World Champion Marquez and the Repsol Honda Team pack up in Japan and head for Australia
Fresh from clinching the Rider’s Championship at Motegi – Honda’s home circuit – the Repsol Honda Team are en route to Australia for Round 16 of the World Championship.
This past weekend in Japan Marc Marquez successfully defended his 2013 title and was crowned back-to-back World Champion, and now all eyes are on the battle for second place. With both Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi joint on 230 points and Jorge Lorenzo now just 3 points behind them on 227, the fight will be intense with just three races of 2014 remaining.
The Phillip Island circuit remains one of the favourites with the World’s top riders. Located next to the Southern Ocean, the often windy circuit is a flowing blend of seven left-handers and five right-handers, with tricky, iconic sections like Lukey Heights thrown into the mix. The 4.448km circuit, located 140km south of Melbourne, hosted its first motorcycle GP in 1989 and has been an indispensable fixture ever since.
Both riders have had mixed results here in the past, Dani celebrating a solitary win here in 2005 (250cc) a 2nd place last year (MotoGP) and a 3rd place finish in 2009 (MotoGP). Marc also only has one win to his name here in 2010 (125cc), and two 3rd place finishes in Moto2 (2011, 2012) and will be eager to put last year behind him, after receiving a blah flag during the difficult race.
TEAM QUOTES
Marc Marquez
2014 MotoGP World Champion
“What we achieved in Japan a few days ago is still sinking in! To win the Championship in my first two years is a real dream and I must thank all my family, my team, Honda and Repsol for all their commitment and dedication. Now we can relax a little, but not too much! I still want to win races and finish the season on a high. Phillip Island was a bit of a nightmare for me last year so I have a score to settle! I like the track, it’s a lot of fun, so let’s hope the weather is nice so we can really enjoy the weekend!”
Dani Pedrosa
Championship Standing: 3rd – 230 points
“The race in Japan was a little frustrating so I’m looking forward to getting to Phillip Island and putting it behind me. Obviously we tested there earlier in the year but we’ll have to see how are the conditions now, some months later. The goal is of course to take second place in the Championship and I will be pushing 100% to achieve this. The layout is exciting to ride and the races are always fun, but let’s hope there are no issues like in 2013!”