The Portimao Grand Prix was special for all the Honda men who had been waiting for Marc Marquez to return for months. After the race in Portugal they can now breathe a sigh of relief as their champion hasn’t lost any of his glamor during the long break due to injury.
HRC director Tetsuhiro Kuwata commented on the race weekend without hiding his feelings.
“We saw Marc on the bike again, it was his and our main goal in the last few months. This is the most positive point of the weekend and perhaps of the year so far – he explained – He did a great job. He started in sixth place, finished seventh and just 13 seconds behind the winner. We know how difficult it was for him and what value this weekend had for him, the team and Honda and for fans of MotoGP. “
The Japanese manager fully promoted his driver.
“We were so excited to see Marc for the first time this year and we had no doubt about his approach to the race – he continued – he started fighting and trying to stay in front but he sure felt tired and eventually he finished and earned nine championship points which will be very useful. “
Now that Marc’s first GP is over, it’s time to think about the next one.
“It was a special weekend for Honda to see Marc return – declared Kuwata – He knew how to handle this first Grand Prix in nine months with his team and those involved did a good job doing what needed to be done. I would like to thank everyone in the Repsol Honda team and HRC for their patience and dedication. Now we can concentrate on the next chapter in Jerez in two weeks. And in any case, thank you Marc for what he did again. “