Marc Marquez: Bangkok launch ‘good for MotoGP’
Leading MotoGP riders have their say on 2025 launch event
Marc Marquez says the new launch event MotoGP staged ahead of the 2025 season in Bangkok, Thailand, is “good for our sport”.
For the first time ever, MotoGP staged a launch event featuring all 11 teams and almost all of the 22-rider field in Thailand’s capital Bangkok.
Reigning world champion Jorge Martin was absent through injury, as were VR46 Ducati rider Fabio Di Giannantonio and Trackhouse Aprilia’s Raul Fernandez.
The 9 February event started with a photo opportunity for the 19 riders in attendance in front of the Marble Temple, with the bikes paraded through the streets on tuktuks.
The main event was held on a stage at ONE Bangkok, with the riders doing demo runs on street bikes as they made their way to speak to the fans.
Riders threw merchandise into the crowd and signed autographs, while every manufacturer had one of their bikes fired up to bring the noise of MotoGP to the streets of Bangkok.
While no liveries were revealed as had originally been thought when the event was first announced late last year, the launch nevertheless represented a new step for MotoGP in expanding its global footprint.
“New event, I think it’s good for our sport,” eight-time world champion Marc Marquez told MotoGP.com.
“In the end, all the riders are here, we are the faces of the sport so we must.
“MotoGP also organised it in a very good way. The target as always is to arrive to many new people, because like this our sport can grow.”
Fabio Quartararo, 2021 world champion, added: “We are a little bit the face of the sport.
“We have to also be there and also for the fans this is the first time MotoGP is doing that.
“Hopefully many more events, team launches can happen in different places.”
Honda rider and 2020 world champion Joan Mir echoed those thoughts, branding it “a very important event”.
“Yes, these different things help to make MotoGP better and bigger [which] helps make us [the riders] better and bigger,” Mir said.
“It’s nice to do it. We are enjoying the events at the moment. I’m happy to make the launch here in Bangkok; for me, it’s a very important event.”
MotoGP stays in Thailand for the final pre-season test at Buriram from 12-13 February, before the 2025 campaign begins on 28 February - 2 March with the Thai GP.
