Alex Marquez is confirmed as Marc Marquez’s part in Repsol Honda for 2020.
It ends speculation that the brothers will be riding in one team.
The seat was left vacant by retiree Jorge Lorenzo.
Prior “wild speculations” of Alex Marquez joining his brother Marc Marquez in the Repsol Honda team for the 2020 MotoGP season has been confirmed.
Younger brother Alex is the 2019 Moto2 champion, while Marc in the eight-time world champion (sixth in MotoGP) including this year.
Alex had long being compared to the exploits of his brother, much like how it was for the Schumacher brother in Formula 1. The younger sibling finally captured his first Moto2 title this year.
However, both Repsol Honda manager Alberto Puig and Marc denied that drafting in Alex was because of the Marquez namesake. Puig had commented earlier that it would be based on merit. Marc Marquez, on the other hand, insisted that he didn’t push Honda to take to Alex.
Speculations were rife as soon as after Jorge Lorenzo announced his retirement from racing, thereby vacating his Repsol Honda seat. There were “talks” of Johann Zarco getting the tap over LCR Honda riders Cal Crutchlow or Takaaki Nakagami but it was not to be, despite the fact that Zarco was a two-time Moto2 champion.
LCR Honda will stick to their current rider line-up for 2020. Despite being a satellite team, Crutchlow is actually under HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) contract, while Nakagami brought in Idemitmu as one of the team’s main sponsors.
That leaves poor Zarco without a seat. His only options are to join Avintia Ducati (which he already said he didn’t want to) or return to Moto2 and take up Alex Marquez’s seat at Marc VDS.
Selepas pelbagai nama dicanang akhirnya Repsol Honda membuat keputusan untuk menamakan Alex Marquez selaku pengganti Jorge Lorenzo bagi musim 2020.
(Alex) Marquez, juara Moto2 musim ini telah diangkat sebagai pilihan utama berbanding Johann Zarco dan Cal Crutchlow susulan pengumuman persaraan Lorenzo, minggu lalu.
Gabungan dua beradik Marquez ini ternyata bakal membawa imej berlainan buat Repsol Honda musim depan.
Bagaimanapun, (Alex) Marquez dijangka akan berdepan cabaran besar tatkala akan dibandingkan dengan abangnya (Marc) Marquez sepanjang perlumbaan.
Sumber: Alex Marquez @ Twitter
Menurut kenyataan Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), Alex Marquez akan menyertai Repsol Honda dengan kontrak satu tahun.
“Pelumba muda Sepanyol itu akan beralih dari Moto2 ke kelas premier dan akan digandingkan dengan lapan kali juara dunia, Marc Marquez, bagi musim 2020 dan akan menunggang jentera RC213V,” katanya.
Sementara itu, pengesahan (Alex) Marquez sebagai pelumba Repsol Honda bermakna Zarco kini memiliki dua pilihan, kekal di MotoGP dengan menyertai Avintia Ducati atau turutn ke Moto2 dan mengisi kekosongan ditinggalkan (Alex) Marquez di Marc VDS.
Belum cukup 24 jam aksi terakhir MotoGP bagi kalendar 2019 berakhir di GP Valencia semalam, pelbagai drama mula terungkap terutamanya melibatkan kekosongan di kem Repsol Honda selepas Jorge Lorenzo mengumumkan persaraan, Khamis lalu.
Ketika Lorenzo mengumumkan keputusan tersebut, timbul desas-desus tempatnya akan diisi bekas pelumba KTM, Johann Zarco.
Bagaimanapun, kini timbul dakwaan bahawa juara dunia Moto2 musim ini, Alex Marquez dicanang sebagai calon utama.
Zarco memiliki peluang cerah untuk kekal di MotoGP bersama Avintia Ducati yang dikatakan berminat untuk mendapatkan khidmatnya namun pelumba berusia 29 tahun itu menegaskan dia lebih sanggup turun ke Moto2 berbanding menyertai pasukan baharu selepas apa yang menimpanya di KTM musim ini.
Sementara itu, seandainya Alex Marquez berhijrah ke Repsol Honda, Zarco berpeluang menggantikan tempatnya di Marc VDS sekaligus mencabar kejuaraan Moto2 musim depan.
Dalam pada itu, Zarco menegaskan dia enggan membuat keputusan melulu sepertimana yang menimpanya ketika menyertai KTM.
“Saya tidak menyesal selepas membuat keputusan untuk meninggalkan KTM malah berasa lega perkara itu berlaku.
“Sebaliknya saya dapat merasai jentera baharu bersama Lucio Cecchinello di LCR Honda.
“Saya meninggalkan KTM dengan cara yang ‘gentleman’, saya bersikap jujur kepada KTM bahawa saya enggan bersama mereka memasuki musim 2020,” jelasnya.
Dalam perkembangan lain, pelumba Aprilia Aleix Espargaro berpendapat Alex Marquez sebagai calon tepat menggantikan Lorenzo berbanding Zarco.
Dalam kenyataan menurut Crash.net, Espargarao mengatakan Zarco bukanlah pelumba yang layak mendapat jentera Repsol Honda selepas apa yang berlaku dengan KTM.
Ketika rata-rata berpendapat Johann Zarco sebagai calon sesuai untuk menggantikan Jorge Lorenzo di Repsol Honda musim depan, Aleix Espargaro berpendapat sebaliknya.
Pelumba Aprilia Racing, Espargaro berpendapat Alex Marquez sebagai calon yang lebih baik untuk digandingkan dengan Marc Marquez musim depan.
“Jika Honda membuat keputusan untuk mengambil Alex, saya rasa itu keputusan yang baik.
“Saya akan melakukan perkara sama jika saya diberikan peluang untuk membuat pilihan. Alex merupakan juara Moto2 dan sudah tentu Marc akan gembira apabila digandingkan dengan adiknya,” katanya.
Bagi Espargaro, Zarco tidak layak untuk menunggang jentera Honda.
“Jika Zarco dianggap sebagai calon yang layak menunggang jentera Honda, saya dan Pol (Espargaro) sepuluh kali lebih layak!
“Jadi jika mereka memilih Alex selaku juara dunia Moto2, saya rasa dia memang layak,” tambahnya.
Difahamkan, Honda sedang mempertimbangkan keputusan untuk menandatangani (Alex) Marquez berbanding Zarco susulan insiden yang berlaku di kem KTM.
KTM sebelum ini bersetuju dengan permintaan Zarco agar kontraknya ditamatkan setahun lebih awal namun pelumba Perancis itu kemudiannya membuat kejutan apabila membuat keputusan untuk meninggalkan KTM lebih awal dari ditetapkan.
“Sikap Zarco tidak profesional. Aprilia mengetahui berapa kali saya menangis musim lalu dan berapa kali saya menangis musim ini tetapi ini adalah tanggungjawab kami.
“Ramai pihak yang telah melaburkan masa dan wang ke dalam projek ini jadi untuk mana-mana pelumba membuat kenyataan ‘This bike is shit, I go home’ membuktikan bahawa dia tidak layak untuk mendapat jentera terbaik dalam saingan MotoGP,” tegasnya.
Sekiranya Alex (Marquez) sah sertai abangnya di Repsol Honda, Zarco dikhabarkan akan mengisi kekosongan di Marc VDS Moto2.
Marc Marquez menoktahkan status selaku juara dunia MotoGP musim 2019 dengan kemenangan di litar Valencia.
Dia turut berjaya mengurniakan kejuaraan dunia pasukan untuk Repsol Honda sekaligus menamatkan kempen terakhir MotoGP 2019 dengan kejuaraan berganda.
Meskipun kejuaraan dunia telah pun disahkan di GP Thailand, Oktober lalu namun senario itu tidak menyekat Marquez untuk memburu kemenangan ke-12 musim ini.
Pada masa sama, kegagalan pelumba Ducati, Danilo Petrucci untuk menamatkan perlumbaan susulan kemalangan dan Andrea Dovizioso sekadar menduduki tempat keempat, membenarkan Marquez menutup defisit dua mata sekaligus menghadiahkan pasukannya kejuaraan dunia.
Dalam perkembangan sama, Jorge Lorenzo berjaya menamatkan perlumbaan terakhirnya di kedudukan ke-13 selepas mengumumkan persaraan akhir musim ini.
Aksi Moto2 menyaksikan pelumba Red Bull KTM Ajo, Brad Binder muncul juara diikuti Thomas Luthi kedua dan Jorge Navarro ketiga.
Manakala saingan Moto3 menyaksikan pelumba berusia 16 tahun, Sergio Garcia (Estrella Galicia 0.0) menyambar tempat pertama diikuti Andrea Migno (Mugen Race) kedua dan Xaier Artigas (Leopard Impala Junior Team) ketiga.
Alex Marquez is now linked to being picked for the Repsol Honda squad for the 2020 MotoGP season.
If so, he will join his elder brother Marc Marquez as teammates.
The seat was left open after Jorge Lorenzo announced his retirement.
Alex Marquez is now linked to joining his brother, eight-time world champion Marc Marquez in the factory Repsol Honda squad for the 2020 MotoGP season.
The tears from Jorge Lorenzo’s emotional farewell press conference probably haven’t even dried yet and the rumours are already running rampant on who will replace him on the most coveted seat in the premier class.
It started between two riders, with one considered an outside chance. LCR Honda rookie Takaaki Nakagami was said to have the biggest chance to move up, while MotoGP refugee Johann Zarco replaces him in the team. Veteran LCR Honda and MotoGP rider Cal Crutchlow was also said to have a small chance to move up, but there are also thoughts of him retiring soon. Crutchlow had said that his entire body hurts and he has to take massive amounts of painkillers, hence considers that the sunset is just beyond the hill for this career.
Suddenly, Alex Marquez’s name popped up over the weekend. Throwing more fuel into the fire, the 2019 Moto2 champion didn’t confirm nor deny whether he will actually team up with his brother next year.
The biggest question is of course whether Marc has any part should Alex be promoted to the Repsol Honda team. After all, he proclaimed that “Alex is ready for MotoGP” as soon as the younger Marquez sealed the Moto2 title in Malaysia.
But Marc had this to say, “I would be lying if I said that I don’t want my brother, but I insist that I have never forced the situation and I won’t do so now either.”
Team manager Alberto Puig added, “Of course, Alex is an option. You have to consider him on his own merits, not his last name.”
However, that wasn’t all. There was also talk of Jack Miller replacing Danilo Petrucci at the factory Mission Winnows Ducati and Zarco taking up the vacant Pramac Ducati seat. Zarco was quick to state his thoughts on that prospect, “I’d rather be in Moto2 than ride the Pramac Ducati. It would be the same mistake with KTM.”
We will know by Tuesday next week during the MotoGP post-season tests.
Malaysian rider Kasma Danial will contest in the 2020 World Moto2 season with the ONEXOX TKKR SAG team.
He will be the one of two Malaysians in the class next year.
He raced in the Spanish CEV Moto2 and ARRC 600cc SuperSport classes in 2019.
Malaysian rider Kasma Danial will contest in the 2020 Moto2 season with the ONEXOX TKKR SAG team.
The news was shared by team on their website tkkr.my recently. The 19-year-old rider, who the team calls “Dragon Boy,” will replace Tetsuta Nagashima who will join Red Bull KTM Ajo. It means Kasma will partner Remy Gardner, the son of former World 500cc Grand Prix champion Wayne Gardner.
ONEXOX TKKR SAG on the other hand, is a Malaysian team with race teams in the Malaysian Cub Prix, Malaysian Superbike, Asia Road Racing, Spanish CEV Moto2 and World Moto2 championships.
Kasma has been racing in the FIM Spanish CEV Moto2 championship in Spain with the Dynavolt SIC Junior Racing Team. The series is seen as the spawning ground for up and coming Moto2 riders on the world stage. Besides CEV Moto2, Kasma was riding in the 600cc SuperSport category in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship.
His participation in Moto2 brings the number of Malaysian riders to just two at the moment. But it is the highest class the country’s riders are in. The other rider is Hafizh Syahrin who has since signed up with the Angel Nieto team.
Arena perlumbaan Moto2 musim 2020 bertambah rancak dengan satu lagi penyertaan wakil negara, Kasma Danial Kasmayuddin.
Pelumba muda itu disahkan menyertai pasukan ONEXOX TKKR SAG untuk saingan Moto2 musim depan.
Laporan tersebut dikongsikan sendiri pasukan ONXOX menerusi tkkr.my semalam.
Senario ini menjadikan pelumba berusia 19 tahun itu sebagai wakil ketiga negara yang akan beraksi di pentas tertinggi kejohanan motosikal dunia bagi musim 2020.
Kasma mengisi kekosongan yang ditinggalkan Tetsuta Nagashima yang dikatakan bakal menyertai Red Bull KTM Ajo.
Beraksi di pentas tertinggi bukan perkara baharu buat Kasma apabila dia turut membuat penampilan sulung di saingan CEV Moto2 bersama pasukan Dynavolt Intac SIC Junior Racing tahun ini di samping bersaing di Asian Road Racing Championship (ARRC) kategori Supersport 600cc.
Dia bakal beraksi bersama Hafizh Syahrin yang telah pun disahkan menyertai pasukan Angel Nieto di Moto2 musim depan.
Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia organised a paddock walkabout to witness Moto2 operations during the 2019 Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix.
It’s in conjunction with Triumph’s role as exclusive engine supplier.
Moto2 operations is hectic yet a little bit more laid back compared to MotoGP.
Triumph Motorcycles Malaysia organised a paddock walkabout to witness Moto2 operations during the 2019 Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix.
As many are aware now, Triumph is the official engine supplier to the Moto2 championship. Unlike Moto3 and MotoGP classes, all Moto2 teams use the same engine, albeit different frames. This is why we see outfits such as Kalex and Speed Up — they build the frames around the engine. Similarly, manufacturers such as KTM and MV Agusta build their own frames around the Triumph engine.
Dorna Sports and the FIM wanted to build a series based on a single engine to emphasise rider skill, resulting in close racing.
The Engine
Triumph’s three-cylinder 765cc engine (based on the Street Triple RS) produces lots more torque and linear power band compared to the previous Honda CBR600RR-based inline-Four engine. Whereas the inline-Four needed to be kept within a narrow powerband, riders can utilise the triple’s power and torque almost anywhere in the powerband.
Having a narrow powerband forces riders to take one specific line around corners, making overtaking a risky affair. Besides that, a rider could not catch back up when he made a mistake. Consequently, racing was spread out.
Conversely, a linear powerband means that riders could choose different lines — especially when overtaking — and still have the grunt to accelerate. Consequently, riders aren’t afraid to overtake, resulting in close racing.
Having more grunt off the corners, especially the slow ones will results in higher speeds down the straights, contributing to faster lap times.
Lap Records
Alex Marquez in the 2019 Malaysian GP – Photo credit MotoGP.com
The Moto2 class has seen some phenomenal lap times and top speeds since the Triumph engine was introduced. Lap times and fastest top speed records tumbled all season long.
Mugello saw a Moto2 bike hit 300 km/h for the first time the series was introduced in 2010. But by FP3 at the Sepang International Circuit, four riders went faster than 300 km/h.
The Moto2 teams had just completed FP3 when we visited the paddock. David Dew, Triumph’s PR guy showed us the lap time printouts. We were shocked. The top four riders were under the 2018 all time lap record of 2:05.629 set by Alex Marquez. Brad Binder smashed the old record with a time of 2:04.769 which was almost a whole second faster. And it’s not even qualifying yet!
Alex Marquez would go on to capture pole position with a time of 2:05.244. In the race, he put in the fastest lap of 2:05.860 on Lap 2, breaking Miguel Oliveira’s 2017 record of 2:06.952. That’s nearly 1.1 seconds faster.
1 second may not sound much of a big deal to the layman but consider this: Competitors from 1st to 15th were covered by 1 second in qualifying.
Speed Up Paddock Visit
Only five persons were allowed to visit the pit in each session. It may be a carnival to fans but each MotoGP round is work time for the teams.
I had picked the afternoon session after lunch and was joined by four others who were Triumph owners. Such a paddock walkabout programme is great them as it adds immeasurable value and experience to their ownership.
It was a new experience for me, as well, because this was the first time I’ve visited and seen Moto2 operations up close although I’ve covered MotoGP continuously for the past five years. Whereas MotoGP teams are stationed in the main paddock building, Moto2 and Moto3 teams are sequestered in either the South Paddock or tents. Besides that, no Moto2 team had ever provided passes to visit them, compared to those in MotoGP.
Our first stop was the Beta Tools Speed Up garage.
The team was readying the bikes for qualifying. One bike was all dressed up and ready to go and were allowed to shoot photographs of it.
As Moto2 teams run only one bike per rider, there wasn’t many bike components lying about, except for a few pieces of bodywork placed on top of a shelf.
Instead there were rows of tyres wrapped in warmers. We could feel the heat from half a metre away, since they’re kept at around 90 degree Celsius. There were tags on the warmers showing the state of each tyre i.e. how laps it’s gone through or if it’s new, etc. The wet weather tyres at the bottom rack weren’t wrapped in warmers.
It was also apparent that all Moto2 bikes use steel brake discs rather than carbon. Dorna Sports wanted to keep racing costs down to allow more teams to join the series.
Dunlop Paddock
Dunlop is the exclusive tyre supplier to the Moto2 and Moto3 championships.
The first thing we saw were racks of tyres being cooled by industrial fans. The tyres were delivered in four shipping containers months before and were now being aired out.
There were multiple work benches here complete with hydraulic tyre removers.
David showed us a rear tyre. The largest size was 180 when the series began but it’s grown to 200/75-R17 now. The higher aspect ratio allows the crown of the tyre to wrap around in a smoother fashion, giving a wider contact patch.
Each new tyre was barcoded and earmarked for individual teams. The teams will push in the racks we saw in the Speed Up garage and the Dunlop crew will fill them up with tyres mounted on wheels and inflated to the correct tyre pressures.
Used tyres were stacked in a large pile before being shipped back to headquarters. There, each tyre’s bead (the part which attaches the tyre to the wheel) will be cut out, rendering it useless for vehicle use. They are then recycled for children’s playgrounds.
Track Side
A visit to Extern Pro was planned but was unfortunately cancelled as Q1 had begun by the time we finished our visit to Dunlop. Extern Pro is the party responsible in modifying the 765cc street engine to race spec, and maintaining them afterwards.
We were brought to the area just next to the main paddock building. Here, one can see bikes going past on their pit lane speed limiter, sounding like the pod racers from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. They disengaged the limiter after crossing the pit lane exit and slammed open the throttle, serenading us with a warble and roar very much different to an inline-Four’s howl.
David then bade us goodbye after an eye-opening experience for everyone, this hack included. Prior to that, he said that he hopes such paddock walkabouts will continue in the future and might be expended to all tracks in the GP calendar.
So, get your Triumph and get ready for next year’s event!
PETRONAS will be the exclusive fuel supplier to the Moto3 and Moto2 classes in 2020.
The deal will last until 2022.
It includes racetrack advertising.
PETRONAS will be the exclusive fuel supplier to the Moto3 and Moto2 classes beginning 2020. The deal is set for three years, ending in 2022.
The deal was announced by Dorna Sports, the organiser of the MotoGP World Championship.
Besides supplying fuel, the agreement also covers track advertising, which will see the PETRONAS brand displayed at race tracks around the world. These moves will increase visibility and awareness to the brand to billions of race fans around the globe.
The Malaysian petroleum giant is currently the sponsor and technical partner to the PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team in MotoGP and the PETRONAS Sprinta Racing Team in both Moto2 and Moto3.
Despite being the teams’ first season, Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli has done exceptionally well to win five pole positions and finished on the podium six times, with one race to go.
In the Moto3 class, John McPhee captured two poles positions, won one race and finish on the podium twice in another two. His teammate Ayumu Sasaki took one pole position.
The PETRONAS-backed teams have just completed their homecoming race at the Sepang International Circuit yesterday. The MotoGP had also won the 2019 Independent Teams Championship at the round.
Will we soon see our national petroleum brand taking over as the title sponsor of the Malaysian MotoGP in the near future?
Baru-baru ini Malaysia diaibkan dengan kes kecurian di tapak pasukan Moto2, Angel Nieto di Litar Antarabangsa Sepang (SIC).
Beberapa alat ganti antaranya fork depan dan belakang, kaliper brek dan peralatan lain telah dicuri sehingga memaksa Angel Nieto meminjam peralatan pasukan lain.
Bagaimanapun, menurut laporan Sinar Harian, tiga pegawai keselamatan telah pun ditahan pihak polis bagi membantu siasatan berhubung kes kecurian yang dianggarkan bernilai RM200,000.
Ketua Polis Daerah Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA), Asisten Komisioner Zulkifli Adamsah mengesahkan tangkapan tiga lelaki tempatan berusia 20 hingga 30 tahun itu.
Difahamkan, ketiga-tiga pekerja keselamatan terbabit bertugas di lokasi kejadian namun pihak polis masih menyiasat rakaman CCTV untuk mendapatkan butiran lanjut.
Ada pelbagai perkara yang boleh mencemarkan nama negara dan salah satunya kes kecurian yang menimpa pasukan Moto2 Angel Nieto di Litar Antarabangsa Sepang (SIC), hari ini.
Menurut laporan Lalasport, antara peralatan yang telah dicuri melibatkan kaliper brek, set fork depan dan penyerap hentakan belakang serta komputer riba.
Bagaimanapun, menurut pengurus pasukan Angel Nieto, Gino Borsoi, komponen bagi jentera Moto2 tidak diusik.
Menyedari musibah yang menimpa Angel Nieto, pasukan Sky VR46 telah menghulurkan bantuan dengan meminjamkan beberapa komponen yang telah hilang.
Ketika ini tiada kenyataan rasmi dikeluarkan pihak SIC.
Angel Nieto merupakan destinasi 2020 bagi pelumba negara, Hafizh Syahrin, tahun depan.
