2019 MotoGP World Champion.
After a crash ruled Jorge Lorenzo out of the 2018 Thai GP, the five-time World Champion is looking forward to the prospect of racing in Buriram for the first time. Consistent times in practice during the Aragon GP showed that Lorenzo’s condition and feeling with the RC213V is improving and he is aiming to continue this trend in Thailand.
The 26-lap Thai GP is scheduled to start at 14:00 Local Time on Sunday, October 06.
Marc Marquez
“We had a great weekend in Aragon and it was a delight to win in front of the home crowd. I want to carry this confidence and energy to Thailand so we can put in a strong weekend. Our approach doesn’t change even with the circumstances, we will do our work to be as strong as possible come Sunday. Last year we had a very exciting race here in Thailand so hopefully we can put on another good show for the fans!”
Jorge Lorenzo
“Last year I did not have the best weekend in Thailand with a big crash ruling me out of the race. I am looking forward to completing the race there and we saw from Marc last year that the RC213V is strong at this circuit. After the difficult race in Aragon, I am hoping we can have a good weekend. During practice we showed that our pace is getting better and delivering on this potential is our objective for Thailand.”