MotoGP 2020 Round 9, Gran Premi de Catalunya

SPAIN, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020 (GPN): With the best result of his rookie season to date, Alex Marquez is aiming to carry the momentum home as Stefan Bradl rejoins him in the Repsol Honda Team garage.

The MotoGP World Championship continues to roll on with the third race in as many weeks. Round nine of the 2020 season takes place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the home race of Alex Marquez and the Repsol Honda Team. This 4.6-kilometer circuit, located just outside Barcelona, has become a mainstay of the MotoGP calendar. In 2019, Marc Marquez dominated the weekend aboard the Repsol Honda Team RC213V.

Alex Marquez arrives at home fresh from his career best premier class finish, seventh, in Misano. The MotoGP class rookie took huge benefit from a day of testing between the two races in Italy and arrives at home in the best form of the year. Improving his one lap pace for Qualifying remains Alex’s primary objective, having now shown the pace to battle for the top ten against veterans of the MotoGP class.

Meanwhile, Stefan Bradl has benefited from a week of rest after missing the Emilia Romagna GP due to right arm issues. The German will return to the Repsol Honda Team as he continues to replace the recovering Marc Marquez. With two top five finishes and an eighth on his three previous visits to the Barcelona circuit while riding the LCR Honda, Bradl has shown strong pace in the past.

Alex Marquez

“We arrive in Barcelona in a good way after our best result so far. I am happy with the progress we have made, and I am looking forward to riding in Catalunya with the Honda. Of course, it will be a different experience to normal and I will certainly miss seeing all the home fans in the stands because this is always a special feeling. Hopefully we can put on a good show for everyone so they can enjoy the race like they were here! The last three years I have taken two wins and a podium here, I enjoy the circuit a lot.”

Stefan Bradl

“My arm is feeling much better, it was a hard decision not to race in Misano but it was the best one for me and everyone else. Now with a week of rest I am feeling good and motivated to return. I have had some good results in Barcelona in the past on the Honda but we need to see where we are this year. Alex and Taka both had great tests and races in Misano, I look forward to helping them and HRC continue to improve.”

Rider Standings

Pos.	Rider	Num	Nation	Points	Team	Constructor
1	DOVIZIOSO Andrea	4	ITA	84	Ducati Team	Ducati
2	VINALES Maverick	12	SPA	83	Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP	Yamaha
3	QUARTARARO Fabio	20	FRA	83	Petronas Yamaha SRT	Yamaha
4	MIR Joan	36	SPA	80	Team Suzuki Ecstar	Suzuki
5	MORBIDELLI Franco	21	ITA	64	Petronas Yamaha SRT	Yamaha
6	MILLER Jack	43	AUS	64	Pramac Racing	Ducati
7	NAKAGAMI Takaaki	30	JPN	63	LCR Honda	Honda
8	OLIVEIRA Miguel	88	POR	59	Red Bull KTM Tech 3	KTM
9	ROSSI Valentino	46	ITA	58	Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP	Yamaha
10	ESPARGARO Pol	44	SPA	57	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	KTM
11	BINDER Brad	33	RSA	53	Red Bull KTM Factory Racing	KTM
12	RINS Alex	42	SPA	44	Team Suzuki Ecstar	Suzuki
13	ZARCO Johann	5	FRA	36	Esponsorama Racing	Ducati
14	PETRUCCI Danilo	9	ITA	31	Ducati Team	Ducati
15	BAGNAIA Francesco	63	ITA	29	Pramac Racing	Ducati
16	MARQUEZ Alex	73	SPA	24	Repsol Honda Team	Honda
17	ESPARGARO Aleix	41	SPA	18	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	Aprilia
18	LECOUNA Iker	27	SPA	15	Red Bull KTM Tech 3	KTM
19	SMITH Bradley	38	GBR	11	Aprilia Racing Team Gresini	Aprilia
20	RABAT Tito	53	SPA	7	Esponsorama Racing	Ducati
21	CRUTCHLOW Cal	35	GBR	7	LCR Honda	Honda

 ENDS