Penultimate push as Repsol Honda Team chase Team Championship

The flyaways draw to a close and the end of the season is fast approaching, but the Triple Crown is still wide open.

First hosting a Grand Prix in 1999, the Sepang International Circuit has been a constant fixture on the MotoGP World Championship calendar for both racing and testing. The 5.5km long Malaysian circuit is a physically demanding challenge no matter the conditions, air temperature rarely dropping below 30ºC even when the tropical storms hit.

Hunting a sixth straight Grand Prix victory in 2019 and his third at Sepang, Marc Marquez arrives in Malaysia in perfect form as he continues to dominate the premier class. Currently on 375 World Championship points, the Malaysian GP present the reigning MotoGP World Champion with his first opportunity to pass Jorge Lorenzo’s record of 383 points scored in a single season. As in Australia, Marquez is aware he’ll face a strong challenge from Yamaha and Ducati.

Lorenzo arrives in Malaysia hoping for better fortunes after a trying weekend in Phillip Island. Struggling in the cooler conditions, Sepang’s heat should offer Lorenzo a chance to continue improving his feeling on the Honda RC213V. The five-time World Champion has finished on the premier class podium seven times in Malaysia.

Just a single point separates the Ducati Team (409) from the Repsol Honda Team (408) in the Team Championship as Honda look to complete the prestigious Triple Crown. With both the Riders and a record 25th Constructors Championships achieved, the Team Championship is final objective to achieve in 2019.

Practice for the premier class begins at 10:50 Local Time on Friday, November 01 with the 20-lap Malaysian Grand Prix scheduled for 15:00 Local Time on Sunday, November 03.

Repsol Honda Team ready for 25th year in the premier class

2019 marks 25 years of collaboration between HRC and Repsol as the iconic squad prepares for another year of competition with two champion riders.

112 days after the Valencia GP, the MotoGP™ World Championship is set to roar back to life under the unique Qatar floodlights. 2019 sees the Repsol Honda Team welcome five-time world champion Jorge Lorenzo alongside Marc Marquez and celebrate a 25-year partnership between Repsol and HRC.

During their 25 years racing at the highest level in motorcycle racing, Repsol and Honda have achieved 14 world championships, 168 victories, 427 podiums, 177 pole positions and 182 fastest laps. With 12 world titles between them, Marquez and Lorenzo form the most successful team on the MotoGP™ grid and begin another chapter in the Repsol Honda Team’s history.

Shoulder surgery in late December led to the most challenging off-season of Marc Marquez’s career and hundreds of hours of physiotherapy. Maintaining the mantra of ‘there are no points for testing’, the reigning World Champion had a, by his standards, subdued testing campaign but arrives in Qatar happy with the feeling of his Honda RC213V and with his physical condition. Since entering the premier class in 2013, Marquez has never finished outside of the top five in Qatar.

The Qatar GP will be Jorge Lorenzo’s racing debut in Repsol Honda Team colours. Having improved his lap time at the Qatar Test by 2.437 seconds, Lorenzo is looking to continue his adaptation to the Honda RC213V. Although Lorenzo was forced to miss the Sepang Test due to a broken scaphoid, his potential on the Honda is clear and the weekend will present him with more crucial bike time. With six wins and five podiums from 15 visits, the Losail International Circuit is amongst Lorenzo’s strongest.

The first MotoGP™ press conference of 2019 is set for 17:00 local time on Thursday, March 07 with both Marquez and Lorenzo in attendance after the traditional ‘class photo’. Free Practice One begins at 15:40 local time with the lights of the MotoGP™ race scheduled to go out at 20:00 local time on Sunday, March 10.

Location Information
The fabulous Losail International Circuit lies on the outskirts of Doha, the capital city of Qatar. Built in little over a year, the track cost $58 million USD and required round-the-clock dedication from almost 1,000 workers in order to get it ready.

Length: 5.380 kilometres / 3.343 miles
Width: 12 metres
Left corners: 6
Right corners: 10
Longest straight: 1.068 kilometres / 0.664 miles
Constructed: 2004

Provisional 2019 MotoGP Calendar released

Good news for GP fans, the provisional Moto GP 2019 calendar has been released.

Round Event Circuit Race day
1 QATAR GP Losail International Circuit 10th MARCH *
2 ARGENTINA GP Termas de Rio Hondo 31st MARCH
3 AMERICAS GP Circuit of the Americas 14th APRIL
4 SPANISH GP Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto 05th MAY
5 FRENCH GP Le Mans 19th MAY
6 ITALIAN GP Autodromo di Mugello 02nd JUNE
7 CATALUNYA GP Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya 16th JUNE
8 DUTCH GP TT Circuit Assen 30th JUNE
9 GERMAN GP Sachsenring 07th JULY
10 CZECH GP Automotodrom Brno 04th AUGUST
11 AUSTRIAN GP Red Bull Ring – Spielberg 11th AUGUST
12 BRITISH GP Silverstone Circuit 25th AUGUST
13 SAN MARINO GP Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli 15th SEPTEMBER
14 ARAGON GP MotorLand Aragon 22nd SEPTEMBER
15 THAI GP Chang International Circuit 06th OCTOBER
16 JAPANESE GP Twin Ring Motegi 20th OCTOBER
17 AUSTRALIAN GP Phillip Island Circuit 27th OCTOBER
18 MALAYSIAN GP Sepang International Circuit 03rd NOVEMBER
19 VALENCIA GP Circuit Ricardo Tormo 17th NOVEMBER

 

 

* Evening race

MotoGP have not yet released tickets, but promise us they’ll be along soon. You can head over to their website to subscribe, then you’ll be in the know when they do get released!

What race will you be booking tickets for? We can’t wait to see Lorenzo take the seat for HRC Honda next season! Bring it on 😉

 

Credit: MotoGP News