The 2015 MotoGP season has been nothing like 2014 as far as double world champion Marc Marquez and Honda are concerned. The young Spanish riding phenomenon failed to finish three times in nine races (up to the German Grand Prix at Sachsenring). That’s as many retirements as he had in the previous two seasons, over the course of 36 races!
Not to mention he had won the first nine races of last year’s MotoGP season. So it seemed fitting that to get back to his 2014 form, Marquez called upon equipment from 2014. Reverting to last year’s Honda chassis from Assen led to the Spaniard finally being able to go wheel to wheel with Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi, who looks to be the rider to beat despite a surge in form by teammate Jorge Lorenzo.
A second place finish amid controversy in Holland was followed by as dominant a performance by Marquez and Honda as MotoGP followers are used to seeing. Helping number 93’s cause of getting to the top of the riders’ standings was Dani Pedrosa, who has now fully recovered from surgery on his right forearm to cure persistent ‘arm pump’. It was a condition caused by extreme swelling of the forearm muscles that cut off blood supply to them and hence caused the oxygen levels to drop.
The result of both Marquez and Pedrosa’s measures to get their seasons back on track was a 1-2 finish at Sachsenring, a circuit at which Marquez has now won six straight races across all classes of motorcycle grand prix racing.
As Ducati’s early season concessions dry up, we are likely to see the Yamaha vs Honda battle get underway in earnest although it might be a bit late for Marquez now.
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