Summer is over, bikes are back on track soon and it’s catch me if you can for Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team), who tops the standings in MotoGP™ as the paddock heads to the Austrian hills and the new layout of the Red Bull Ring – Spielberg. Those hills will most definitely be alive, with Marquez leading the charge over Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) by a substantial 48 point margin as the season passes the halfway marker ahead of the NeroGiardini Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich. Following the summer break and some laps on the RC213V-S at the Austrian venue – although no testing onboard the GP machine - the Spaniard is ready for the next round as he tries to chase down his third premier class crown.
Marc Marquez: “The holidays have been very good because we started the summer break knowing we had worked as well as possible with my team and with Honda in the first part of the season. I had some time off, resting and relaxing with my friends on the beach. Anyway, a quite hectic and challenging second half of the season is about to begin, requiring our total concentration and a lot of hard work, so I also spent some time preparing myself with cycling and supermotard training. Now I really look forward to getting back to racing my bike and to riding again at the Red Bull Ring. I had the chance to enjoy this amazing track twice, even if I wasn't riding my factory bike and of course I couldn't push as much as I like. It’s a circuit that’s quite enjoyable; some things about it remind me of Austin in that you have to brake very hard and stop the bike and turn quickly, but then there’s the last part that’s faster. I think it’s a good track for the World Championship and I can’t wait to ride there with a MotoGP bike. When you approach a weekend at a new circuit, it’s different and you have to be able to adapt as quickly as possible. I’m also proud to race there because my fan club will join us with many Austrian fans. I’m sure we'll have a great weekend and hopefully sunny weather.”