Thai treat to close out triple header
A return to Buriram marks the end of the first stint of the flyaways, Marc Marquez and Pol Espargaro as motivated as ever.
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 fantastic 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 both 2018 and 2019.
For 2022, the #93 arrives with a different mentality and aim. After a highly positive and informative 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 a best finish of 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.
Marc Marquez
“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 it’s realistic to set this expectation. 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.”
Pol Espargaro
“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.”
Location Information
Designed by German architect Herman Tilke, the Buriram International Circuit opened in 2014 and will see MotoGP™ making its debut this season. Located around 410km northeast from the country’s capital of Bangkok, the town of Buriram in the Buriram province literally translates into “city of happiness”, and its typically hot… read more.
| Length | 4.6 km / 2.83 miles |
| Width | 12 metres / 39.37 ft. |
| Left corners | 5 |
| Right corners | 7 |
| Longest straight | 1 km / 3280.84 ft. |
| Constructed | 2014 |
| Modified | / |
444 Moo 15 Buriram Chang Wat Buri Ram 31000, Thailand - View in Google Maps
Records
| Pole Position Record | 1m28.700s (184.8 Km/h) Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati, 2024) |
| Race Lap Record | 1m30.896s (180.3 Km/h) Jorge Martin (Ducati, 2023) |
| 2024 Sprint Winner | Enea Bastianini (Ducati) |
| 2024 Winner | Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) |
