Marquez: “The Championship is very close”

Reigning Champion arrives in France four points off the top

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) heads to the French GP right back in the thick of the title fight on the dawn of Round 5, only four points off the Championship lead held by Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) and two back on the Italian’s teammate Maverick Viñales. After a positive Spanish GP in P2 across the line and a solid day of testing the following day - only 0.002 off the fastest lap of session leader Viñales - Marquez is concentrating on keeping his focus as the field closes up.

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team, Jerez MotoGP™ Official Test

New asphalt in Le Mans leaves the rider from Cervera expecting better grip at the venue this year, but with the every-changing landscape in MotoGP™, Marquez won’t make any predictions – despite a MotoGP™ win at the track in 2014 and his first ever Moto2™ win having come at the venue in 2011.

Marc Marquez: “Le Mans is particular and different from many other layouts of the Championship.  It’s a really narrow, short track with a lot of stop-and-go corners. To make an example, it’s the opposite of the Montmeló circuit, but still quite enjoyable. The surface is new and we’ll discover it on Friday morning. The grip should be better and that’s positive for us riders and also for the fans as it means a better show. We must wait and see how it goes there—this year it’s even more difficult to make any predictions. We just have to continue like we’ve done in the last races, working hard, with the right mentality, because the Championship is once again very close.”