Speaking at the 2019 International Motorcycle and Accessories Exhibition (EICMA), Repsol Honda Team teammates Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo spoke to BT Sport presenter Suzi Perry about their respective 2019 seasons, while also touching on 2020.
Lorenzo’s injury-blighted season has seen the five-time World Champion find life difficult on his first year with Honda. But, slowly making his way back to full fitness, ‘The Spartan’ is ready to improve again in Valencia before jumping on the 2020 Honda at the Valencia Test later this month. Then, some much-needed recovery time over the winter.
The three kings ????????????@marcmarquez93 joins @TimGajser243 and @tonibou_oficial to celebrate Honda's incredible achievement of winning the @MotoGP title alongside the @mxgp and Trials World Championships ahead of HRC's 2020 Team presentation at EICMA. pic.twitter.com/LZKi1jTDV7
— Repsol H????nda Team (@HRC_MotoGP) November 5, 2019
“I’m much better. Honestly I expected a much weaker recovery but the truth is I felt a small improvement each week. But very slow,” began Lorenzo. “I think these days until Valencia I’m going to be able to train quite hard, and especially just some rest. I need a month, a month and a half without racing to fully recover for next year.
“The first time I tried the bike in Valencia, in the preseason test, also in Jerez, with last year’s bike, I was quite quick. My confidence was ok. With the 2019 bike, even if it was a very nice year for Marc, because he got the record points, he rode unbelievable. But the rest of the riders have struggled with the front a little bit. On the straight it’s very good to have extra power but on the corners, there is some little problem that we are trying to solve for next year and we will see at the Valencia Test.”
2019 MotoGP™ World Champion Marquez then spoke about his near-perfect season, while also touching on the success of brother Alex Marquez in the Moto2™ Championship. “Yeah of course it was an incredible year. For us, for our team, we won many races, always finishing on the podium. Just one mistake in Austin but an amazing year and yeah, to be a perfect season for my family, my brother won the Moto2™ Championship just two days ago and we are really, really happy.”
This season, Marquez became Honda’s most successful premier class rider with 55 wins, surpassing MotoGP™ Legend Mick Doohan. The number 93 was asked about what it meant to him: “When I was a child, my aim was to be like Doohan, Valentino, Dani Pedrosa and many many great riders that were in the Repsol Honda Team. And yeah when I start with them in 2013 they have me the opportunity to become a MotoGP rider, then Champion. And now being the rider that has won more times in MotoGP with Honda is something unbelievable and it’s something I want to continue for many years because this is my family.
“These last races we already started to work on 2020 because the Championship was already done,” continued Marquez, looking ahead to next season and the Valencia Test. “So we started to work on some concepts and yeah, Honda is working really hard to improve the bike to be even more competitive. Our opponents will improve so yeah we will keep working, keep pushing, never give up and the target in Honda is the victory and we will go for it.”
Both Marquez and Lorenzo will be hoping to end 2019 on a high as the duo aim to go again in 2020. The eagerly-anticipated Valencia Test takes place on 19-20 November, how will the new Honda shape up compared to its competitors?