Marquez: ‘Success can make you uncomfortable’

Courtesy of MotoGP

In a candid sit-down interview with motogp.com following his second MotoGP™ title win, Marc Marquez has spoken of the added media attention in 2014 and admits how being in the spotlight can be a somewhat awkward experience.

Marc Marquez 2014 MotoGP World Champion Interview

Having re-written the record books in 2014, sealing more pole positions and Grand Prix victories than any other rider had previously done in a single season of the premier class, Marquez was naturally the centre of attention in the majority of press conferences and media gatherings. Having won four World Championship titles in the last five years, some may say the 21-year-old Spaniard is becoming accustomed to such worldwide acclaim, but even he admits this can be a tough challenge at times.

“I remember how all of the questions to the other riders would continue to be the same,” Marquez recalls. “It would be things like: ‘What do you need to do to beat Marquez?’ and ‘How can you stop Marquez?’ Somehow I was a bit uncomfortable about it because, as a rider, I know how it feels when they ask you about your rival and not about yourself. If it is only one or two questions it is okay, but when you get the same thing all the time, the same questions about the same competitor…I was worried that even riders I get on well with would end up hating me!

“It was a bit bizarre. In reality the more you win, the greater your advantage. So the pressure should be decreased because, each time you win, you are having to risk less on the following occasion in order to push for the championship. Instead, every time I won I was having more and more pressure because I felt like people were just waiting for me to make a mistake. I always felt that the day I failed would make big news. Finally, when I finished fourth at Brno, it actually came as a huge relief, as I was able to say to myself, ‘Okay, now people will stop talking about whether I can win all of the races…they will move on, so things will go back to normal and I will be able to concentrate more on myself.’”

In 2015, Marquez will be looking to become the first rider to win three consecutive premier class world titles since Valentino Rossi in the middle of the last decade.

Track activity for the Ducati Team in 2014 concludes with two days of testing at Jerez

Courtesy of MotoGP

The Ducati Team successfully wrapped up its programme for 2014 with two days of testing at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit in Andalusia (Spain), where next year’s factory team duo of Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone were out on track together with a number of other MotoGP™ and WorldSBK riders. Also present was test-rider Michele Pirro, who continued development work with the Desmosedici ‘lab’ bike and who will remain for one extra day tomorrow.

 

Thursday’s action was conditioned by the rain that fell overnight, and with the addition of a winter cold snap and constant showers this made it impossible to put in a good amount of laps. On Wednesday however, in much more favourable conditions, the two Andreas were on the pace straight away with their Desmosedici GP14.2 machines.

Both riders set good times after working mainly on electronics and set-up. With a time of 1’38.9, Dovizioso ended Wednesday at the top of the timesheets, ahead of his new team-mate Iannone, who was second in 1’39.0; their times remained unbeaten today.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1’38.9
“We had to do set-up testing to get some exact information for next year’s bike. We did a good job yesterday, lapping all day and everything went well. I set a really good lap time, our record at Jerez. Even though I don’t put a lot of importance on these times because many of our rivals were not here, it still gives you a lot of pleasure. Above all we were quick all day on used, hard and soft tyres, so this is even more confirmation that the bike has improved since mid-season and that we went better than what we did at Jerez in the race. Today I didn’t do any more laps because of the weather conditions, but there wasn’t much else to test.”

Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 1’39.0
“Yesterday was quite a positive day because we were able to try out various set-ups for the bike, eliminate some doubts and confirm what we had already tested at Valencia. In the end I lapped quicker than what I did in the GP race. Even with the hard tyre I managed to do a good time and maintain a good pace, so I am quite happy about how this last test of the year went. We have accumulated a lot of good information for the new bike over the last two days. I’m also happy with the team, I like my new group of guys a lot and I’m pleased with the way we work in the box.”

Michele Pirro (Ducati Test Team #51) – 1’40.5
“All things considered yesterday was quite good because we tried a lot of stuff with the electronics and with the chassis components. My best lap was 1’40.5, which wasn’t that quick, but we weren’t aiming for a fast time. Today we continued working on the electronics in the wet conditions, while tomorrow we’ll do some tyre testing.

This test wraps up the Ducati Team’s programme of activities for 2014. The Italian squad will next be back in action with Dovizioso and Iannone at the first official test of the new season, scheduled for Sepang in Malaysia, from 4 to 6 February 2015.

Press release courtesy of Ducati Team

Factory Aprilia Gresini debuts new V4 engine

Courtesy of MotoGP

The Factory Aprilia Gresini outfit continued its pre-season preparations for 2015 in Jerez this week, as Alvaro Bautista and Marco Melandri took to the track on the new V4 featuring its pneumatic valve engine. The test was wrapped up on Thursday.

The outing marked the second for Aprilia, with the first having been the opening pre-season test which came immediately after the Grand Prix of Valencia. On this occasion the weather affected the course of the testing programme, especially on the final day, with continuous bursts of rain which ensured the track was constantly wet.

“Despite the bad weather, we have gathered a lot of information – mostly positive,” explained Aprilia’s Romano Albesiano. “This was the first opportunity for extensive use of the pneumatic valve engine, which has proven very promising in terms of maximum power and manageability. Despite this, there remains a lot of work in terms of mapping settings. Alvaro continued to adapt to the Aprilia in a positive fashion but, as is always the case, there is still room for improvement. As for Marco, he continued his apprenticeship with the Bridgestone tyres – a rather complex issue over these days and something we will continue to look into when we get to Sepang.”

For the first time, the riders were able to get a feel for the new V4 engine, complete with pneumatic valve technology. The engine is more powerful than its predecessor and debuted on Wednesday, as on the first day Aprilia had focused on electronics and setups. Bautista completed 131 laps over the course of the three days, with a best lap time of 1’40.6. Melandri put in 123 laps and his best time came in the form of 1’41.5.

“We can be satisfied with how it went, even though the weather slowed our progress,” Bautista reported. “I continued to use the bike in the same configuration as the Valencia test. We focused on the chassis, finding some solutions that I liked which allowed us to learn more about the bike. I was able to use the new pneumatic valve engine from the second day; the power is great but there is still work to do. We did a few laps in the wet today (Thursday) but we still need to learn more about how this engine works in such conditions. Now the winter break begins, so we will detach a little from work to recover from a long season and then come back to train and be ready. In the meantime, I will definitely be at the Aprilia factory to see up close and personal all of the great work the technicians are doing on the bike.”

The Aprilia riders will regroup as testing resumes in Malaysia on 4th February.

Honda to continue to power Moto2™ racing through 2018

Courtesy of MotoGP

Honda Motor Corporation, in continued collaboration with Spanish company ExternPro, will remain as the official Moto2™ engine supplier for the next three years extending until 2018.

Since its inauguration in 2010 as the replacement for the 250cc two-stroke intermediate class, Moto2™ has run a single specification Honda CBR 600cc engine. Amongst the aims of the category are driving chassis evolution and developing rider talent and the class continually produces great racing, helping to prepare riders for MotoGP™.

From 2013, ExternPro, part of the Parque Tecnólogico de MotorLand Aragon, have been preparing the engines for competition, ensuring reliability and taking care of enigne maintenance. The three-year extension agreement will see ExternPro-prepared Honda engines featured in Grand Prix competition until at least the end of 2018.

Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta commented: “Moto2™ has been a success from the start, and just continues to get better! Honda has been our sole engine supplier since the inaugural race in 2010 and I am extremely pleased that we will continue to use its machinery for the next three years. The Honda engine has not only proved an exciting addition to the paddock, but has also been a technically very reliable asset, which is extremely important in motorsports. I would also like to welcome ExternPro on board, who have so far done a very good job during pre-season testing, and will no doubt continue to do so throughout the next three seasons.”

Shuhei Nakamoto, HRC Executive Vice-President added: “The Moto2 category continues to advance and prepare riders for the premier class and Honda are very happy to support this class for a further 3 years. Together with ExternPro and Dorna we will continue to work hard to provide the best equipment for this class””.

Eugene Laverty: ‘I had to go for this chance’

Courtesy of MotoGP

Eugene Laverty will return to the World Championship in 2015 as he makes his MotoGP™ class debut with Drive M7 Aspar. Following his first test in Valencia, the Ulsterman took time out to chat with motogp.com.

This week, Laverty’s training has been limited to mostly indoor activities thanks to the torrential rain that has battered his adopted hometown of Monaco, having relocated to the Principality in 2012. He now steps across to the FIM MotoGP World Championship from the Eni FIM Superbike World Championship; he previously raced on the MotoGP scene during his time in the lightweight and intermediate tiers (completing a 125cc season in 2004 and two campaign of 250cc in 2007-08).

Eugene, you have gone through the Valencia test and now continue your training back home in Monaco. How are you feeling about everything?
It’s been good. Obviously there were some frustrations at the test, with the bad weather on the second day. Generally, however, I have a good feel for the bike and I’m staying upright on it, so I have a smile on my face. It’s good to have an understanding of everything. Although so far I am yet to ride the actual 2015 customer Honda but, from what I have experienced with the 2014 bike, it is enjoyable to ride and I like the riding position which felt right very early on. It was never like I had to ride in a strange position; it’s not too big, not too small and a good height.

Over recent years we have seen varying fortunes for riders such as Ben Spies and Cal Crutchlow, who have come through the route you have now followed of World Supersport, World Superbikes and then MotoGP…
That was never really in my mind, as I know both Ben and Cal are great riders. They were pretty much fast straight away in MotoGP, although Ben picked up some really unfortunate injuries. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what you are riding. There are two types of riders: good and bad. That is what it comes down to.

People used to say that the correct riding style for MotoGP was the 250cc riding style. That couldn’t be more different to what we are seeing nowadays in Moto2, but guys like Marc Marquez and Pol Espargaro have proven just how things have changed as they have brought their own styles into the premier class. There is no right and wrong way. There are different ways. We can appreciate from watching trackside who the good and bad riders are, whether it be in MotoGP or World Superbikes.

Had you received many offers to stay in World Superbikes for 2015?
Basically, once the opportunity with Drive M7 Aspar arouse with new Open Honda in MotoGP, I knew I had to go for it. I had been waiting for this. I had been considering it strongly and wanted to be competitive immediately. It is well known that for 2014 I was approach by Pramac Racing, but I decided the best thing for me was to stay in World Superbikes. Then this chance came up with Honda; I am highly motivated to see how we perform across the season.

You previously had great times with Aprilia in WSBK and came close to winning the title in 2013. Now you will be racing against them in MotoGP…
I still have a great relationship with Aprilia. The two years I had there were two of the greatest of my career. I’m quite happy they are coming into MotoGP as some of my friends from WSBK are coming across with them, so maybe we can catch up for a coffee in the paddock! World Superbikes felt like home for six years – a long time. I obviously know a lot of people there, but in MotoGP I’ve had a very warm welcome.

How are you getting on with new team-mate Nicky Hayden?
I first met Nicky when I was in 250s in 2007. I was just a lowly 250 rider but Nicky always gave me some time, would speak to me and always came across as a good guy. I’m looking forward to racing against and learning from him.

So, how are you feeling prior to the continuation of testing in February?
Well, the opening Sepang test will be my first chance to try the new 2015 bike. Later in the month, it will be very good that we can return to the same track to continue making progress and learning. Having already ridden the 2014 machine in Valencia, I already have a good feeling for the riding position and the tyres.

You are going to race with number 50. What is the story behind that?
50 was always my career number. In WSBK had to change to 58, as Sylvain Guintoli was already running 50. I started to race with 50 in 2002, when I was competing with TSR in the UK. Basically, it was because Italian rider Andrea Ballerini was also racing for TSR but in GPs, with same colour scheme and number. So I decided to run number 50 as well – I was 15 at the time and it gave me the feeling of being a GP rider! Andrea is still in the paddock now, as he is working in Moto2 with Sam Lowes. He often reminds me – and laughs – that I am using number 50 because of him!

Which of the circuits are you going to have to learn from scratch?
It’s true that the MotoGP calendar has developed quite a lot in recent years. Austin and Argentina I don’t know at all, for example. With others, I didn’t ride them in World Superbikes but I did when I was in 250s – such as Motegi and a few others. However, I’m now experienced and capable of learning a lot quicker than I used to be. At 28 I may be a bit older than other rookies for 2015, but I have more experience and I’m more adaptable. I’ve had to adapt several times and on very different bikes.

A classic question: what is the target for your first MotoGP season?
That’s tough to answer at the moment because we’re not yet sure of the 2015 Open Honda, having not even ridden it yet. I will certainly have to fight to beat some of the other rookies and my well-established team-mate in Nicky Hayden; at the same time, he is definitely somebody I need to learn from.

Danny Kent on 2014, new challenge and Moto2 agreement

Courtesy of MotoGP

Danny Kent is confident of pushing for the Moto3™ world title in 2015 as he switches from Husqvarna to Honda machinery. With a Moto2™ return already penciled in for 2016, the Englishman has reason to be optimistic.

Speaking with motogp.com this week, Kent was testing his Honda in Almeria where he continued to share Kiefer Racing’s currently sole machine with team-mate Efren Vazquez. This follows a season of returning to Moto3 from Moto2, racing for Husqvarna and achieving three front row starts and two rostrum finishes. He challenged for victory on a number of occasions in the second half of the campaign.

Danny, how do you sum up the season gone by?
Basically, the first half of my 2014 season was a replica of 2012. We were really struggling and didn’t have a good base setting. We would work all weekend-long to try and find a good feeling, which we just were not finding. Suddenly, things just started to work after Assen. We went to Brno and finished on the podium and at every race after that we were able to run at the front and show podium pace. We had a pole position and many chances for podiums, such as Phillip Island and again in Valencia.

What was it that changed for results to suddenly improve?
We knew from the first half of the year, when results weren’t coming, that we needed to do something different. So we started to set the bike up in the opposite direction to get better with it. Things then started to feel better, the lap times came easier and we were finding ourselves up at the front.

Towards the end of the season, Alex Marquez’s team protested that you had deliberately slowed on the final lap of the Malaysian Grand Prix in a bid to assist Jack Miller’s title challenge. What was your view of events?
At the end of that race, we sat down at looked at all of the data. I had made one mistake with a small moment early in the lap. But for the rest of that lap I was half a second faster than I had been at any other point in the race, so they can’t say I was slowing him down. I was just thinking about my own race, as everybody was.

You proved on many occasions that you could have claimed a victory, but you ended the season without a win. Was that frustrating?
It was a bit frustrating not to win, but I was relieved to show the doubters that I could still do it, consistently racing at the front and mixing it up. That is a great help in terms of my confidence ahead of 2015. I have now had another year in Moto3, so we can really head into next season with a good team and a good bike, on a high.

In 2014, before the season started, we set a benchmark to fight for the championship. However, we didn’t take into account how much faster the Moto3 field was and how the bikes had improved since 2012 – the lap times were half a second faster.

You have now switch to Kiefer Racing, riding a Honda. How is it going?
At the moment, we only have one bike which I am sharing with Efren Vazquez, so track time is quite limited. We had half a day in Valencia which was a very positive first test; the feeling with the Honda and the team was immediately really good. We don’t have so many parts to try at the moment in terms of things like springs, but we have tried to work around that.

What is the approach heading into the season itself?
The first few races will be crucial. We need to be there winning, right from the beginning. I can’t do what I did in 2014, which was start off a long way down and then improve dramatically halfway through the year. We have to start strong and stay up at the front all the way through the season.

In 2014 you were often fighting with the likes of Alex Marquez, Jack Miller and Alex Rins. All three have now moved up to other classes. Does that feel strange?
I guess it doesn’t feel strange. The thing is, in 2013 I took the step up to Moto2 one year too soon. That was a big mistake on my behalf. In the meantime, many of the other guys had an extra year in Moto3; I had missed that year and had to learn everything all over again when I returned.

With that ‘mistake’ in mind, will you adopt a cautious approach next time it comes to weighing up options for a move up to Moto2?
Together with Kiefer Racing, we have already agreed that – should things go well and results are good in Moto3 in 2015 – we will step up to Moto2 together in 2016. They have already enjoyed lots of success there and they won the Moto2 World Championship title with Stefan Bradl in 2011. Having said that, at the moment I just want to concentrate on 2015 and then we will look at the future.

How are you going to spend the rest of the off-season?
For Christmas I will be with my family and friends and then I will start training fully. At the moment I am training in terms of running and things like that, but after Christmas I will really knuckle down and train very hard, both mentally and physically, to be ready for the next bike tests in February.

POSITIVE TEST CONCLUDES FOR MILLER IN MALAYSIA

Courtesy of LCR Honda

Today in Malaysia saw the last of the on-track action in 2014 for the CWM LCR Honda Team and their rookie rider Jack Miller, as they concluded a three-day test at the Sepang International Circuit.   The 19 year-old Aussie has made significant progress over the past three days as he prepares the huge step up from the Moto3 World Championship to the elite of MotoGP in 2015. With help from HRC the team are gradually revealing more complex aspects of the Open electronics package on the Honda RC213V-RS, and with more time spent on the bike Miller admitted he felt increasingly comfortable, despite a small lowside spill in the morning.   After having completed a long run out on track in the afternoon the testing session was once again halted, as it had been the previous two days, when rain fell just after 4pm. However the Queenslander had already improved on his best lap of the test, with a quickest time of 2’02.9.   Miller now flies to back to Europe, where he will undergo a small operation at the Dexeus University Hospital in Barcelona, Spain. The Australian will have four loose screws removed from an old right collarbone injury, and the operation will be performed by the MotoGP medical team’s renowned Dr. Xavier Mir.     Jack Miller #43 (2’02.9, 33 laps)   “In general I was really happy with how the bike went, we made more improvements today and every time I get on it I feel more and more comfortable, and that means I’m getting faster and faster. I can’t thank the CWM LCR Honda Team enough for their hard work, and Honda too for their support, they are all teaching me really well how to ride in MotoGP.   We had a small crash in the morning, but it was nothing serious and there was no real damage to the bike, as it was at slow speed carrying a bit too much lean angle over a couple of bumps. All in all, I would say I’m very happy how the bike worked during the whole test. It has been positive.   I’m looking forward to the off-season now, and I’ll be training hard and getting my body in the physical condition needed for MotoGP. We managed a long run today and whilst it was really hard, my body stood up to it, so I look forward to coming back even stronger in February.”

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