The enthralling battle for the 2013 MotoGP World Championship continues at Misano this weekend, with Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) leading the points chase.

The Spanish pair have been the strongest performers during the first two thirds of the season and aim to continue their amazing form at the final six races. So far they have finished together on the podium at seven races, putting Honda at the top of the constructors’ championship and Repsol Honda at the top of the teams’ championship.

Remarkable rookie Marquez currently leads his older team-mate, breaking records pretty much every time he climbs aboard his RC213V. Already this year the 20-year-old has become the youngest rider to score a premier-class pole position and a race win and he’s won five races, which makes him the most successful rookie in the 65 years of motorcycle Grand Prix racing. Two weeks ago at Silverstone the reigning Moto2 World Champion was within eight thousandths of a second of making it six wins, despite having dislocating his left shoulder in a crash just a few hours earlier. Following intensive physiotherapy the youngster hopes to be as close as possible to full strength for Sunday’s race.

Although Marquez has never ridden a MotoGP bike at Misano he certainly knows the fast line around the seaside circuit – he has won on his last three visits, with Moto2 victories in 2012 and 2011 and a 125 win in 2010.

Pedrosa is currently Marquez’s closest challenger for the 2013 crown, sitting 30 points behind his team-mate and compatriot. The former 250 and 125 World Champion’s campaign was somewhat disrupted by a slow-speed fall during practice for July’s German GP that unluckily left him nursing a fractured left collarbone. Miraculously, Pedrosa raced the following weekend – despite not undergoing surgery to fix the break – to keep his championship hopes alive. So far this year the 27-year-old has won two GPs and scored six further podiums.

Pedrosa has also known great success at Misano. He won the MotoGP race at the track in 2010, finished second in 2011 and third in 2009. Last year he got taken out on the first lap by another rider and was a non-finisher.

Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V) hopes to get closer to the front this weekend after a run of challenging races that followed a superb US Grand Prix where he scored his first MotoGP pole position and podium. The 2011 Moto2 World Champion found his form after switching to Brembo brakes, which give him a better feeling as he rushes into corners. At the last two races he has struggled with a lack of grip on the edge of the rear tyre, which loses him time exiting corners. Nonetheless, the German has good form at Misano. Last year he finished top rookie in sixth, lapping less than half a second off the winner, and in 2011 he finished a close second in the Moto2 race, just behind great rival Marquez.

Former 125 World Champion Alvaro Bautista (Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini RC213V) aims to continue his stirring recent form that has seen him battling with nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) at the last three races. The Spaniard has good reason to be optimistic because he won the 2008 250 GP at Misano and scored his first MotoGP podium at the track last year, when he chased Rossi home in third place. Bautista and his crew continue to improve his feeling for his RCV and he will be extra keen for a rousing performance because this is the home race for his team, owned and run by another former 125 World Champion, Fausto Gresini.

Bryan Staring (GO&FUN Honda Gresini FTR Honda) will also be out to do his best for Gresini’s squad, the Australian aiming for his second points score of his rookie MotoGP season.

Misano has been a part of the motorcycling World Championships off and on since 1980, when Kenny Roberts (Yamaha) won the circuit’s first premier-class GP. Among the Honda riders to have won 500cc/MotoGP races at the track are Freddie Spencer (1982 and 1984), Mick Doohan (1991) and Dani Pedrosa (2010).

The circuit is tight and twisting, dominated by numerous heavy-braking areas and mostly slow-speed corners, apart from the two high-speed right-handers that take riders off the back straight. Misano is a clockwise circuit, but it was originally anti-clockwise.

Following Sunday’s racing the MotoGP World Championship returns to Spain for the third time this year for the Aragon Grand Prix on September 29, before embarking on a gruelling trio of ‘flyaway’ races in Malaysia, Australia and Japan. The grand finale takes place at Valencia, in Spain, on November 10.



Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda:

“I’m already feeling much better since my accident in Silverstone, so hopefully I’ll be almost 100% by this weekend! I will arrive in Italy for the race weekend a little later than usual as I will use the time to have more physiotherapy on my shoulder. Misano has a lot of braking and is a smaller and slower track compared to others on the calendar, so it will be interesting to ride the MotoGP bike there. Once again, the aim is to start work like always, focusing on Sunday, and prepare ourselves in the best way.”

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda:

“I was slightly disappointed after Silverstone as we knew we had the speed and race pace to challenge for victory. Anyway we must learn from the mistakes and move on. Misano is quite a tricky track and the grip level is always a challenge, but I enjoy riding there. I’ve had good results in the past even if last year we experienced a nightmare on race day! This year we arrive confident and looking to reduce the points to Marc in the Championship.”

Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP:

“Misano is another exciting race track for me and it’s nice to remember Marco [Simoncelli, the late MotoGP star after whom the track is now named] and his talent once again. I like the atmosphere and this is a special weekend for my team, just like Mugello. I remember last year when we had two starts… it was a stressful moment for everybody. Now I have more experience and I aim to end this race near the front again. Actually we are facing some problems: we are very fast in practice but we cannot match the pace for the entire race.”

Alvaro Bautista, Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini:

“We had another fantastic weekend at Silverstone, working hard with the team on the setting of the bike, which wasn't ideal on Friday. We managed to put together an excellent race, not far off the back of the lead group and I really enjoyed myself in another great battle with Valentino, who finally beat me by a matter of a few centimetres. Our current run of form is very positive so we have to keep doing the right things and this will keep us moving forwards. Misano holds some good memories for me and it is also my team's home track. I have been on the podium there many times, including my first in MotoGP last season after a big battle with a bunch of riders but especially with [Andrea] Dovizioso. This year it won't be easy because the level in MotoGP has gone up another notch but we will try our best to continue our excellent moment. The goal is to close the gap even further to the top three and try to break them if we can. It is not a great track for overtaking and overall it is quite slow, despite a fast section at the end. It will be important for us to concentrate hard from the start on finding a set-up with good stability under braking and plenty of acceleration out of the corners. This is a more important aspect at Misano than top speed.”

Bryan Staring, GO&FUN Honda Gresini:

“The Grand Prix of San Marino is an important event for me. I know the track well and with this being the team's home race I really want to give everything I can to make sure we celebrate with a good result. I want to put our recent disappointments behind us with a performance that sets us up for the final stage of the season. With the help of the team I think I can achieve the objectives we have set ourselves for the weekend ahead.”

.