Scene set for a thriller as MotoGP arrives at super Silverstone

The momentum in this year’s MotoGP World Championship hangs in the balance between Repsol Honda teammates Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa as MotoGP arrives in the UK for the Hertz British Grand Prix at the iconic Silverstone circuit with Pedrosa in buoyant mood after his win last time out in the Czech Republic and his younger countryman eager to get back to his dominant winning ways.

Marquez fought it out with Movistar Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo for the win here last year but it was the Mallorcan who got the better of Marquez in a thrilling race with both riders pushing to the absolute limit and this year should prove to be no less exciting with Lorenzo continuing to find his form in the second half of the season while his teammate Valentino Rossi also coming to round 12 with another podium finish under his belt in beating Marquez to third place last time out.

I feel less pressure now as I know everyone was expecting me to win all of them!

Marc Marquez

The British Grand Prix always holds high significance for the home riders and this year is no different with Scott Redding (GO&Fun Honda Gresini) coming to this year’s race off the back of a win here in the Moto2 class while Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team) will also be looking for strong finishes in this year’s race.

Speaking after riding his RC213V machine across the Millenium Bridge in in the English capital, London, Marquez was determined in his aim for maximizing his championship hopes by getting as many points as possible. He said, “Brno was a difficult weekend but the most important thing is that we took important points. Also, I feel less pressure now as I know everyone was expecting me to win all of them, and it’s the Championship that’s important, not winning every race! We had a good test on the Monday and then some time off after a hectic back-to-back schedule. Last year my race was affected by my crash in warm-up so this year I hope to be fully fit so I can give it 100% in the race!”

Pedrosa is focused building on his first win of the season last time out in Brno and said, “I’m feeling in good momentum at the moment after winning in Brno and then we had a positive test on the Monday. It was a grueling few weeks with two races in a row and so this past week it’s been good to recharge the batteries. Last year in Silverstone I was out of the battle with Marc and Jorge so this year I want to be sure to be up there with them! This is a fast track with many changes of direction and you need to find a balance for the set up to suit both the slow and the fast corners. The weather in Britain can always be temperamental also, so we’ll have to keep an eye on that!”

Lorenzo and Rossi in high spirits ahead of Silverstone battle

Lorenzo was delighted to have got the best of Marquez last year in taking the victory here. Speaking before getting into action he said, “After three consecutive podiums I feel good. Last weekend in Brno we found some good solutions that surely will give us at least a tenth in the next races. I feel quite good and we are going up throughout the championship. We must congratulate the team for their work in the last races and especially during the last one at Brno. We're happy and confident for the next race. Silverstone is quite different to Brno. It's a long varied circuit with fast corners and strong braking points and last year we got the win there. It looks good but we need to be careful and work hard during the whole weekend and then wait also for the weather, which is always tricky there.”

Rossi wasn’t happy with his fourth place finish here last year and is aiming to continue his better form he is enjoying in this year’s championship. He said, “I really want to go to Silverstone because this is not an easy track for me. Last year, in the race, in the end I did not go bad but I think that this year I can get better. Silverstone is a great track, very fast, beautiful and for me it would be very important to be able to get a good result, especially after the last few races. We are working well, we are making small steps forward and we are getting closer to our goal. I feel good and that's why I have to be more competitive this year at Silverstone.”