Having wrapped up the 2019 MotoGP World Championship in Thailand, Marc Marquez and his Repsol Honda crew are already working towards their 2020 season.
Marquez trialled a new rear brake lever on the left handlebar, with there being more right corners that riders would use the rear brake to help turn the motorcycle, it made sense for the 26-year-old to trial it in Malaysia.
The eight-time World Champion ended the opening day in 6th overall, +0.9s behind pace-setter, Fabio Quartararo.
Marquez had a difficult start to the day, pulling off another of his saves at turn 2, before having to pull out of the opening session momentarily after a warning message appeared on the dashboard.
“Today was a busy day, just in the first or second lap of the day I had a very big save. It was probably one of the best of the season, but we also had a warning from the bike’s dashboard later. I decided it was better to be safe and switch off the bike and come back to the box. The team resolved it and, in the end, it wasn’t a big issue and afterwards, we were able to work normally,” said the Repsol Honda rider.
Marquez was one of the many riders who failed to improve on their previous best lap time but still said that Free Practice 2 was a good session “this afternoon we worked on our race pace and it wasn’t too bad. I think we’re second or third right now in terms of pace. The team is focused on the end of the season, but we also have an eye on 2020 and tried some ideas today.”
Marc Marquez looks to re-write another record this weekend, this time to beat teammate Jorge Lorenzo‘s record for most points scored in a year.
Lorenzo’s record stands at 383 points, scored in the 2010 season. Marquez needs to score eight points to match Lorenzo’s points record this weekend.
But that’s not the only thing on Marquez’s mind, the rider from Cervera wants to seal the ‘triple crown’. Repsol Honda trail Ducati by just 1 point going into this weekends Grand Prix, with Marquez’s goal to take the lead ahead of the final round in Valencia.
