Marc Marquez is not backing down from the challenge posed by Marco Bezzecchi, who has been impressive at Misano. The reigning MotoGP champion has made it clear he intends to make life difficult for the Aprilia rider in Sunday's race.
Bezzecchi secured pole position with a new all-time lap record at the Misano circuit. However, in Saturday's Sprint, he had to concede victory to Marquez, who used the medium rear tyre. Marquez stated that Bezzecchi remains the main threat, especially when both switch to the medium rear for the main race.
“I believe Marco with the medium rear will be the guy to beat,” said Marquez. “He has this extra boost, he’ll push. As we saw today, he never gives up. I expect tomorrow Marco will be very fast. But today we took twelve points. If tomorrow we take 20 and he takes 25, we only lose 3 points. So not bad.”
Throughout the weekend, Marquez and Bezzecchi have taken turns at the top in every session except Qualifying 1. That pattern continued in warm-up, when Bezzecchi beat Marquez by a sizable 0.376s, with both using the medium rear tyre. During the riders' parade, Marquez was asked if he had changed his mind about Bezzecchi being the favourite. “No, after warm-up, I reconfirm! Because as we saw, Marco was super fast in the warm-up, and he will be very fast during all the race. So let's see. We need to understand what is our level. But today and during the weekend, Marco was very fast.”
Marquez added that the battle is not just between him and Bezzecchi. “In the end, it's not only about me and Marco. Also, some other riders have a very good pace with the medium rear. But yesterday we already won, so today a second position for us would be okay. But we will try everything to make Marco's life a bit more difficult.”
Marquez will start the race 14 points behind title leader Jorge Martin, who also rides for the factory Aprilia team and finished third in the Sprint. Bezzecchi is 22 points from the championship lead. With the performance shown, the race at Misano is predicted to be fierce, especially between Marquez and Bezzecchi.
Both have demonstrated incredible speed and consistency throughout the weekend. Marquez, known for his aggressive riding, will not sit idle. He will try his utmost to pressure Bezzecchi and secure maximum results. On the other hand, Bezzecchi, in his best form, will not give up easily. The Misano MotoGP race is a proving ground for both riders, especially in the increasingly tight world championship battle.
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