MotoGP: Important win at difficult track for Marquez

Marc Marquez says that Sunday’s victory in the Spanish Grand Prix was an important one for him, a she ticked the box of finally winning a MotoGP race at the Jerez track and extending his championship lead in the process.

Making the most of rival Andrea Dovizioso falling from contention, he says that it could well be one of the most critical weekends of the season.

“This win in front of these amazing fans is great! I’m very happy with the result, which is especially important at this track, because winning here is usually difficult for me. That said, I was convinced before the start that I could fight for the victory today. It was a tough weekend, but we did good work, and in the end I was able to manage the race in the best way, despite the fact that I wasn’t the fastest rider out there today.

“The key was the rear-tyre choice; we made the decision after the warm-up to go with the medium, and that was the right move. Then I was able to take the lead at the right moment and push when I had the chance. I’m happy to have taken my first win at Angel Nieto’s Circuit, and to have an advantage in the Championship. It will be a long season and we must keep our focus high.”

However, he didn’t have it all his own way, still managing to throw some typical Marquez flare into Sunday’s race. Hitting gravel thrown onto the track form Thomas Luthi’s fall, he admitted he was lucky to stay on the bike.

“I had a big moment when I hit some dirt on the track. When I realized that the asphalt was covered in gravel, it was already too late. I closed the gas, but I had a huge slide! Let’s say it was a bit of a ‘Marquez style’ show!”

And while it might have cut his partying short, the Spaniard also enjoyed a strong test at the Jerez circuit the following day, completing a testing program on Monday focusing on aerodynamic upgrades for the RC213V.

“It was a good day of testing. We didn’t do so many laps, but we completed the schedule we had planned, working mainly on the aerodynamic package. We found some positives, but we need some additional confirmations at a different circuit because we’ll only have the chance to homologate one more fairing this season. All in all, I had a good feeling on the bike, as I did yesterday.”