BY RIZWAN REHMAT
DOHA: Double world champion Marc Marquez of Spain is targeting the final pre-season testing in Qatar with absolute seriousness, knowing three days of fine-tuning at Losail International Circuit will set him up nicely for the opening Grand Prix on March 28.
The Honda Repsol rider scorched the 2013 and 2014 seasons to leave rivals stunned with his breathtaking start in MotoGP racing but the 22-year-old is not taking anything for granted ahead of the first race in 2015.
“This final pre-season testing is really important. All riders think of being careful. I am thinking of being 100 percent ready,” Marquez said.
“At the moment it feels good. I feel ready for this season. The pre-season has been good,” he added in an interview before the first session of testing last night.
“We have improved and that is important to us but looks like it will be a tough season because the opponents have also improved and it will be hard,” Marquez said.
“But we will see what happens. Everybody is at zero points on the championship. We will try to start in a good way here in Qatar,” Marquez warned.
When asked about his main rivals in the new season, Marquez minced no words.
“I always pay attention to top three riders and that is Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa. We will see but I think Jorge will be stronger than last year,” Marquez said
“Also Valentino. Every year he gets older but looks the opposite. Looks like he is becoming younger and younger (smiles). He has improved his level,” Marquez said.
Marquez said racing under lights was easy.
“Night race is nice. It is one of my favourite races. It is a special race. In the morning you can go to the pool and race in the night (laughs),” the Spaniard joked.
“It is incredible - you are riding at night and because of the amazing lights here it feels like daytime,” he added.
Marquez said he will be aiming for risk-free runs in the new season set to commence at Losail International Circuit on March 28.
“Compared to 2013 and 2014, I have more experience now,” Marquez said
“Now I think more of the bike. I think this year I will be less aggressive but I don’t want to lose this feeling of explosive riding because sometimes that makes the difference (in winning and losing),” he said.
Team-mate of compatriot Pedrosa, Marquez said fighting for wins is in his blood.
“When I was a baby my father and grandfather explained that I should always try to be the best. Of course you can work on that philosophy,” Marquez said.
“But for me it (winning) is never enough. I think it (being competitive) is something that you are born with,” he added quickly.
Marquez, a die-hard Barcelona fan, said riders must learn to stay relaxed during competitions and plan their build-up prior to a race.
“Of course you feel in control after so many years. You have more experience. You manage the times better,” Marquez said.
“In 2013 with two weeks to go before the start of that season, I was nervous with excitement. And now I know that on the day of the race I will be nervous but I know it is more important to manage the times.
“You don’t want to be nervous all the time because you could arrive on the day of the race all tired and fatigued. The stress can make you feel tired,” he said.
Marquez said he follows a simple routine during a Grand Prix week.
“Before the start of first practice, you are thinking “I will fight for victory on Sunday’. Then you see how practice and warm-up goes,” he explained.
“Then before the race you plan according to who has done what during the week. You think ‘maybe some rider will be stronger so I need to be smarter to finish second so that we take points for championship’.
“Every race is same and important,” he said.
“You get nervous (smiles) before the start of the first race because in the winter break you are completely relaxed. But I like it. I like to be there on the grid,” he added.
Marquez, who won the world championship in his debut MotoGP season in 2013, said he does not think too much about his incredible start in the highest form of bike racing.
“Honestly I didn’t realise how well I have done. I don’t want to think too much about it. I want to keep pushing and keep winning,” Marquez said.
“Sometimes when you think about it you feel ‘I have done this once so you can relax’. I don’t want to get that feeling.
“I am young, I am 22. I want to keep pushing. As I said before I want more and more. The target from now until the next season will be to fight for the title. I have to manage the pressure,” he said.
Marquez, who hero-worships Rossi, said he was in awe at the manner in which the Italian giant has dominated the sport for most part of two decades.
“When I was growing up, Valentino Rossi was my hero. What Valentino has achieved was incredible,” Marquez said.
“It is so difficult to win nine world titles but what he is doing now it is more important than ever before.
“We should not forget he was with Ducati and he struggled a lot but he came back Yamaha.
“You saw him in the pre-season tests, he is like a young rider. He is doing a lot of laps.
“He is pushing like a 22-year-old,” he added.
THE PENINSULA
Question: Which one of the two world titles is special?
Answer: Of course the first one because the first world title is always special. I didn’t expect to win in my first MotoGP season. That was really special.
Question: Do you miss the life of a regular 22-year-old boy after becoming world champion?
Answer: Maybe I have lost some aspects of my life. I can’t lead a naturally free life but I have advantages now. What I miss is being a normal guy over a weekend. When my friends go out for a party or to a get-together, I say ‘no’ to my friends because I have race the next week. In Spain people recognize me. They stop me for photos. In another way I like it because I am living my dream.
Question: Which is your favourite football team?
Answer: My favourite team is Barcelona. I live close to Barcelona. I am a great supporter of Barcelona. I like Messi. I like Neymar also. He has a good style. I also like (Andreas) Iniesta and Javier (Mascherano). They are really good on a soccer pitch.
Question: What’s the most satisfying moment of your career?
Answer: Last year in Valencia, the feeling of winning the title was incredible because my brother had also won the Moto 3 title. That feeling was incredible. When you see your brother is also in the top level, it felt great. He is 18. He is young. He will start Moto 2 soon. I will help him to achieve his dream (of being in MotoGP).
Question: What do you think about promising Qatari riders?
Answer: When we come here for MotoGP opener, I follow their performances in the Qatar championship. I think it will be important that some day a Qatari rider will grow and arrive at the top level. Some of them are racing in Spanish Championship. I think the talent is there. THE PENINSULA
DOHA: It was what the fans had been waiting for - the roar of MotoGP class engines as Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi hit the track for the new season’s final pre-seasong testing at Losail International Circuit.
The test is being carried out between 4pm and 11pm local time to allow teams to prepare for the conditions they will face in the first race of the season at the same circuit in two weeks, which takes place at 9pm at night under the floodlights in Qatar.
An air temperature of 28 degrees greeted that teams as they arrived, therefore a lot of riders didn’t plan on taking advantage of the early part of the afternoon to head out on track, preferring to wait until sunset when the cooler track temperature will not only mean better grip but will also allow the teams to collect more relevant data for the forthcoming race.
Yamaha will continue the development of their full seamless shift gearbox at Qatar after announcing during the week that they would be using it for the 2015 season, having tested an “evolution” of their previous gearbox at the second Sepang test, a report on motogp.com said.
The Ducati Factory Team brought two GP14.3 bikes for riders Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso to ride during the early afternoon before switching to the new GP15 machine they debuted at the last test in Malaysia in the evening.
It was a quiet start to the test with just a handful of riders heading out on the 5.4km circuit before 6pm with most of those testing just testing some electronic updates and waiting for the track conditions to improve. It was Dovizioso who led the way after three hours with the times starting to tumble, registering a 1’55.898, while Rossi was the first rider to crash as he fell at turn 8 on just his 3rd lap on his Movistar Yamaha YZR-M1 but was not injured.
Meanwhile, Aprilia have settled upon the bike they will use for the 2015 MotoGP season, after deciding between two variants at the second Sepang test.
The Italian manufacturer has returned to the premier class a year ahead of schedule to allow them to develop an upgraded version of last years ART bike, before debuting an all new prototype machine in 2016.
In a recent interview with Crash.net, Aprilia Racing Team Manager Romano Albesiano stated that their aim for the first race in Qatar would be to finish in the points. AGENCIES
