Repsol Honda Team Manager Alberto Puig was a very happy man on Sunday at the Motul Grand Prix of Japan after he witnessed Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) achieve #Level7 on Honda’s home turf.
Puig reflected on another magnificent day for Honda and Marquez when speaking to motogp.com:
“I think it was very nice. A very nice day for many reasons,” started Puig. “For Marc to get his seventh title in front of the fans in Japan, at the Honda house, in front of our supporters was very important. It was a job that started in the winter with a very strong commitment from Honda to develop the bike and to step it up, and in Japan, they did a big job, for which we have to thank them.
“The development group and all the people working in Japan did a fantastic job, then when we received this machine, it was our guys and, of course, our rider, that delivered the result. It was very important today. We’re very happy and we have to congratulate Marc and the team for the big effort they made.”
The former Grand Prix motorcycle racer then discussed the strength of Honda’s competitors: “I think that the competitors are strong. Ducati made a big improvement and we have to respect them because they have a fantastic bike and their riders are really good. But not only Ducati; Suzuki made a big step, KTM are trying hard in a short time. I think that it’s not easy but we managed to do it. Honda is a company that never gives up and this is our spirit and we will keep on trying.”
However, the job isn’t quite done yet. Honda want to wrap up their other two objectives: the constructor and team Championships: “The first target is achieved today, so let’s see if we can achieve the other targets (constructors title, team title). Of course, we want to try to do our best, as a team and a constructor, but today is a day for celebration, to be happy. This happened in front of the home crowd, but above all, we have to thank the rider for his big effort, for his consistency, his winning mentality, so we’re very pleased and happy.”
Puig then goes on to talk about his past achievements as a Team Manager. 125cc and 250cc titles were won by Dani Pedrosa under his guidance, but this is his first premier class title as a Team Manager. It’s something the Spaniard is hugely proud of, but he’s “very grateful” for the team he has around him:
“I’m happy, as a Team Manager, to do this. In the past, I was managing 125cc with Dani and 250cc and we could achieve a title, but this is a different one. It’s a MotoGP™ title and I’m very happy to be involved in this, and in the small area that I can consider important, I am happy for myself, for the job I did. But, obviously, I couldn’t have achieved this target without this group of people and the company behind me, and especially this type of rider, so I’m very grateful for all of them and very happy.”