HRC and Puig Hi-Tech Parts to continue successful relationship

Both Repsol Honda Team RC213Vs will continue to feature Puig Hi-Tech Parts on their windscreens.

First appearing on the windscreens of HRC’s factory MotoGP World Championship team in 2016, Puig Hi-Tech Parts and HRC are pleased to announce a two-year extension to their current fruitful collaboration. Having worked together since 2016, Puig and the Repsol Honda Team have taken three MotoGP World Championship titles, including two Triple Crowns in 2016 and 2018, together.

Based in Barcelona, Puig have been designing and manufacturing motorcycle accessories since 1964. One of the largest accessory manufacturers, Puig exports to over 60 countries and remain completely dedicated to maintaining the high standards of design and manufacturing in their accessories for both Grand Prix racers and road riders.

Puig’s use of 3D simulation technology during the development process allows for rapid experimentation to help meet the demands of racing.

“Puig Hi-Tech Parts are one of several important partners we have. They share a very similar philosophy to HRC in always striving to produce the best parts and allowing riders to make the most of their machines,” said Repsol Honda Team Manager Alberto Puig. “Already we have been able to accomplish many things with our partnership. We at HRC are very pleased to continue working together.”

“Working closely with HRC across several seasons has provided us with an opportunity to explore materials, shapes and manufacturing processes which we then apply to our accessories for road motorcycles,” reflected Joan Puig – CEO Puig Hi-Tech Parts upon signing the renewal. “I am sure that we can continue to emulate the success we have already achieved together.”

Sun 10th March: Marquez fights for second in 22-lap Qatar thriller, Lorenzo scores on debut

Marquez lit up the Qatar night with second place after a race-long brawl as Lorenzo worked his way up to 13th place.

With Warm Up held in the late afternoon and still under the daylight, it only offered the Repsol Honda Team a brief chance to confirm their settings ahead of 2019’s opening Grand Prix. As the sun set and the floodlights flickered to life the ambient temperature settled at 18ºC with the track at 19ºC.

Marc Marquez held his own in the opening laps, keeping out of trouble and moving ahead of the chasing pack with Andrea Dovizioso. The reigning World Champion was soon joined in his hunt for victory, a frantic melee between the leading seven riders playing out over the next 20 laps. Just 0.023s split Marquez from Andrea Dovizioso as they crossed the line, Marquez opening his 2019 account with 20 points.

After yesterdays pair of heavy falls, Jorge Lorenzo’s Repsol Honda Team debut was heavily restricted by lingering pain in his back and shoulder. Focusing on his own rhythm and understanding the Honda over race distance, Lorenzo battled to 13th to earn three points on his debut.

LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow completed the podium in third.

The MotoGP™ World Championship now prepares for Round Two at the Argentina Grand Prix, March 29 – 31 hosted at the Termas de Rio Hondo Circuit.

2019 Repsol Honda Team livery revealed in Madrid

Marc Márquez and Jorge Lorenzo were joined by Repsol Honda Team legends Mick Doohan and Alex Crivillé to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Repsol Honda Team.

The two world champions were joined by the world’s press at Repsol’s headquarters in Madrid to unveil the livery in which they will chase the 2019 crown.

Having taken eight of the last nine world championships in the premier class, Marc Márquez and Jorge Lorenzo form a perfect team to celebrate the 25thanniversary of HRC and Repsol joining forces. The first riders to run in these now iconic colours, Mick Doohan and Alex Crivillé, were also able to join the special presentation to share their memories from 1995 onwards.

The riders were joined on stage by Tetsuhiro Kuwata, Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) Director, and Antonio Brufau, CEO of Repsol who both outlined and emphasized their plans for continual success. Carmelo Ezpleta, the CEO of Dorna and Begoña Elices, the General Director of Communications and board member at Repsol were also in attendance.

From the Honda NSR500 of Doohan and Crivillé to the RC213V of Márquez and now Lorenzo, the HRC machines have taken 168 victories in the premier class, 14 World Championships, 427 podiums, 182 fastest laps and 177 pole positions together with Repsol, forming not only the most iconic pairing in Grand Prix racing, but also the most successful. Among these accolades, the Repsol Honda Team have also produced four dominating titles for Mick Doohan, the first Spanish 500cc World Champion in Alex Crivillé (1999) and the youngest MotoGP™ champion in history – Marc Márquez. Now they celebrate their 25th anniversary and aim for even more success in the future.

Marc Marquez will now begin his final preparations for the Sepang Test (February 6 – 8) where he and the RC213V will debut the 2019 livery for the first time on track. Meanwhile, Jorge Lorenzo is set to commence an intense physical therapy routine in order to be as fit as possible for the Qatar Test (February 23 – 25). Finally the 2019 MotoGP™ season begins in under the floodlights in Qatar (March 07 – 10).

Honda clinch 2018 MotoGP Triple Crown in soaked Valencia, at Dani Pedrosa’s final race

Dani Pedrosa completed his racing career in Valencia, scoring a fifth-place finish in incredibly tricky weather conditions that caused the crashes of nine riders—2018 World Champion Marc Marquez among them—and prompted Race Direction to interrupt the first race on lap 13 and re-start a new one half an hour later.

Marc suffered a crash from third place at Turn 9 on lap seven and was therefore unable to take part in the second stint. Dani restarted from fourth in the 14-lap second race and closed fifth, bringing to 46 points the final advantage with which the Repsol Honda Team secured the Team Championship, thereby earning back-to-back MotoGP Triple Crowns, having already achieved the Riders Title in Japan and the Constructors Title in Malaysia. He commented:

“For sure I had a particular feeling before today’s race, knowing that the moment of my final race had arrived. Well, actually it turned out that I had two! Unfortunately the weather was really tricky. In both races, I struggled so much with the rear and couldn’t really get on the gas. I was actually expecting to have a better feeling in the second race, as there was less water on the track. But we changed the tyres and I had no grip, so I could only try and finish the race with no crashes. It’s a bit of a shame, but when I got back to the pits, I found everybody waiting for me—the team, my family, my people—and there was a very emotional atmosphere. I was pleased to see their emotion. It meant a lot to me. Now I’ll have several events to attend, but after that I’ll try and have some time to myself and relax a bit before next year.”

Dani ends a highly successful 18-year GP career, all of it as a Honda rider, having achieved three World Titles (125 in 2003, 250 in 2004 and 2005) 49 poles, 54 wins, 153 podiums and 64 fastest laps out of 295 starts.

After celebrating at the FIM MotoGP Awards ceremony on Sunday evening, the Repsol Honda Team will start 2019 winter test season on Tuesday, with a two-day test.

Source: HRC News

Repsol Honda aims to seal the Triple Crown in Valencia before Dani Pedrosa’s farewell

The Gran Premio de la Comunitat Valenciana will be an emotional event for Dani Pedrosa, his numerous fans around the world, and paddock friends in the MotoGP community. The three-time World Champion announced his retirement from racing at the German GP earlier this year, after 18 seasons in Grand Prix racing as a Honda rider.

One of the most successful riders of all time, (eighth on the All Time Wins list), Dani will be inducted into the MotoGP Legends Hall of Fame on Thursday in Valencia.

Meanwhile, Marc Marquez paid a visit last Tuesday to the Honda stand at the EICMA Show in Milan, Italy, then headed home to Spain to celebrate his seventh World Title with a great party in his hometown of Cervera.

Next Sunday, the squad will try to seal the Team Championship and thereby clinch the MotoGP Triple Crown, having already achieved the Riders Title in Japan and the Constructors Title in Malaysia.

The Repsol Honda Team have earned four double-podium finishes at the track where Pedrosa (last year’s winner) is the most successful rider: 2013 (Pedrosa 2nd, Marquez 3rd), 2014 (Marquez 1st, Pedrosa 3rd), 2015 (Marquez 2nd, Pedrosa 3rd) and 2017 (Pedrosa 1st, Marquez 3rd to win that year’s World Title).

At the Gran Premio de la Comunitat Valenciana

Marc Marquez has 2 wins—1xMoto2 (2012) and 1xMotoGP (2014)—plus 4 podiums and 3 pole positions.

Dani Pedrosa has 7 wins—1×125 (2002), 2×250 (2004, 2005), and 4xMotoGP (2007, 2009, 2012 and 2017), plus an additional 5 podiums and 5 pole positions.

 

Source: HRC news

Marc Marquez earns Honda the 2018 MotoGP Constructors Title

From seventh on the grid to the 70th win in his career: In Malaysia, Marc Marquez took his ninth win this season and his 44th in MotoGP, earning Honda its 24th Premier Class Constructors Title. Furthermore, thanks to today’s win of newly crowned Moto3 World Champion Jorge Martin, Honda has achieved also the Moto3 Constructor Title bringing its tally to 69 over all classes, a record in the Championship’s history.

Such were the numbers, but today’s competition was also another master class race for the 2018 MotoGP World Champion, who recovered from the third row of the grid to second place within five laps of the start before beginning a long chase of erstwhile leader Valentino Rossi. Marc was preparing for what seemed certain would be a battle for the victory when the Italian slipped off four laps from the end.

On the other side of the garage, Dani Pedrosa matched his best result of this season, taking fifth place after displaying a strong pace during the race.

Now the Repsol Honda Team will pack up and fly back to Europe, where Marc will pay a visit to the Honda stand at the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan, Italy, on Tuesday before heading home to Spain.

Credit: HRC News

Marquez increases his points lead, taking hard-fought 2nd in Austria

Yesterday Sunday 12th August,  Marc Marquez scored a hard-fought second place at a sunny Red Bull Ring, sharing the podium with race-winner Jorge Lorenzo and third-place rider Andrea Dovizioso.

Marc ultimately missed the win by only 0.130”, and definitely not for lack of trying. After taking the lead on the second lap, he tried to pull a gap at the front, but Lorenzo and Dovizioso closely chased him for most of the race. An inevitable battle was looming.

It began on lap 19 and had all of the 92,955 spectators on the edges of their seats until the last lap. At that point, it was duel between the two fellow countrymen, as Dovizioso had fallen slightly behind.

Although he still has yet to tame the Red Bull Ring, Marc leaves the track with an increased advantage in the points standings (+59 over Valentino Rossi) and the enjoyment he always feels after having given it his all in a race battle.

Dani Pedrosa also made some good overtakes today that allowed him to cross the finish line in seventh place, despite a mishap soon after the start having dropped him from a ninth-place grid spot to 14th at the end of the first lap.

The Repsol Honda Team is now leading the Team standings, Honda the Constructor and Marc Marquez the Rider Standings.

Credit: HRC News

The Repsol Honda Team head to the Red Bull Ring for the Austrian GP

With no rest after the Czech Grand Prix and the one-day post-race test that allowed Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa to carry out positive work on their RC213V, the Repsol Honda Team moved on to Austria for Sunday’s Grand Prix von Österreich.

Before heading to the Red Bull Ring, Marquez took part in a special press conference in Vienna at the Österreichischer Automobil, Motorrad und Touring Club (ÖAMTC), in the presence of Austrian Traffic Minister Mr. Norbert Hofer, to support “No Ride without Training”, a campaign promoting safe motorcycle riding on the roads.

At the Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich

Marc Marquez has 1 podium (2nd in 2017) and 1 pole position (2017).

Dani Pedrosa has 1 podium (3rd in 2017).

Marc Marquez: 

“We come from a good test in Brno, where we found several positive things. We’ll try some of them at the Red Bull Ring and see how everything works. Austria is another track where Dovizioso and Lorenzo are strong, but we were also strong there last year so we’ll see if it comes down to the last corner again! We’ll try to be fast from the start of the weekend and then fight up at the front. Actually, it will be the second time this year for me at the track, after the unbelievable experience we had with the F1 Toro Rosso test run last June! On the way to the Red Bull Ring, we stopped in Vienna to attend an event dedicated to safe motorcycling riding on the roads, which is something I believe very important. People sometimes forget how vital is to wear the proper gear and not drink before riding, and anytime possible I try and give my inputs about the importance of being fit and lucid before riding.”

Dani Pedrosa

“A day of testing after the Czech Grand Prix gave us the chance to work on our bike setup, to try and sort out the issues we’ve experienced in the recent races. We were able to be fast and consistent, and now we’ll see if that was down to the better track conditions, or if the changes we made there have actually improved our base setup. The Red Bull Ring will be good to check that, as it’s usually a demanding track for us, so to have a good feeling there would be very important. We’ll also have a special Michelin rear tyre there, so we’ll see how it goes putting everything together. Weather will also be a key for the race.”

Credit: HRC News

Marquez takes title at Sachsenring

Marc Marquez perfectly mastered a tactical race to take a stellar ninth straight win at the Sachsenring, after starting from pole position.

The reigning World Champion saved his tyres while following Danilo Petrucci and Jorge Lorenzo in the early phases, took the lead on lap 13 when he decided it was time to try and pull a gap and—in the latter stages of the race, when tyre consumption increased—managed his advantage.

Looking strictly at the numbers, today Marc took a second consecutive win from pole, his fifth victory this season, his 40th MotoGP success, and his 66th across three classes, extending his Championship lead over Valentino Rossi to 46 points with 10 races remaining. In addition, his ninth win at Sachsenring came after nine consecutive poles here, and in his 99th MotoGP race, at the season’s ninth round.

Never really comfortable with his bike’s setup during the weekend, Dani Pedrosa could only improve upon his starting-grid spot by two positions, ending the race in eighth place.

Now the Repsol Honda Team will enjoy a two-week break before heading to Brno for the Czech GP on 5 August.

 

Credit: HRC News

Dani Pedrosa announces retirement

Dani Pedrosa, of the Repsol Honda Team, has announced his retirement at the end of the 2018 season. At 4pm on Thursday 12/7/2018 at the German GP, the three-time World Champion ended speculation about his future and made the decision public, bringing his successful 18-year career to an end.

One of the most successful riders of all time, Pedrosa has the third most podiums, 54 wins and three World Championships to date before he prepares to hang up his leathers.

“Next year I won’t compete in the Championship, I’ll finish my career in MotoGP this season. It’s a decision I’ve thought about for a long time and it’s a hard decision because this is the sport I love but despite having good opportunities to keep racing, I feel like I don’t live racing with the same intensity as before and I now have different priorities in my life.”

“I would like to express how fortunate I feel to have had this experience and these opportunities in my life, it’s been an amazing life to have been racing for such an important team and in front of all the fans. I achieved way more than I expected and I’m very, very proud of what I’ve done in the sport. I’ve fulfilled my dream of becoming a racer and that’s something that I didn’t expect when I was a kid watching TV, watching riders in the World Championship. I would like to take this time to say thanks to Dorna and to Honda for giving me this opportunity way back in 1999, and to all my sponsors who’ve been with me throughout my career. I would like also to say thanks to my family, and to all the fans who supported me throughout my career and through the thick and thin, who helped me sending so many messages to overcome difficult things in the past.”

As we previously reported, Dani Pedrosa will be replaced by Jorge Lorenzo for 2019. 

For now we’ve got the German GP to keep us entertained. The action kicks off at Sachsenring this weekend.

Credit: MotoGP News