Alex finished within tenths of the points

After two weeks off, the Repsol Honda team got back on the motorbikes at the Misano circuit. It was the first time, in the premier class, for Alex Marquez and Stefan Bradl, who once again replaced Marc, who continues to recover at home. The Cervera rider finished his first Sunday on Italian territory in seventeenth position, followed by his partner. Despite falling out of the points, by just 321 thousandths, the MotoGP rookie has shown a positive evolution and feels more comfortable on the bike.

Marquez set a constant rhythm during the first training sessions, necessary to regain his sensations on the RC213V. His partner, Bradl, showed remarkable improvement from morning to afternoon and both finished the rounds within 1 minute and 33 seconds. The adaptation continued during the qualifying at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. The Catalan rider set a best time of 1 minute, 33 seconds and 333 thousandths to place himself in the seventh row of the grid. The German lowered that score to 1 minute, 32 seconds and 915 thousandths, his fastest lap of the weekend.

The radars threatened Sunday’s race with rain, but nothing. A sunny Sunday woke up in Misano and both Repsol Honda riders were ready to move up. Alex Marquez edged out four of his rivals thanks to a constant improvement, lap after lap. It has been a challenging weekend for the man from Cervera but he has shown all his character and maturity. From starting from the twentieth position to crossing the checkered flag just over three tenths of the top 15. Marquez finished the race happy: “Our pace today was good, especially towards the end of the race, where I was able to run at a very good speed, similar to the leaders” he stated at the end. Furthermore, he is still one of the few riders on the grid who have not scored a zero so far this season. Bradl followed his example and finished just behind him, in 18th place.

Points for the Forward Racing Team

Stefano Manzi and Simone Corsi were racing at the home of MV Agusta, the chassis of the Foward Racing Team. That motivation has been the necessary spark for Corsi to cross the finish line in fourteenth position, getting two points for the final classification. The weekend looked better for Manzi, who fell just two tenths away from finishing on the top of the grid during his fight for pole position. The Sant'Arcangelo di Romagna rider had to settle for starting from the 7th row, but was unable to repeat the comeback from previous races. Corsi started from the 8th row, but his fight during the opening laps put him in the points zone. A good result for the Foward Racing Team, who continue to adapt to the Triumph engine.