A return to Buriram marks the end of the first stint of the flyaways, Marc Marquez and Pol Espargaro.
Thai fans have been waiting since 2019 to see the Repsol Honda Team in action and the wait is finally over. MotoGP's last visit to Thailand holds memories, Marc Marquez clinching an exhilarating last-lap, last-corner race win to seal his eighth World Championship in style. In fact, Marquez is currently the only rider to have won the Thai GP after taking victory in 2018 and 2019.
After a highly positive Japanese GP, Marquez is again looking forward to a weekend of testing himself and the Honda RC213V. Along with the physical nature of the track, Thailand's infamous heat will be another factor to contend with. But, forecasts suggest it might be a rather damp affair this weekend.
Pol Espargaro comes to Buriram having made more steps forward and found several interesting points to confirm this weekend. The Thai track has not been the kindest of circuits to Espargaro in the previous two visits with the best finish of the 13th, but the unpredictable nature of the 2022 MotoGP season means anything is possible.
The weekend's schedule is set to be far more regular than that of Japan, Free Practice 1 for the premier class set to begin at 10:50 Local Time on Friday. Sunday will see the 26-lap Thai Grand Prix start at 15:00 Local Time.
"The aim for the weekend is to put together another complete weekend like in Japan. Of course, I would like to be battling up the front again like in Japan, but I don't think setting this expectation is realistic. It is also not our objective; we are here to build. I have very good memories there from 18 and 19, especially our last visit and I can't wait to see the Thai fans again, " said Honda rider Marc Marquez.
"Another weekend to see what we can do. In Japan we were able to find a bit of the speed we had at the start of the year and now we have to repeat this and improve it again in Thailand. On the previous visits, we didn't have the best luck in Thailand but I arrive now on a different machine so we will see what we can achieve this weekend," said Honda rider Pol Espargaro.
( With inputs from ANI )
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