Repsol Honda Preview 2016 MotoGP Season Opener At Qatar
From a Repsol Honda press release.
The Repsol Honda Team has arrived in Qatar for the opening race of the 2016 MotoGP World Championship, scheduled to take place March 20 at Losail International Circuit. This unique event will see MotoGP practice start at 7:55 pm on Thursday, instead of Friday, with the race occurring at 9 pm on Sunday night. The format alone requires a different approach than with normal, daytime races; add in this year’s introduction of the unified ECU software, plus Michelin control tyres replacing Bridgestone following a seven-year absence (with Dani Pedrosa as the last to win a MotoGP race with the French tyres, in Catalunya in 2008), and the task for the teams and the riders is even more challenging.
The test that took place at the same venue two weeks ago saw the Repsol Honda Team encounter mixed fortunes, with Marc Marquez experiencing a challenging start to the session but a very positive conclusion, as he set the fourth-best lap time overall and enjoyed a strong long run on the closing day. Dani Pedrosa, on the contrary, set his fastest overall time on day two and was unable to improve on that.
In any case, both Marc and Dani are approaching the first race with the same positive attitude, knowing that HRC engineers have continued working in Japan on the data gathered in the test, and that both they and the team are prepared to do their utmost to gain the best possible results on Sunday.
Marc Marquez
Marc Marquez Statistics
| Date of Birth | 17/02/1993 |
| Birthplace | Lleida, (Catalonia) – Spain |
| Height | 168 cm |
| Weight | 59 kg |
| Hobbies | Mountain Biking, Video games |
| Racing Number | 93 |
| First Race | 1998 “Enduro per nens” |
| Grand Prix Debut | 2008 125cc Portugal GP (KTM 125 FRR) |
| GPs raced | 132 |
| GP pole positions | 58 (14 in 125cc, 14 in 250cc, 30 in MotoGP) |
| Total GP podiums | 78 (14 x 125cc, 25 x Moto2, 39 x MotoGP) |
| Total GP wins | 50 (10 x 125cc, 16 x Moto2, 24 x MotoGP) |
| First GP Win | 2010 125cc Italian GP (Derbi RSA 125) |
| World titles | 4 (1 x 125cc – 2010, 1 x Moto2 – 2012, 2 x MotoGP – 2013, 2014) |
Dani Pedrosa
Dani Pedrosa Statistics
| Date of Birth | 29/09/1985 |
| Birthplace | Sabadell, (Catalonia) – Spain |
| Height | 160 cm |
| Weight | 51kg |
| Hobbies | Cycling, Motocross, Windsurfing, Cinema |
| Racing number | 26 |
| First race | 1997 Pocket bike race |
| Grand Prix debut | 2001. 125cc Japanese GP, Suzuka – (Honda RS125R) |
| GPs raced | 244 |
| GP pole positions | 46 (9 in 125cc, 9 in 250cc, 28 in MotoGP) |
| Total GP podiums | 141 (17 x 125cc, 24 x 250cc, 100 x MotoGP) |
| Total GP wins | 51 (8 x 125cc, 15 x 250cc, 28 x MotoGP) |
| First GP win | 2002. 125cc Dutch GP, Assen – (Honda RS125R) |
| World titles | 3 (1 x 125cc – 2003, 2 x 250cc – 2004, 2005) |
Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.
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