2019 Repsol Honda MotoGP Team Launch
The Repsol Honda MotoGP team launched its 2019 livery Wednesday in Madrid with its new rider lineup – five-time MotoGP reigning Champion Marc Marquez, and three-time Champion Jorge Lorenzo.
Together these riders have won eight of the past nine MotoGP titles.
From these two riders on the Honda NSR500 of the infamous two-stroke era to the RC213V of modern MotoGP, including Dani Pedrosa who Lorenzo replaces, the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) prototypes have achieved:
- 14 World Championships
- 168 premier-class wins
- 427 premier-class podiums
- 182 fastest laps
- 177 pole positions
Marquez and the team will head to Sepang for official testing February 6-8; unfortunately Lorenzo won’t participate due to recent wrist surgery. Lorenzo is scheduled to return for Qatar testing February 23-25 and the opening race March 10.
Following are some comments from the 2019 Repsol Honda MotoGP launch in Madrid:
“It was a privilege to start collaborating with Repsol and have their support in the Spanish Championship and, later, to work with them in the World Championship. And now I’m here, helping Repsol and Honda win more titles, making their history even more successful. It’s something that makes me very happy.
“When I was in Moto2 I knew that I wanted to ride for Repsol Honda and I wanted to win the MotoGP title. That’s why, when journalists ask me if I’m going to change teams, I think: why would I change if I’m already part of this incredible team? Here we are a family, the relationship with Repsol and Honda is fantastic and this is something very important for achieving our goals, year after year. I hope that by the end of 2019 we can celebrate something beautiful together.”
“I want to repay the team for all the trust they have given me with good results. I am very proud to be on a team with as many victories and as much history as Repsol Honda. I like the bike a lot, it turns in very well and is very docile.
“In addition, the team gave me a very warm welcome from my first day here. My main objective for 2019 is, first of all, to recover one hundred percent and be able to demonstrate on track that we really are the Dream Team that people are talking about.”
Photos by Alessandro Avondo