MotoGP 2020 Round 6, Motorrad Grand Prix von Styria

AUSTRIA, AUGUST 18, 2020 (GPN): For the second time in 2020, the MotoGP World Championship will race at the same circuit with both Alex Marquez and Stefan Bradl optimistic of improving their pace.

The Grand Prix of Styria will make its debut in the MotoGP World Championship this week, August 21 – 23, at the high-speed Red Bull Ring. Like in Jerez, a second Grand Prix at the same circuit presents the Repsol Honda Team with a unique opportunity to improve and refine the setup of the Honda RC213V even further.

Back-to-back races in Jerez were a big benefit for rookie Alex Marquez who achieved his best MotoGP result to date, eighth, at the Andalucia GP. Although unhappy with how the restarted race went, Alex and his side of the garage did make several steps forward in the first Austrian race and will continue to work as the rookie learns. Alex’s goal for the weekend remains clear: reduce his distance to the front.

Stefan Bradl will continue to fill in for the injured Marc Marquez, the HRC test rider mounting the RC213V for a third time. Bradl has so far had an intense schedule of testing during the race weekend, gaining valuable data for Honda. Above all, the German is hoping for a weekend of steady weather after two sessions missed due to rain upset his flow during the previous weekend.

As always, action begins at 09:55 Local Time on Friday, August 21, for the premier class.

Alex Marquez

“A couple of nice days enjoying some mountain biking in Austria between races was good. We also did some filming with Red Bull and the Honda RC213V-S on Monday before going to Hangar 7 with Servus TV, it’s really nice to go there and see all the bikes, planes and cars Red Bull has. Initially I learned the lines of the Red Bull Ring quite quickly so now with a second race we can dive into improving some areas. I was really happy with the feeling before the red flag last week and I think we can have that again. The potential is there I feel, so let’s go out and work hard like always.”

Stefan Bradl

“I am happy to be able to work with the Repsol Honda Team again for a third week, each time we have improved and I am interested to see what it is like racing at the same circuit twice – this is the first time for me. Our weekend will depend on the weather and also the programme we create with Honda, so far in two races we have been able to do a lot. Let’s see how the weekend goes.”

Rider Standings

Pos	Rider	Num	Nation	Points	Team	Constructor
1	QUARTARARO Fabio	20	FRA	67	Petronas Yamaha SRT	Yamaha
2	DOVIZIOSO Andrea	4	ITA	56	Ducati Team	Ducati
3	VINALES Maverick	12	SPA	48	Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP	Yamaha
4	BINDER Brad	33	RSA	41	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	KTM
5	ROSSI Valentino	46	ITA	38	Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP	Yamaha
6	NAKAGAMI Takaaki	30	JPN	37	LCR Honda	Honda
7	MILLER Jack	43	AUS	36	Pramac Racing	Ducati
8	MIR Joan	36	SPA	31	Team Suzuki Ecstar	Suzuki
9	MORBIDELLI Franco	21	ITA	31	Petronas Yamaha SRT	Yamaha
10	ZARCO Johann	5	FRA	28	Esponsorama Racing	Ducati
11	PETRUCCI Danilo	9	ITA	20	Ducati Team	Ducati
12	RINS Alex	42	SPA	19	Team Suzuki Ecstar	Suzuki
13	ESPARGARO Pol	44	SPA	19	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	KTM
14	OLIVEIRA Miguel	88	POR	18	Red Bull KTM Tech 3	KTM
15	MARQUEZ Alex	73	SPA	16	Repsol Honda Team	Honda
16	ESPARGARO Aleix	41	SPA	11	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	Aprilia
17	BAGNAIA Francesco	63	ITA	9	Pramac Racing	Ducati
18	LECOUNA Iker	27	SPA	7	Red Bull KTM Tech 3	KTM
19	SMITH Bradley	38	GBR	7	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	Aprilia
20	CRUTCHLOW Cal	35	GBR	7	LCR Honda	Honda

 ENDS