Thailand the last Stop of the Triple Header for the Repsol Honda Team
Chang International CircuitFrom the heat of Indonesia to the cold winds of Phillip Island, it’s back to blazing sun and high temperatures as the Repsol Honda Team arrive in Buriram for the third and final race of this triple header stint.
The scene of the crowning moment from Marc Marquez’s dominating 2019 World Championship, Buriram has seen the Repsol Honda Team enjoy some memorable moments in its three appearances on the World Championship calendar. At 4.55km long and with five left hand corners and seven rights, the Buriram International Circuit is characterized by heavy braking zones and high-speed battles.
Marc Marquez has won two of the three Thai GPs, taking a debut win when the circuit joined the calendar in 2018 and following it up with victory the following year. Both races saw the #93 fighting right until the end with Dovizioso (2018) and Quartararo (2019) and on the most recent visit, 2022, Marquez took a fighting fifth after an incredible Q1 performance. This year he will be looking to make more progress onboard the Honda RC213V and again fight to his maximum potential.
Another weekend mitigated by bad luck for Joan Mir in Australia saw his chance of points ended early by a racing incident. The objective of the Thai GP weekend will be put in a strong performance from early in the weekend in order to start ahead of the competition and find calmer space on track. Mir’s best result in Thailand is seventh, having missed the race there last year due to injury.
After this weekend there will be just one final push of the season remaining, another triple header to see out the year.
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 and humid weather is a key feature of its Southeast Asian location. The 4.554km layout incorporates 12 turns and has seen the Superbike World Championship racing at the venue since 2015. Its state-of-the-art facilities, include a total capacity for 100,000 people with various grandstands around the circuit providing incredible viewing opportunities for spectators.
From Australia to Thailand, I am not sure there is a bigger change in temperature on the calendar. It was a complicated weekend for a number of reasons in Australia, so let’s now focus on the race we have in front of us. Buriram has been a good circuit to us in the past, I won the 2019 title there and we took fifth there last year as well. Of course things are always changing in MotoGP and nothing is certain, as always we arrive and see what’s possible – then work from there.
We arrive at the last of three intense races in a row, but our focus and determination is exactly the same. Last weekend was complicated, but the Honda has been strong here in Thailand in the past so let’s see what is possible this coming weekend. Buriram is a really different track compared to Phillip Island, also the weather looks a little bit warmer! As such, it will be important to adapt the bike early and well.