Respol Honda team suffered a disappointing end of the season as both the riders Pol Espargaro and Marc Marquez crash out from the Valencia GP.
A promising weekend saw the Repsol Honda Team walk away unrewarded as both riders fell and longest season in MotoGP history come to an end on Sunday with 20 races spanning the globe and over 150 sessions.
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 his 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.
“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,” Marquez said.
“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,” added.he
Espargaro, who bids farewell to Respol Honda team, 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 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.
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.
