Marquez Determined to Perform Better in Japan MotoGP

Repsol Honda Team Racer Marc Marquez poses after the qualifying session for the French MotoGP race at the Bugatti Circuit, Le Mans, Pracis (13/5/2023). (ANTARA PHOTO)

JAKARTA - Repsol Honda (HRC) racer Marc Marquez emphasized that he does not want to repeat the same mistake. He intends to reduce technical and strategic errors in order to avoid the risk of falling and perform well at the Japanese MotoGP, Saturday.

Meanwhile, Marquez ended up in 14th place during the free practice session (FP) at the Motegi Circuit, Friday (29/9). Initially, he appeared to consistently race in the top 10 positions, before finally falling at Turn 1.

"Today was a day where there was a possibility to go straight to Q2, I had speed but there were several mistakes. On the first tire I made a mistake at the last corner and on the second tire the yellow flag flew," said Marquez, quoted from the official statement.

"However, that day wasn't too bad, my feeling on the bike was positive, and the speed was quite good. Later we will keep the bike more or less the same and focus more on my riding style and the track we use," he added.

Meanwhile, his teammate, Joan Mir, finished in P12. He started the race quite well, but then fell at Turn 5 in first practice.

"The accident we had this morning was not a major accident, but it complicated things a bit. We tried several things with the bike that I crashed," said Mir.

Mir said he wanted to improve his braking technique which would be his main focus before the qualifying and sprint rounds.

"I think we need to improve the braking side a little so that we can continue to show improved performance. The target for Saturday is to improve this, yes, we'll see what can be done," said Mir, as reported by ANTARA, Saturday, September 30.

On the other hand, some weather forecasters say there is a 60 percent chance of rain falling on Motegi with lower temperatures on Saturday.

Weather changes are another factor in determining what will happen in Qualifying and the Sprint Race. In wet conditions in 2022, Marquez took pole position at the Japanese GP and ended a pole position drought of 1,071 days.