On a productive opening day in the finals of the year, both riders on the Repsol Honda Team are confident of ending the 2019 season on a high note.
Following the announcement of Jorge Lorenzo’s emotional resignation on Thursday, the Repsol Honda team was immediately back to work at the Valencia GP. It was a classic day in Valencia with cold conditions in the morning before improving in the afternoon. Motivation in the garage remains high after a long season as the Repsol Honda Team tries to defend its Triple Crown.
The reigning world champion Marc Marquez was the first to take advantage of the improved conditions of the afternoon after a quiet morning at work. Marquez set a 1’30.974 at the beginning of practice and ended the day as the third fastest driver after two productive sessions. The eight-time world champion was able to drive consistently in the middle down to the lower 1’31. He showed an impressive consistency and an excellent overall speed. Marquez has decided not to fit a new tire and can still get started quickly in qualifying.
Jorge Lorenzo had a positive start to his last weekend as a professional motorcycle racer and managed to find a second between Free Training 1 and Free Practice 2. Lorenzo finished the day in 16th place with a 1’31.880 and was only 1.1 seconds behind him in the lead. 19 riders in the MotoGP class were separated by a little more than 1.5 seconds. Tomorrow Lorenzo offers the chance to challenge the top ten and a potential spot in the second quarter.
The MotoGP class will be back on track at 09:55 local time as the paddock returns to the familiar European schedule after four races. Qualifying on Saturday starts at 2:10 p.m. after free practice 4.