It has been a long weekend at the Termas de Rio Hondo in Argentina; a meeting that has been surrounded by safety issues over the medium and hard compound rear Michelin tyres.
It was Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez who came out triumphant in the end; the Spaniard led both ‘parts’ of the race; as riders had to make a compulsory pit stop to change to bikes with new tyres on as officials were concerned about the endurance capabilities of the Michelins.
“I’m really happy with this win because we’ve worked very, very had during the pre-season in Qatar and here. Honda is working very well and I feel the support. We’re going in the same direction and that’s the most important thing. It’s a special win, not only because it’s the first one of the year but also because with the team we managed the situation very well and after what happened in Australia on a similar occasion (in 2013) it was important for us to do well.”
The first part of the race meant a tough battle for Marquez and Movistar Yamaha rival Valentino Rossi. They entered the pits closely after battling on the drying circuit and Marquez was able to gain some bike lengths on his rival with an efficient change jumping from one bike to the other.
“I knew that the first part of the race would be tough because it was damp in some places and with the first bike I hadn’t felt as good as with the other one even during practice. I knew that the second part of the race was key, I pushed 100% in the first five laps after the bike change, I opened the gap and after that I just kept the distance.”
Marquez now leads the championship with 41 points – eight points ahead of second place Rossi.
