SILVERSTONE, United Kingdom (AFP) — World championship leader Marc Marquez is out for revenge at the British motorcycling Grand Prix on Sunday after losing out on the last bend to Andrea Dovizioso two weeks ago in Austria.
Marquez came second to Ducati’s Dovizioso at the Spielberg track with his Honda team-mate and fellow Spaniard Dani Pedrosa third.
But the three-time world champion is not expecting things to go all his own way at Silverstone. He admits he faces a “challenging” weekend on a tough track that demands skill and caution but rewards raw speed.
Marquez has won twice before at Silverstone, the last time in 2014.
He has also claimed three pole positions, proving along the way that he can master all conditions including wet weather that has dogged the British world championship round in the past.
He said that his goal is “always to be there at the front and be very consistent at all tracks and in all conditions.”
“Of course we’ll try for the same at Silverstone, a circuit that I like, though we know it will be a challenging round as our opponents are usually very strong there.”
Dovizioso, second behind Marquez in the world championship standings, finished third in 2015 and second in 2011 at Silverstone, both results achieved in rainy conditions.
The leading contenders will not be ruling out a challenge from Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales, who claimed his first ever MotoGP win here last year and stands third in the rankings.
He is looking to reverse a decline in form over the past few weeks that has dented his world championship challenge following a bright start to the season that saw him win three of the first five grands prix.
Meanwhile Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi, who claimed his debut 500cc win at the British Grand Prix at Donington in 2000, is aiming to set another landmark when he becomes the first rider to make 300 premier class starts on Sunday.
“This track is very long and there are so many changes of direction at high speed,” said the Italian seven-times world champion who finished third here last year.
“It’s a really nice track for me and for my riding style. I want to do a good weekend and fight for the podium.”
Pedrosa had a tough time at Silverstone last year and said the team will be preparing hard on the track in an effort to do better this time round.
“Now we go to a difficult track which is bumpy and where the weather is always unstable,” he said.
“We’ll be aiming to improve and be focused because last year was difficult, so we must be out lapping and learning about the tires and the setup to be prepared for Sunday’s race.”
© Agence France-Presse