Marquez: We are all human
Marc Marquez insists that his side of the Repsol Honda garage is more motivated than ever following the Phillip Island pit stop fiasco.
20-year-old rookie Marquez, who had the first of three chances to secure the title in Australia, instead missed the lap ten compulsory pit-stop deadline and was disqualified.
Honda insist confusion over the emergency rules caused the mix-up, although it is unclear how far up the chain of command Marquez's strategy went.
"In the end we are all human. Everyone can make a mistake. The important thing is that now the motivation of the team is even higher than before. I feel good and the team feels comfortable," said Marquez at Motegi on Thursday.
The end result is that Marquez has seen his title lead cut from 43 to 18 points over Yamaha's reigning double champion Jorge Lorenzo heading into this weekend's penultimate round in Japan.
"The most important thing is to get the title. It doesn't matter where," said Marquez. "But now Jorge is getting closer. He did a very good race in Phillip Island. I was fighting with him and his riding style was so good.
"Now we'll see how we can manage the situation. We have two important races so I hope to be there fighting for victory or the podium."
Marquez is bidding to become the first rookie champion since Kenny Roberts in 1978.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
