September 8/9/10 2017
Marquez and Pedrosa Looking Good for Misano
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) travels to Misano this week with one thing on his mind - to regain the lead in the 2017 MotoGP World Championship.
The five-times World Champion (thrice in MotoGP, once in Moto2 and once in the 125cc class) has been on great form at recent races, following a steady start to the season. He took the series lead for the first time at round nine in Germany, before the summer break, with his second win of the year.
A second consecutive victory, in the Czech Republic, was followed by an ultra-close second place in Austria. The 24-year-old Spaniard started the next race at Silverstone from pole position, for the fourth race in a row, and was battling for victory when he was side-lined by a technical issue, a first in his 84 MotoGP starts.
Thus Marquez commences the final third of the 18-race season holding second overall, only nine points behind Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) and four points ahead of Maverick Vinales (Yamaha) in the closest premier-title contest in Grand Prix history. Indeed the top five is covered by 55 points, with Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) only 26 points behind his team-mate.
Misano statistics would seem to favor Marquez. He has claimed four of his 58 career wins at the circuit just inland from the Adriatic seaside resorts around Rimini. His first was on a 125 in 2010; two more followed in Moto2 over the next two seasons. His switch to the premier class in 2013 saw him finish second in his first race at the track on an RC213V. The next year he started from pole but crashed out of the race. He won again in 2015 and last year finished fourth, on his way to his third MotoGP championship in four seasons. As a further boost, both Repsol Honda Team riders tested successfully at Misano before the last race, making further steps in getting the most out of the 2017 RC213V.
Last year’s Misano winner was team-mate Pedrosa, who came through from eighth on the grid to hunt down the leaders and score a superb victory. It was his second MotoGP success at the track, following on from his 2010 win. Now in his 12th year with the factory Honda team, the former 125 and double 250 World Champion has won at least one race each year and usually many more, with a best of seven in a season in 2012, one of three seasons in which he finished second overall. Pedrosa has had mixed results this year, with a win at Jerez among seven podium finishes from the first 12 GPs.
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda RC213V) comes to Misano nursing an unusual injury. On Sunday the Briton cut the index finger on his left hand, severing a tendon, which has since been reattached by surgeons. A hand specialist has created a custom-made splint for the injured digit, so Crutchlow is hopeful of being able to ride this weekend.
The two-times MotoGP winner was on strong form last time out at Silverstone, qualifying on the front row for the third time this year, then fighting for a podium finish throughout the race, which he finished in fourth place. He has one top-three finish so far this year: a third place at round two in Argentina.
Team-mates Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda RC213V) and Tito Rabat (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda RC213V) also campaign Honda’s mighty-powerful V4. Miller has been stronger, with a string of top-ten finishes before the summer break, and a best of sixth at the Dutch TT in June. The Australian lies 14th overall. Former Moto2 World Champion Rabat is 18th, in a close batch of scores and a strong chance of gaining places at a track where he won the Moto2 race in 2014.
The title fight is far from over in the Honda-powered Moto2 class, with seven-times race-winner Franco Morbidelli (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Kalex) currently protecting a championship lead of 27 points. A single non-finish and one more victory from Czech GP winner Thomas Luthi (CarXpert Interwetten Kalex) would leave the 22-year-old Italian only two points ahead.
Morbidelli and Luthi are bound for MotoGP next year, as team-mates in the Marc VDS Honda squad, so this is their last title chance in the competitive intermediate category, where all competitors use race-tuned Honda CBR600 engines supplied by Honda via the organizers.
Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Kalex), younger brother of Marc, spoiled his title hopes when he crashed out while disputing the lead at Silverstone, but the former Moto3 World Champion will have another chance next year. For the present, the two-race winner must concentrate on defending third overall from the closing Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo KTM), whose consistency has put him within 14 points.
Three riders are locked in battle for fifth overall, covered by a spread of just seven points. Impressive class rookie Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46 Kalex) heads Mugello winner Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team Kalex) and Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia Kalex), with the latter pair tied on points. Nakagami (25, from Chiba) won the last race at Silverstone, and is also bound for MotoGP next year, to join Crutchlow in the LCR team.
Simone Corsi (Speed Up Speed Up), Dominique Aegerter (Kiefer Racing Suter) and Luca Marini (Forward Team Kalex) complete the championship top ten.
Honda is riding high in the Moto3 World Championship, holding the top six positions in the series after winning all but one of the 12 races so far. Riders of Honda’s 250cc single-cylinder NSF250RW have also monopolized the podium at nine races, including the last round at Silverstone.
Winner last time out for a third time this year was Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda NSF250RW); but it hardly made a dent in the massive 64-point lead enjoyed by seven-times race-winner Joan Mir (Leopard Racing Honda NSF250RW), who was fifth at Silverstone.
Canet’s win did move him into second overall, ahead of Romano Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers Honda NSF250RW), who started from pole but finished ninth in a race cut by one lap due to a crash.
Moto3’s top 13 finishers at Silverstone were covered by just 2.2 seconds, showing how close racing can be in this class. Enea Bastianini (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda NSF250RW) finished second, his best result so far this year, and now lies ninth overall. Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Racing Moto3 Honda NSF250RW) was third in the race, moving up to fourth in the championship.
Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Racing Moto3 Honda NSF250RW) and Scotsman John McPhee (British Talent Team Honda NSF250RW) are fifth and sixth. The next Honda riders after Bastianini are Livio Loi (Leopard Racing Honda NSF250RW) and Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse Honda NSF250RW) in 13th and 14th.
Misano was built in 1969 and hosted its first Grand Prix in 1980, becoming a regular GP fixture over the next two decades or so. The redesigned and renamed reverse-direction Misano World Circuit re-joined the championship with the return of the San Marino GP in 2007. The new clockwise lap introduced a particular challenge at the end of the back straight, where a series of progressively slower right-hand corners require precise braking, and also test tires and machine set-up. The overall layout is tight with several slow corners, so low-gear acceleration is important.
The 2017 MotoGP season continues at Aragon on September 24 before the paddock flies east for the Japanese, Australian and Malaysian GPs on consecutive weekends in October. The championship finale takes place at Valencia, Spain, on November 12.
Honda MotoGP rider quotes
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team:
“We’ll try and have a great weekend in Misano, putting the last race behind us. The important thing is that lately we’ve been competitive at all kinds of tracks, so now we go to Misano, which has a twisty, tight layout, with the same approach and mentality that have worked very well for us so far. We’ll look to be as strong as possible, not with victory as the only target but ready to fight for it if we have the opportunity to do so. We’ll work to get the best result possible. We had a positive test there in August, so we’ll go there ready to start well, beginning on Friday morning.”
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team:
“I’m looking forward to the Misano race and it’s a track I like. There are always a lot of fans there, and an incredible atmosphere. I have good memories there and I’ve enjoyed some strong results, so I hope to be able to work well in every session. A couple of weeks ago we had a test there that went quite well, and hopefully that will help us to get things going in the right direction right from the beginning of the weekend.”
Cal Crutchlow, LCR Honda:
“Unfortunately, I sliced my finger with a knife and it severed the tendon on my left index finger. I slept on it, but the bleeding continued so I went to the Emergency Room at Pistoia Hospital, where I was examined by Dr. Riccardo Simonti who discovered that the tendon was severed. I then had an operation on my finger to reattach the tendon and then stitch it all back up. I was taken care of very well at the hospital, they did a good job. Since then I visited a hand specialist in Parma who made me a splint for the finger to give me every opportunity to ride at my best this weekend for the San Marino GP. I am sure it will be difficult, but I will try one hundred percent as always. Let’s see how it goes.”
Jack Miller, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:
“I’m looking forward to Misano, it’s a track I like and one at which I hope we can recover from the slump we’ve been in since returning to action after the summer break. The track is a little bit different to Brno, Austria and Silverstone and I think it’s one that will suit our Honda RC213V better. There is one long acceleration but the rest of the track plays to the Honda’s strengths and we need to take advantage of that this weekend. The last few races have been tough, but we’ll come out fighting again this weekend in Misano.”
Tito Rabat, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:
“In Silverstone we made a step forward with the bike by finding a solution to the lack of rear grip that has held us back since the start of the season. I was able to race rather than just ride the bike and that was good for my confidence. Of course, we still need to confirm the changes at another track, but if everything works as expected in Misano then I’m confident we can put in a good performance and then finish the rest of the season strongly.”
Moto2 rider quotes
Franco Morbidelli, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:
“Now we head to Misano and it will be important to be fast there in front of my home crowd. There will be a lot of people there I know and we even have a special grandstand for this weekend, so I want to go there and win. A home race is always a different race, a race where you not only have to give a little bit more but it’s expected of you by the home crowd. I’ve been waiting for this weekend since January and I would love to make a great race at home in Misano.”
Thomas Luthi, CarXpert Interwetten:
“Six races to go. This year every GP is a new story. I think consistency is the key to the title but I also know that I must win again as soon as possible. I’ve known Misano for a long time. It’s a track where I’ve had some good and not so good memories, but one thing is sure: the racing will be hot and there will be a lot of fans there. It’s wrong to think that it will only be a battle between Frankie and me. We will see a lot of different riders in the battle and I like it like that.”
Alex Marquez, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:
“Silverstone was a great weekend, right up until the point I crashed out of the lead, which definitely wasn’t in the plan! Now we head to Misano, where I’ve maybe struggled a bit more than normal in the past, but we go there this year in a different position entirely. I go to Italy completely motivated to fight once again at the front, as we did last time out at Silverstone. To win the championship is nearly impossible for me now, so I don’t have to worry about Franco Morbidelli or Tom Luthi, I just need to push to try and win as many of the remaining races as I can, starting this weekend in Misano.”
Honda Moto3 rider quotes
Joan Mir, Leopard Racing:
“Last year I scored the second Moto3 podium of my career at Misano, so I think it’s a circuit we can go to looking for another good result. It’s a tight track where you have to work very hard to make any time over the other riders, but we have already shown what we can do. On the other hand, the racing is so close that it can be very tricky - a few tenths of a second can lose you several positions. As usual we will work hard to make the bike work well over the full race, then make our strategy as the race goes along.”
Aron Canet, Estrella Galicia 0,0:
“Last year at Misano we were fighting to place on the podium and we were very consistent during practice. This year we are very motivated for the San Marino GP after my victory at Silverstone, in addition to having a good feeling and gaining experience this season. The layout of Misano makes it one of the most demanding tracks, and I like it a lot because it has some very fast corners. The atmosphere, with all the fans, is impressive, and that always gives us a boost on track.”
Romano Fenati, Marinelli Rivacold Snipers:
“Misano is always an important round for Italian riders. The track has a beautiful layout and the atmosphere is really amazing. Home races are great but there is always extra pressure, so we will work extra hard to get the result for the team and for our supporters.”
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