AUSTRIA: A day of complications for the Repsol Honda Team in the Styrian hills, Joan Mir crossed the line in the 17th as Luca Marini retired on lap six with a technical issue.

Evening storms were nowhere to be seen as the clouds burned away to reveal a clear sky in the build-up to the Austrian GP. An intense warm-up session gave the Repsol Honda Team a chance for final checks and setup changes ahead of the race.

Joan Mir was again able to make the difference when the lights went out as he and his Repsol Honda Team RC213V shot forward from 19th – moving immediately to join the battle for the points. Working to complete the race and deepen the breadth of data available to engineers, Mir took 17th at the end of the 28-lap. Wanting more from his Austrian GP weekend, the #36 remains focused on the future and the upgrades in the development pipeline.

After a positive morning warm-up, Luca Marini was aiming to continue his run of form to again challenge the other Honda riders. Unfortunately, the Italian experienced a technical issue early in the race and returned to the pits on lap six, retiring from the Grand Prix. HRC engineers will investigate deeply ahead of the next race in Aragon.

The Repsol Honda Team will now head to Misano for a private test before Round 12 of the 2024 MotoGP World Championship in Aragon. Both outings will allow Marini and Mir to keep on improving and focusing on delivering the potential the pair have consistently shown throughout the season so far.

Luca Marini (DNF) “Not too much to say about today. We had an issue with the bike that we needed to explore deeper before the next race, I could feel it from the start of the race. Aside from this, we have had a very good and important weekend here. When you have something like this on Sunday you have to take a step back and look at the whole weekend – which has been positive. Now we have a busy period and a lot of work and races until the end of the year.”

Joan Mir (17^th) “It was a challenging race today and we did what we could with the situation in front of us. There are still some areas that we need to keep working on and a few of our issues were made more challenging at this track. But the important part is the information, and I am looking to the future for what is to come from HRC. Now is the moment to stay focused and keep working through our things.” 

Motorrad Grand Prix von Oesterriech Resutls

Rider standings

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AUSTRIA: Both Repsol Honda Team riders fought back to set up for a stronger Sunday in a complicated Sprint where Luca Marini and Joan Mir took 17th and 19th, masking their true potential.

Overnight thunderstorms did little to change the conditions in Spielberg as another day of intense heat enveloped the 4.35 kilometers of the Red Bull Ring. Q1 was an intense 15-minute session where inch-perfect precision was needed to gain an advantage in the tight group battling for the top two transfer spots. Setting the eighth and ninth fastest times in Q1 respectively, Luca Marini and Joan Mir lined up nearby for the Sprint Race.

Initially dropping back at the start, Luca Marini remained focused on his Repsol Honda Team RC213V. With the hot temperatures came even more challenging conditions, many around the #10 making mistakes while Marini steadily matched his pace lap after lap. Crossing the line on the 17th, the Italian was hoping for much more from the Sprint but is positive that the data collected will help on Sunday.

Joan Mir’s race started well, the #36 immediately gaining ground with a rapid start when the lights went out. Contact with another rider and an early long lap penalty for track limits would also force Mir into recovery mode. Ending just behind his Repsol Honda Team teammate, Mir is confident his true potential will be on show in the full-length Grand Prix.

The lights are set to go out for the Motorrad Grand Prix von Oesterreich at 14:00 Local Time tomorrow, Sunday, August 18.

Luca Marini (17^th) “We were hoping for more in the Sprint speaking honestly. I didn’t make a good start and then in this heat, it’s quite complicated with the carbon brakes. The positive point is that we learned some more things for Sunday and also for the development in the future. Once we were in the race we were able to set an OK pace given we were playing catch up, but we were far behind because of the opening lap.”

Joan Mir (19^th) “I made a really good start to the race and was able to gain a lot, then I had some contact with Raul Fernandez and lost about four positions. Then with the Long Lap Penalty, I dropped far back, and we did what we could. It’s a shame because our pace was much better than what we were able to show in the race. Tomorrow will be another tough race for everyone on the grid with these conditions.”

Austrian GP – Sprint Result

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Joan Mir also put on an impressive performance, recovering seven places to finish in 12th position after a difficult Q1 session. Mir was immediately in attack mode, making up a handful of places in the first corners and matching the lap times of the top ten. Content with the speed he showed, Mir is hoping to put his learning into action on Sunday and return to a point-scoring finish.

The Thailand Grand Prix was an intense day of MotoGP action, with lap records falling from almost the first moment of the day. The main event, the Thai GP, is scheduled to start at 15:00 Local Time on October 29, 2023, and will run over 26 laps.

Overall, Honda’s Marc Marquez and Joan Mir put on impressive performances at the Thailand Grand Prix, showcasing their skills and determination on the track.

Marc Marquez said, “It was a really busy day today, it’s always like that when you go through Q1. The team did a really good job and we were able to improve, I could ride in a better way and made it to Q2. From starting on the third row we were able to stay in contact with the front group and we were able to put on a good show and have a fun race. The Sprint overall was much better than I expected, we made a good start and battled until the end. The last corner was the opposite of 2019, I attacked and made it stick instead of defending from someone else’s attack. It looks like I have the correct braking point at that corner!”

Quote from Joan Mir^th) “It was a harder day than I was expecting. Starting from the 19th you have a lot to deal with and even when you have the speed like we had today, there’s still a lot of work to do. Finishing 12th is not bad, it was quite a real position and I think we need to be content with what’s been achieved today. My pace wasn’t for the top five, but certainly, if we started ahead we could have been there in the points. Anyway, we learned some more about the bike and we will use this knowledge.”

Thai GP – Sprint Race

Rider Standings

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