2022 season ends in disappointment for the Repsol Honda Team2022-11-26 08:01Pol Espargaro bids farewell to the Repsol Honda Team as he and Marc Marquez crash out from the Valencia GP. A promising weekend in Valencia saw the Repsol Honda Team walk away unrewarded as both riders fell. Marc Marquez had made a promising start to the race, holding firm inside the leading group and preparing for the final laps. But a fall at Turn 8 a couple of laps later would end the #93’s hopes of finishing the season on a high. Focusing on the positives of the weekend, Marquez demonstrated that he has the speed, rhythm and feeling to be consistently at the front. Similarly, Pol Espargaro fell early in the race after making up several positions off the line. He was unhurt in the fall, but bitterly disappointed to not end the year in a better way. HRC and the Repsol Honda Team would like to again thank Pol Espargaro for his efforts during the past two seasons. The combination achieved two podium finishes, including Espargaro’s best premier class result to date, and pole position for the 2021 British Grand Prix. The longest season in MotoGP history comes to an end, 20 races spanning the globe and over 150 sessions. It has been another complicated year for HRC and the Repsol Honda Team with just two podium finishes. As one chapter closes another begins and preparations for the 2023 campaign are already underway. Action continues on Tuesday with the post-season Valencia Test. Marc Marquez DNF “Overall, looking at the big picture, I am happy with the weekend because we showed that the level is there, the rhythm is there, the feeling is there. I understand how I need to be fast and I was happy, but today wasn’t the day. Yesterday I said the target was the podium but from the start I didn’t feel right. I saw that the podium was leaving so I went all or nothing. The speed was there and we know what the issue was today in the race. I am going to work hard this winter to be as prepared and as ready as possible but work begins even sooner on Tuesday. I am looking forward to trying Honda’s first step of 2023.” Marc Marquez Pol Espargaro DNF “Today wasn’t the race we wanted. In the slipstream into the first corner I was going wide a lot and one time I went quite wide, made up the time but then when I went wide a second time I couldn’t save it. It’s not what I wanted, it’s a pity. I want to again say thank you to all of my mechanics and the staff around who have stayed alongside me and supported me no matter what. They’ve been behind me through the good and the bad and I really appreciate this a lot. It’s the end of our journey together but the opportunity to race in these colours is something I will not forget.” Pol Espargaro Valencia Grand Prix Race Results Pos. Rider Num Nation Points Team Time/Gap 1 Rins Alex 42 SPA 25 Team Suzuki Ecstar 41'22.250 2 Binder Brad 33 RSA 20 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 0.396 3 Martin Jorge 89 SPA 16 Pramac Racing 1.059 4 Quartararo Fabio 20 FRA 13 Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP 1.911 5 Oliveira Miguel 88 POR 11 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 7.122 Source: Honda Racing Corporation Click here to visit our forums to discuss this story |
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