MotoGP: Marquez and Pedrosa raring to go in Sepang

Repsol Honda riders Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa say they’re raring to go ahead of tomorrow’s opening test for the 2017 MotoGP season, with Marquez admitting that he’s relishing the opportunity to get his testing program underway.

“The last couple of weeks before the start of this new season seemed almost too long to me! Finally, tomorrow we’ll be back on track and we’ll be able to start working for the next championship. We’re coming from a winning season, but every year is very different and our opponents are always very strong. There have been some changes among the top teams, and everyone will be very motivated and ready to fight.

“We must stay focused at 100% and try to make everything work together smoothly, including the bike, the team, the factory and of course myself. Last year we learned how important it is to make the best of every situation, and starting tomorrow we’ll try and work to make the best preparations for our season in order to be able to fight for the title again.”

Pedrosa, who struggled through a difficult 2016 season despite winning in Misano, says that he’s also looking forward to reuniting with his team after a long winter break.

“After the holiday season, I’m looking forward to getting back to action on my bike in the coming Sepang test. This couple of months has been good for recharging the batteries and enjoying some time off with my family and friends. It has also been useful for getting back in shape, training and preparing for the coming season. The last one was challenging, but together with my team and the HRC Engineers, we remained focused on the job ahead and we definitely made some steps forward over the year. Now we’ll try and build on the experience we gained in order to start the new season on the right foot.”

The test gets underway tomorrow morning at 1000 local time (0200 UK time).