Bangkok (Thailand), Oct 29 (IANS): Both Honda Team riders put together hard-fought rides to leave the triple-header on a high, each with a clutch of points and an ever-improving feeling on the Honda RC213V after battling through the Buriram circuit heat in the Thailand Grand Prix.
In the end, Marc Marquez finished seventh while Joan Mir ended 12th in theThai Grand Prix as Jorge Martin took a hard-fought victory cutting down the lead of overall leader Francesco Bagnaia.
An intense opening lap saw Marc Marquez immediately thrust into the heart of the action as the entirety of the top ten were glued together for the first five laps. Every corner there was a new challenger as he battled the likes of Aleix Espargaro and a mix of Ducati riders. One of the fiercest battles would be with MotoGP World Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia, the pair duking it out for sixth place in the early part of the race.
The melee lasted until the middle of the race when the group began to stretch out, Marquez focusing on holding himself inside the top ten.
Another battle late in the race with Fabio Quartararo gave the fans in the MM93 Grandstand something to cheer about again, audibly erupting whenever Marquez made a move. Crossing the line in seventh, a post-race penalty of Aleix Espargaro would see Marquez promoted to sixth place.
Joan Mir, the double World Champion, put together an impressive comeback from 19th on the grid. Mir was making progress forward in the race and was already into the points before the lap counter passed the midway mark. Lapping consistently in the mid-1’31s, the Repsol Honda Team rider made his way right to the edge of the top ten with just a few laps to go.
Tyre wear would see him cross the line in 12th, mirroring his finish from the Sprint as he once again gained seven places from his starting position.
The Repsol Honda Team will now enjoy a well-earned week away from the circuit after an intense period of five races in six weeks before returning for the final push of the year. Another triple-header consisting of Sepang, Qatar and Valencia will sign off the 2023 season.
“It was a really exciting race, straight away from the start there were battles and everywhere I looked in the first laps there were bikes! I had good battles with Aleix, Pecco and later Fabio –- they were all hard but really fun. I was fighting really hard at the start which meant the tyre dropped a bit at the end, but then when the others started to drop," said Marc Marquez, who finished seventh.
"I was able to recover more. Overall the weekend was positive, we rebuilt some confidence after Mandalika and Australia so this is really positive. Now we have a week off after three busy and physical races before ending the season,” he added.
Joan Mir said it was a solid day for the Honda team rider.
“A solid day today again, my pace was quite close to that of the top five throughout most of the race and we were able to gain some good positions early. Until the last five laps, when the tyre dropped because of the overtaking we did at the start, we were strong and we have to stay happy," he said.
"I gave my 100% and we were able to make constant progress. Our position probably doesn’t reflect the effort that we made, but there is progress. Qualifying is the key point we need to focus on, the pace is there when it comes to the races,' said Joan Mir.