Honda's Marquez Goes Hunting for Another Aragon Victory

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@Honda's Marquez Goes Hunting for Another #Aragon Victory


Reigning @MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) goes for his second consecutive Grand Prix victory on Sunday as he bids to make further inroads into his championship rivals at his favorite track of the year.

Two weeks ago the 22-year-old scored his fourth victory of the season in a thrilling dry/wet/dry San Marino GP, at a stroke gaining 14 points on championship leader Valentino Rossi (Yamaha). With five races remaining he stands 63 behind the Italian and 40 points behind Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha), so he knows he has a chance to retain his title, so long as he can keep winning races.

Marquez, who broke record after record during his dominant first two seasons in MotoGP, has had an up and down third year in the premier class, with his four wins balanced by four DNFs, through crashes. Now everything is to play for as he continues his comeback in the championship, which has already provided fans with numerous twists and turns of fortune between the main protagonists. Both Marquez and compatriot Lorenzo have enjoyed mixed fortunes since the racing got underway in March, while Rossi has shown more consistency to lead on points.

Last year at Aragon, Marquez went all-out in the rain-soaked race to secure the world title at home, but he slid off in the treacherous conditions, then remounted to finish 13th. Nevertheless he has great form at the track: in 2013 he won the MotoGP race and two years earlier he took victory in the Moto2 race.

Marquez's team-mate Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) has also done great things at Aragon, with a superb victory in 2012 and second-place results in 2010 and 2011. Luck has been against him in his past two visits to the track, with two DNFs.

While Marquez closes in on the points leaders, Pedrosa continues his own comeback after missing three of the first four races due to surgery. Fourteenth overall after those first four races, Pedrosa is now seventh and aiming to climb further up the order in the final few races.

Cal Crutchlow (CWM LCR Honda RC213V) is another who knows how to get results at Aragon, the third of four Spanish tracks on the calendar. The Briton scored a popular podium finish in the rain last year and was fourth in the dry in 2012. Crutchlow has had an up-and-down first MotoGP season with Honda, showing impressive speed when things go his way, as they did at the third race of the year where he scored a podium finish on his factory option RC213V.

Compatriot Scott Redding (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda RC213V) returns to Spain still buzzing from his first premier-class podium, scored in ever-changing conditions at Misano a fortnight ago. The former Aragon Moto2 podium finisher didn't merely finish on the podium, he did so after an early-race crash, making him one of a select few riders who have finished in the top three after taking a tumble. Two weeks before that Redding scored his previous best result, with sixth place in the Silverstone rain, suggesting that the youngster is very much on the up.

Honda's other four riders in the class of kings campaign Open spec machinery. Currently Jack Miller (CWM LCR Honda RC213V-RS) is the best-placed of the quartet, the 20-year-old rookie showing impressive speed on his day to hold 18th in the championship. Miller is just ahead of the vastly experienced Nicky Hayden (Aspar Team Honda RC213V-RS), who won the 2006 MotoGP crown for Honda. Hayden was third at Aragon in 2010 and will have a tougher than normal weekend on this visit, after breaking a thumb in a training tumble.

Eugene Laverty (Aspar Honda RC213V-RS) will be working hard to get back into the points for the first time since June's Catalan GP, while former Moto2 race winner Karel Abraham (AB Motoracing Honda RC213V-RS) aims for his first points of a so-far luckless campaign.

Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport Kalex) is enjoying such a strong season in the Honda-powered Moto2 category that he has broken the all-time record for the points advantage held at this stage of any intermediate-class campaign. With 13 races done and five to go, the Frenchman stands an amazing 93 points clear of reigning champion Tito Rabat (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Kalex). If he increases that advantage to 100 points or more on Sunday he will be crowned Grand Prix motorcycling's first champion of 2015.

Zarco's performances in a series known for its tough racing have been phenomenal. This year he has achieved six wins, five runner-up finishes, one third-place result and an eighth-place finish, at the season-opening Qatar GP, which he led until he was slowed by a technical glitch. Last year he finished third at Aragon.

Rabat knows he will almost certainly say goodbye to his Moto2 crown at some point in the next few weeks, which only makes him more determined to ease the pain of losing the title by scoring more race wins. The Spaniard has scored just one victory this year – at Mugello – and is sure he has a good chance at Aragon, where he's finished second on his last two visits.

The recent San Marino Grand Prix didn't go well for stand-out rookie Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40 Kalex) who had snatched second overall from Rabat at the previous race. Rins crashed at Misano, taking out race leader Dominique Aegerter (Technomag Racing Interwetten Kalex). He was later disqualified from the race, his no-score dropping him back to third overall. Rins has tested at Aragon and he won last year's Moto3 race at the track, so he has high hopes of adding to the debut Moto2 victory he took at Indianapolis last month.

Just three points separate Thomas Luthi (Derendinger Racing Interwetten Kalex) and Sam Lowes (Speed Up Racing Speed Up) in fourth and fifth places. Both the Swiss rider and the Briton have scored one win each this year.

Danny Kent (Leopard Racing Honda NSF250RW) still leads the way in Moto3, where Honda riders hold the top two positions and four out of the top six. But Kent has seen his advantage trimmed at in recent weeks, with 17-year-old Enea Bastianini (Junior Team Gresini Moto3 Honda NSF250RW) achieving his first world-class victory at his home race at Misano. Kent now holds a 55-point advantage over Bastianini, who feels he has a real chance of chasing the championship leader at the final races. Last year Kent finished third at Aragon, three places ahead of his young rival.

The Moto3 man of the moment is Niccolo Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold Honda NSF250RW) who has out-scored everyone at the last three races, taking a debut win at Brno and third-place finishes at Silverstone and Misano. He now lies sixth overall, ahead of Efren Vazquez (Leopard Racing Honda NSF250RW), who slid out of the Misano race.

Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda NSF250RW) is currently tenth overall, and this weekend has a new team-mate in Sena Yamada, who substitutes for Fabio Quartararo (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda NSF250RW), who is recovering from a foot injury sustained at Misano.

Twenty-one-year-old Yamada won the 2013 and 2014 All-Japan Moto3 crowns and currently contests the FIM CEV Moto3 series for the Junior Team Estrella Galicia 0,0.

MotorLand Aragon – situated a three-hour drive south west of Barcelona – joined the MotoGP calendar in 2010. The layout was created by German architect Herman Tilke (who also designed the tracks at Sepang, Istanbul, Shanghai and Bahrain), while the infrastructure is the work of British architect Sir Norman Foster.

The anti-clockwise circuit meanders across the undulating landscape with an interesting combination of 17 corners. There's a great variety of fast and slow turns, with elevation changes and several blind corner entries adding to the challenge.

Repsol Honda have won three of the five MotoGP races held at the track, with Casey Stoner in 2011, Pedrosa in 2012 and Marquez in 2013. However, Honda is still looking for its first Moto3 success.

After Aragon the MotoGP circus embarks upon its biggest trip of the year: the Japanese Grand Prix on October 11th, followed by the Australian and Malaysian Grands Prix on subsequent weekends.



Honda MotoGP rider quotes

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team
“After a strange race in Misano, I'm really looking forward to Aragon this weekend! This is my favorite track of the year and we've had good results in the past, despite last year's unfortunate rain-affected race! The first and final sections of the track are quite technical and you must work hard on the set-up to have good cornering. Let's hope this weekend we can have a ‘normal' race weekend with good weather so we can work hard from the Friday and be ready for the fight on Sunday.”

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda Team
“It was a disappointing race in Misano and I've already put it behind me. The last two years have been tricky for me in Aragon, so I look forward to an incident free race this year! I enjoy going to Aragon and having the opportunity to race in front of our home fans. Of course this gives you more motivation and we will all try put on a good show for them. Let's see how the weather is and I hope to be in the battle for the victory.”

Cal Crutchlow, LCR Honda
“I like MotorLand Aragon – looking at the dry-track lap times it really suited the Honda last year. I've had some good results there, so we will see if we can keep that momentum going when we get there this time. As usual, we will work hard and see if we can get some pace going, so we can be in a position to challenge in a better group than at the last few races.”

Scott Redding, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS
“It was a great feeling to stand on the MotoGP podium for the first time in Misano, but we need to be realistic about what we achieved there. The conditions were probably the most difficult any of us have ever raced in and I was lucky enough to be able to take advantage with the two bike changes. We will approach this weekend in Aragon with the same goals as always; to be inside the top ten in free practice, go straight into QP2 on Saturday afternoon and then push for a top-ten finish in the race on Sunday.”

Nicky Hayden, Aspar Team
“Aragon is next, it's quite a unique track with a lot of elevation and it's quite technical, with some blind entries and downhill braking. It's certainly not an easy track and I haven't made it any easier this year because I recently had a little accident training on minimotos in Italy and broke a thumb. I have seen the doctors and had the scans and I am optimistic I'll still be able to race but we will have to see on Friday how I feel. Unfortunately it's the right thumb, which is always a little bit worse, but I have been doing a lot of therapy in the last days and I definitely feel a bit better. We weren't having an easy season as it is and this won't make it easier but injuries are as much a part of this game as finding a set-up for your bike! Hopefully we can go there and still have a positive weekend.”

Eugene Laverty, Aspar Team
“I'm excited to ride Aragon on a MotoGP bike. Even though many of the corners are slow and in second gear the circuit still has a flowing nature and that suits our Open Honda. The long back straight exiting a first gear corner is the only area of the track that causes me concern. Our bike is working fantastically and in Misano we were able to continue our ultra-strong pace for the second successive race weekend. The changeable weather on race day hasn't gone our way lately but that's racing. There's no point in focusing on things that are out of our control. I'm really happy with my Aspar Team crew and we've really begun to gel since the summer break. With five rounds remaining I'm optimistic of a strong finish to our season.”

Karel Abraham, AB Motoracing
“The situation is very difficult for us because I still suffer from pain in my foot. However, we made some minor improvements in Misano, so we hope to continue this way in Aragon. I have had some good results there, as well as bad memories of a huge crash in 2011. I hope this weekend will be a positive one.”

Jack Miller, LCR Honda
“I'm glad that the weather looks like it should be more consistent than it was at Misano. I'm still learning on the big bikes, so the more dry-track time I can get, especially in race situations, the better it is for me. The track at Aragon was a lot of fun on a Moto3 bike and I expect it to be a big challenge on a MotoGP bike. It's got all kinds of corners and loads of ups and downs, so I'm sure we'll learn plenty over the weekend.”



Moto2 rider quotes

Johann Zarco, Ajo Motorsport
“I couldn't have a better points lead and I'm looking forward to Aragon. It is better to go to Aragon working as normal, so that I do not have too much pressure, and it is better to enjoy things – if I can get the title – after the race, rather than to prepare for it too much before. To be champion at Aragon I need to win the race with Tito third or lower position, but Tito will be strong there because he's done a few tests there this season. We haven't tested there, which means at the moment he has more chance to be at the front. I had a podium there last year, so we will see. To keep my focus I will target the victory and if we can't do it will be better to be clever.”

Tito Rabat, Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS
“We head to Aragon with the same objective as every other race; to make one step more with the bike and to fight for the race win. We're getting there. Misano was a good race for us, with a good rhythm in the final laps, so we're definitely close. Aragon is a home race for me, but it doesn't really change my approach, which is always to work hard in practice and qualifying and then push for the win. The track is one I like, especially the very fast part! The weather looks like it's going to be good over the weekend, without the wind that can sometimes cause problems at Aragon.”

Alex Rins, Paginas Amarillas HP 40
“I was lucky not to hurt myself when I fell at Misano. The truth is I that I didn't use my head so well. It was a shame, but now we must move on and do the best we can at the last few races. Now we go to Aragon, our home track, which I really like, so I hope to have a great race and make up for my mistake at Misano.”



Honda Moto3 rider quotes

Danny Kent, Leopard Racing
“I'm really excited for the upcoming race weekend in Aragon, because it's one of my favorite circuits of the year. I was able to achieve a podium last year and I would like to do the same this Sunday. In Misano we lost some points to Bastianini, so we need to work hard and try to extend our championship lead further before the series goes overseas. In any case I can't wait to go to Aragon to see the team again and to get back out on my Honda Moto3.”

Enea Bastianini, Junior Team Gresini Moto3
“Last year the Aragon Grand Prix was a strange race: the track was half wet and half dry, and right before the start we choose a wet set-up which made us struggle a bit. This year we arrive in high spirits, having recently completed a positive two-day test at the Spanish circuit; moreover, we are fresh from the great win at Misano. It will be nice to get back on track after this first victory and we will do our best to try to recover some other points in the standings on Kent. As long as we can, we will try to catch him!”

Niccolo Antonelli, Ongetta-Rivacold
“Everything is going so well at the moment – it's a special time for me and the team! We won at Brno and we were so close to winning at Misano that I know we can once again be in the fight at Aragon this weekend. Three podiums in a row shows that the team is working great and I am riding well, so now we want to make it four podiums in a row on Sunday!”