Fresh from clinching the Riders’ Championship at Motegi with Marc Marquez, the Repsol Honda team has packed up in Japan and is headed to Australia for Round 16 of the World Championship.

Marc has two wins to his name at Phillip Island, in MotoGP last year when he took an awesome victory (the 50th of his career) by just 0.249 seconds over Jorge Lorenzo and in 2010 (125cc). He also has a second-place finish and a third in Moto2 (2012, 2011).

Meanwhile, Dani Pedrosa has left the Universitari Dexeus Hospital, where he underwent successful surgery to his right collarbone last Saturday. He will have a follow-up appointment with his doctors on Wednesday.

2006 MotoGP World Champion and current World Superbike Honda rider Nicky Hayden will replace Dani in Australia.

Marc Marquez

Marc Marquez - 2016 World Champion – 273 points

“It’s fantastic to arrive at Phillip Island with no pressure for the Championship, as the track is one of my favourite in the calendar, along with Austin and Aragon. It’s so fast and flowing and you really have a lot of fun riding there. One of the main issues to take into account there is the weather. It’s usually very cold during this period of the year and always windy, something that you feel a lot, especially at the end of the final straight. You have to find a setup to make the bike as stable as possible. We’ll try to win some more races before the end of the year as there are also the Constructors and the Team titles to think of.”

Marc Marquez Statistics | More Statistics

Date of Birth 17/02/1993
Birthplace Lleida, (Catalonia) – Spain
Height 168 cm
Weight 59 kg
Hobbies Mountain Biking, Video games
Racing Number 93
First Race 1998 “Enduro per nens”
Grand Prix Debut 2008 125cc Portugal GP (KTM 125 FRR)
GPs raced 232 (46 in 125cc, 32 in Moto2, 154 in MotoGP)
GP pole positions 91 (14 in 125cc, 14 in Moto2, 63 in MotoGP)
Total GP podiums 139 (14 x 125cc, 25 x Moto2, 100 x MotoGP)
Total GP wins 85 (10 x 125cc, 16 x Moto2, 59 x MotoGP)
First GP Win 2010 125cc Italian GP (Derbi RSA 125)
World titles 8 (1 x 125cc - 2010, 1 x Moto2 - 2012, 6 x MotoGP - 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)

Dani Pedrosa

Championship Standing: 5th - 155 points

“I felt a strong pain for a few days after the operation, but things are starting to get a little bit better now. I left the hospital and I have a check-up scheduled for Wednesday. Only after that will I have a better idea about the recovery time and about when I’ll be able to get back on my bike. I wish also to congratulate Marc and Honda for the title achievement.”

Dani Pedrosa Statistics | More Statistics

Date of Birth 29/09/1985
Birthplace Sabadell, (Catalonia) – Spain
Height 160 cm
Weight 51kg
Hobbies Cycling, Motocross, Windsurfing, Cinema
Racing number 26
First race 1997 Pocket bike race
Grand Prix debut 2001. 125cc Japanese GP, Suzuka – (Honda RS125R)
GPs raced 295 (46 in 125cc, 32 in 250cc, 217 in MotoGP)
GP pole positions 49 (9 in 125cc, 9 in 250cc, 31 in MotoGP)
Total GP podiums 153 (17 x 125cc, 24 x 250cc, 112 x MotoGP)
Total GP wins 54 (8 x 125cc, 15 x 250cc, 31 x MotoGP)
First GP win 2002. 125cc Dutch GP, Assen – (Honda RS125R)
World titles 3 (1 x 125cc - 2003, 2 x 250cc - 2004, 2005)

Nicky Hayden

“First of all my best wishes to Dani, I’m sure he will come back stronger than ever like he always does. For me it’s crazy hard work but it’s a chance, ten year after winning my World Title, to get back to my old “dream team”! Doing a week-end in Phillip Island on a factory Honda, it’s pretty emotional for me to even think about it, and I’m very grateful for this opportunity and the trust that Honda gives me. I want also to thank my current team for allowing me to go and do this, and the sponsors. Everybody worked a lot on every detail to make it possible for me so now I’m excited to get on a plane, to get down to Phillip Island and hopefully I can do a good job for the team. Regarding Phillip Island there are two things to always consider, the weather and the tyres but it’s a track I love and I can’t wait to ride the bike there. Let’s get started on Friday morning and go forward”.

MotoGP 2016

Rider standings

Pos. Rider Num Nation Points Team Constructor
Location Information

Phillip Island, the self-styled home of Australian motorsport, is steeped in motor racing tradition, with the first car races having been held there on public roads in the 1920s. The first motorcycle races took place in 1931 and a permanent track was built in 1956. The circuit fell into disrepair… read more.

Length 4.448 kilometres / 2.764 miles
Width 13 metres
Left corners 7
Right corners 5
Longest straight 0.900 kilometres / 0.559 miles
Constructed 1956
Modified 1988

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Phillip Island, Ventnor, Victoria, Australia - View in Google Maps

www.phillipislandcircuit.com.au

Records

Pole Position 1m 27.246s (183.5 km/h) Jorge Martin (Ducati, 2023)
Race Lap 1m 28.108s (181.7 km/h) Marc Marquez (Honda, 2013)
Race Time 40m 33.849s (177.6 km/h) Marc Marquez (Honda, 2015)
2023 Race Winner Johann Zarco (Ducati)