Repsol Honda RC213V rider Marc Marquez has his sights set on yet another “youngest-ever” record at next weekend’s Italian GP at the magnificent Mugello circuit. Should the defending World Champion succeed in continuing his scintillating run of form, it will be his sixth win in succession – total domination for the first third of the 2014 World Championship season.

The 21-year-old factory Honda rider from Cervera, Spain has been undefeated at every race so far this year, winning every time from pole position, to secure a significant 42-point lead in the early stages of the 2014 World Championship – a towering start in his quest to win a second successive MotoGP title.

In only his second season in the premier class, the former 125cc and Moto2 World Champion has been ably backed by experienced Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa, who lies second overall after his own consistent start to the season.

Their combined results have given the Repsol Honda team an enormous 82-point lead in the Team Championship; while six straight wins put Honda well ahead in the Constructor points table. The team and factory have won both categories for the past three years.

This year, the official Honda squad has shown its strength at a variety of venues. Now the test begins again at a circuit with a strong character of its own. Set in scenic countryside overlooked by the Mille Miglia route over the Apennine mountains, Mugello boasts one of the fastest straights, as well as a technically challenging combination of fast ess-bends with the added complication of sharp climbs and steep descents.

For Marquez, Mugello offers mixed memories. In 2010 it was the scene of his first GP win. He won nine more 125 races that season to dominate the series. Switching to Moto2, he won at Mugello again the following year, dropping to fifth in 2012, the year he secured the Moto2 crown.

Last year he walked away from the fastest-ever crash in racing, after losing control of his Repsol Honda RC213V in practice at around 330 km/h. He bounced back for a podium challenge in the race, only to fall again after taking second place. It was his only such non-finish of his triumphant rookie season.

In his second year, adding premier-class experience to his natural speed, he has been even stronger.

Mugello has been a happy hunting ground also for fellow-Spaniard Pedrosa, with a 250 win in 2005, his second year of winning the mid-class title, having already succeeded in the 125 class. In eight attempts in MotoGP, he numbers victory in 2010 among five podium finishes, and has started the last two races from pole position, finishing second on each occasion.

Pedrosa has made a strong start to 2014, with four podiums in five races, including two second places. Arm-pump issues occasioned remedial surgery after the Jerez race, start of the European season. Still recuperating, he managed a top five two weekends ago at the French GP at Le Mans.

The Repsol riders are backed by two satellite riders. The better of these so far is Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V), lying sixth overall. After crashing out of the lead of the first race, the German has added strong top-ten finishes including a fourth and a fifth. He too underwent surgery to alleviate arm-pump surgery after the Spanish GP.

Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Gresini Honda RC213V) has made a strong come-back after a troubled start to 2014, crashing out of the first three races. He bounced back to sixth in Spain, then stormed to his first rostrum since 2012 at Le Mans, where he finished third. The Spanish former 125cc World Champion has a special role: he and rookie team-mate Scott Redding are race-testing Japanese Showa suspension and Nissin brakes, made by companies associated with Honda.

Redding is one of four riders on Honda’s new production-racer RCV1000R, a close replica of the hugely successful 1000cc V4 RC213V. In his first MotoGP season, the Briton – Mugello winner and runner up in the Moto2 championship last year – has made an impressive start as he adapts to more than double the horsepower of his previous mount. A best of seventh in the opening round at Qatar has been followed by points scored at all but one of the other races.

Leader of the production Honda pack, however, is the vastly experienced American Nicky Hayden (Drive M7 Aspar Honda RCV1000R), in spite of a non-finish at Le Mans, where he was innocent victim of a first-corner crash. Hayden won the 2006 World Championship on a Repsol Honda; and his 2014 return to the marque sees him 12th overall.

His team-mate, former Honda 250 champion Hiro Aoyama (Drive M7 Aspar Honda RCV1000R), is close behind in 13th. Redding is next in 14th, three points adrift.

The fourth RCV1000R is ridden by Cardion AB Motoracing’s Karel Abraham; the Czech rider also in the points at all but one race, is currently 17th overall. As well as adapting in his first season on a Honda, Abraham is gaining physical strength after a lengthy recuperation from major shoulder surgery.

The Italian GP is the sixth of 18 rounds, and third in the European season. The venue is spectacular, set in a narrowing valley packed with passionate fans, in an iconic venue for Grand Prix racing.

Sweeping across both sides of the valley in a lap of 5.245 km (3.259 miles), there are nine right-hand and six left-hand corners, forming a series of loops and high-speed chicanes. It is most famous for its 1.1-km “straight”, undulating past the pits to finish over a blind brow at more than 350 km/h, followed directly by a hard braking for a 120-km/h corner.

Used fitfully in the 1970s and 1980s, the track outside Florence underwent a major refit for new owner Ferrari, and joined the calendar full time in 1991. In 23 years Honda has taken 12 wins in the Tuscan foothills.



Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda

“Le Mans was a great weekend for us and although it may look easy from the outside, it is a result of a lot hard work with the team over the weekend to set the bike up. Mugello is a tricky circuit – one of the hardest on the calendar – and we struggled a lot last year. I had many crashes over the weekend and then crashed out of the race also. Now I have an extra year’s experience and I hope it will go more smoothly for us! I know that Valentino will be very strong at his home race, Jorge has won there for the past three years and Dani is also very fast there, so we will need to stay focused, and if we cannot challenge for the win then we must take important points for the championship.”

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda

“Mugello is a very fast track with many long corners so finding the optimum set up and grip is essential. The atmosphere is also very special in Mugello and the weather usually perfect so I look forward to going there and racing in front of a full crowd! In the past few races my overall pace has been good but I’m hoping to improve in qualifying.”

Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP

“I am very excited about next weekend in Mugello. This is one of my favourite race tracks: I like the layout and the fast corners and I hope that we can for go for a better result because we struggled too much at Le Mans. In the last two years I finished the race in fourth place and it would be great to gain the podium amongst all the LCR supporters. This race is very important for Lucio and his team and we must regain our standard placement up in the pack.”

Alvaro Bautista, GO&FUN Honda Gresini

“At Le Mans we had a great race, but we want to keep our feet firmly on the ground, so we look at Mugello with the same attitude as always, working step by step. The podium in France, however, allows us to be more relaxed on a track with long, fast corners which might be difficult for us. Our bike has improved in several areas after the Jerez post-race test, especially regarding suspension and brakes: improvements which helped us on a track like Le Mans. If they will work as well also at Mugello, we can say that we start from a really good base. It will be difficult to get on the podium, we have to be realistic, but we will try to stay as close as possible to the factory bikes, as always. This Grand Prix is also really important for all the team, so it would be nice to get a good result in front of so many people who will come to support us, for the sponsors and for all the guys in the squad.”

Nicky Hayden, Drive M7 Aspar Honda

“Mugello is one of my favourite circuits. I love riding there and the races are always different – the atmosphere is incredible. The track itself is awesome, so are the fans, so overall it’s one of the best races of the season. Mugello is a technical track, it’s not easy at all, with a lot of blind corners and some bumps. I always have fun riding it though and I hope that continues this season. We will try to get the best out of our bike and tackle the circuit as best we can. I am looking forward to getting started and seeing how competitive we can be at Mugello. Hopefully we can have a good weekend and put the bad luck from the last race behind us. This is an incredible circuit so hopefully we can do a good job there for the team and the sponsors.”

Hiroshi Aoyama, Drive M7 Aspar Honda

“Mugello is one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar. It has some very technical corners and a long straight. But every time I ride the bike I feel more comfortable and I am highly motivated for this next race in Italy. I guess the long straight will not be good for us but on the other hand we have a great handling bike for the corners. Mugello is difficult but in general I love it. We will keep working in the same direction as the last few races to try and get the bike turning better. We are doing a great job here and the results are coming, but we would like to take that next step and start finishing races in higher positions.”

Scott Redding, GO&FUN Honda Gresini

“I won the race last year at Mugello in Moto2 quite comfortably: I enjoy the track a lot and I’m sure that it’s going to be even more exciting on a MotoGP bike. I’ve tested there with a MotoGP machine in the past, so I already know the reference points a little bit. Mugello is a very physical circuit, with many changes of direction, and also it’s going to be hot there, so I’m going to prepare myself for that, in order to be ready to fight again. Finally, the track needs you to be smooth and flowing, so it could be a little bit more difficult for our bike. But we never know what can happen, so we will see how it goes.”

Karel Abraham, Cardion AB Motoracing Honda

“I was a bit lucky to get the final point in France, and I expected better of myself, because my shoulder is well recovered now. Mugello is a great track and I look forward to riding the Honda there, but I am not sure what to expect. The aim is to keep on getting stronger race by race, and I will be trying as hard as ever to do that.”

.