Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda RC213V) has already made plenty of history in recent years, but the remarkable 21-year-old has another important record in sight for this weekend’s season-ending Valencia Grand Prix.

Last month Marquez became the youngest rider to secure two consecutive elite-class world titles, taking the half-century-old record from Mike Hailwood, regarded by many as the greatest bike racer of all time. Then two weeks ago in Malaysia he recorded his 13th pole position of the year to take the record from former Repsol Honda World Champions Mick Doohan and Casey Stoner. The day after that he equalled Doohan’s record of 12 race victories in one season. That success also secured Honda its 21st Constructors World Championship in the premier class, bringing the company’s total of constructors prizes achieved during 53 full-time GP seasons to a record 63.

This therefore is Marquez’s primary motivation for Sunday’s race, the last of this year’s 18 encounters. The Spaniard, backed all the way by his brilliant Repsol Honda crew and Honda Racing Corporation engineers, will do everything in his power to take that 13th victory, but he knows he must not get obsessed by that one goal. He will work through the weekend as usual, fine tuning the performance of his RC213V in order to get the perfect machine balance for this tight but challenging circuit. Whatever happens on Sunday he can be sure of a rapturous welcome from Spanish fans who have taken this fast and always smiling youngster to their hearts.

This time last year at Valencia Marquez made his most important piece of history. Then just 20-years-old, he finished third in the race to become the youngest-ever premier-class World Champion, taking the three-decade-old record from American Freddie Spencer, who won Honda’s first premier-class title in 1983.

In 2012 Marquez won the Moto2 world title and finished the season with a flourish at Valencia, winning the race despite starting from the back of the grid.

This weekend, however, his focus won’t only be on his own performance. His younger brother Alex Marquez (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Honda NSF250RW) will be fighting to win the 2014 Moto3 World Championship. The 18-year-old currently leads the title chase by 11 points from sole rival Australian Jack Miller (KTM). If Marquez does take the crown, then the brothers will make history as Grand Prix racing’s first sibling World Champions.

Team-mate Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) hopes to end a run of ill luck with his final 2014 outing. Until only a few weeks ago the former 125 and 250 World Champion had been on course to help secure Repsol Honda a coveted one-two in the series, but in Australia three weeks ago he had to withdraw from the race after a rival rammed and damaged his RC213V. Then two weeks ago at Sepang he was aiming to win his third consecutive race at the Malaysian track when he suffered two mysterious tumbles.

Pedrosa has enjoyed a huge amount of success at the sinuous Valencia circuits where his beautifully precise riding pays great dividends. Over the last decade or so he’s won more Grand Prix events than any other rider at the venue: in 2002 he took 125 victory, in 2004 and 2005 he won the 250 race and in 2007, 2009 and 2012 he triumphed in MotoGP.

Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda RC213V) contests his last race with Honda at Valencia and aims to sign off with the best-possible result. The 2011 Moto2 World Champion has started from the front row twice this year and has scored three fourth-place finishes, so a podium finish is far from out of the question.

Alvaro Bautista (Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini RC213V) also changes machinery next year and so the Spaniard has just one race left aboard his RC213V. Bautista finished third at Le Mans in May, but since then he has struggled with rear-grip issues.

Scott Redding (Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini RCV1000R) rides his final race as a MotoGP rookie on Sunday, all the time looking forward to Monday’s opening off-season test session, when he gets his first ride on a factory-spec RC213V. This season Redding has been the stand-out performer on Honda’s lower-cost RCV1000R production racer, which has won him promotion to an RC213V with the Marc VDS team.

Former 250 World Champion Hiroshi Aoyama (Drive 7 Aspar Honda RCV1000R) has also had some superb rides on his RCV1000R, including four top-ten finishes. The Japanese star has fond memories of Valencia, for it was here that he secured the final 250 World Championship in 2009.

Three years before Aoyama’s Valencia coronation, Nicky Hayden (Drive 7 Aspar Honda RCV1000R) won the 2006 MotoGP World Championship at the track aboard his Repsol Honda RC211V following a season-long contest with Valentino Rossi (Yamaha). Hayden has had a tough 2014, spoiled by an old and troublesome right-wrist injury, but a tenth-place finish at Phillip Island three weeks ago proved that he’s still got what it takes.

Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing Honda RCV1000R) hopes for a change of fortune at Valencia after failing to finish the last three races. The Czech star has form at Valencia with victory in the 2010 Moto2 race.

Valencia is a tight, technical and very asymmetric racetrack, dominated by left-handers, which places very different demands on the left and right sides of the tyres. Machine priorities are agile handling, for the many changes of direction, and edge grip, because Valencia packs 14 corners into just 4.005km/2.489 miles. The circuit is surrounded by grandstands, giving the venue a unique stadium feel. It is a hugely popular event with more than 200,000 fans expected to attend over the weekend.

Honda has enjoyed considerable success at Valencia, with five different riders winning the elite class on RCV machinery since the venue joined the MotoGP calendar in 1999: Alex Barros (2002), Rossi (2003), Marco Melandri (2005), Casey Stoner (2011) and Pedrosa (2007, 2009 and 2012).

Offseason testing for MotoGP riders and teams commences the day after racing at Valencia before a midwinter testing moratorium that ends at the start of February.



Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda:

“The past month has been a whirlwind and winning the Championship in Japan seems like a long time ago now! After Malaysia we attended an event with Honda and Alpinestars in Thailand on the way home and then had a few days to relax in Spain and do some training before leaving for Milan to visit the EICMA show. It was a really good event with many people there, I really appreciate all the kind words from everyone I met! Now we head to Valencia for the final race of an incredible season. It’s always nice to race in front of the home fans and this year will be much more relaxed and I will be able to enjoy it without any pressure!”

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda:

“Obviously I’m now out of the race for second or third in the Championship, especially after the events in Malaysia, but I’m looking forward to going to Valencia and finishing the season on a high. This is always a special race for me, the fans are fantastic and they create a wonderful atmosphere. My results here in the past have been strong and this weekend I hope to repeat this and fight for victory on Sunday!”

Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP:

“The ultimate round in Valencia this weekend will be a very special GP for me. It’s gonna be my last race with LCR Team and Honda and I am sure it won’t be easy for me and the guys. We worked together for the last 3 years and Lucio has been not only a professional Team manager but a good friend too. In Malaysia we finally obtained a 4th deserved place and it would be great to repeat this performance even in Spain. Actually Valencia is not one of my favorite circuits (if you check the statistics you understand what I mean) but last year we finished 6th so the aim is to end this season with LCR with another good result to celebrate our 3-year cooperation”.

Alvaro Bautista, Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini:

“We head to Valencia after a long and really difficult season: of course we will try to end the year in the best possible way, even if there is not much to say, given the recent results. It seems that this is not our season, definitely! We struggled with a lot of problems and we also suffered bad luck in the last race at Sepang, with a crash on the second lap in which we were involved with no faults. Simply, we have to wait and see what will be the situation after the first free practice, then we will give our best. As always.”

Scott Redding, Team GO&FUN Honda Gresini:

“After the difficult conditions encountered in Malaysia it is good to be back in Europe on a track where the weather situation should definitely be easy. Anyway, we expect another tough battle: we will try to confirm once again ourselves as that the best Open Class Honda, which would mean also keeping the first position in the Championship among the riders aboard the RCV1000R machine. This is our goal and it would be nice to end the season achieving it.”

Hiroshi Aoyama, Drive 7 Aspar Honda:

“It is the final race of the 2014 season this weekend at Valencia and I am very much looking forward to, it is a place that holds wonderful memories for me. I won the 250cc title at Valencia in 2009 so it is a special place for me. It is also the team’s home track so my intention is to finish the season with the best possible result. It is my last race with the DRIVE M7 Aspar Team so I want to show them my appreciation for this fantastic season. We rode this bike at Valencia last year so we have some work already done in advance and we can start from a clear base in the first session. We have found a reliable set-up in recent weeks so hopefully we can continue to perform at the same high level. Valencia is a short and quite difficult circuit but I quite like it and we should be closer to the factory bikes here. We have had a consistent season and I want to keep it that way at Valencia.”

Nicky Hayden, Drive 7 Aspar Honda:

“Valencia is usually a pretty unique race because it’s the last of the year and it’s in Spain, in front of a great crowd, usually with a title to be decided. Every rider goes into the last race fired up and determined to finish the season with a strong result and this is a Grand Prix that always gets me excited, especially because I like the track. It is narrow and tight with a lot of time spent in second gear but I still love it. It’s also where I became MotoGP World Champion. This season has been tough for us and perhaps we’re not in perfect shape for this weekend but as always the objective is to push to the limit and finish the year in a satisfactory way. I am really hungry for a strong result at Valencia. It is quite a technical track and the weather can often throw up a few surprises but I am looking forward to getting to work and putting on a good show for the team, the sponsors and the fans.”

Karel Abraham, Cardion AB Motoracing:

“The last few races have been very disappointing for me and the team, so we need to go to Valencia determined to end the season with a better result which will allow me to commence the winter testing season with more confidence. We will work hard this weekend to solve the problems we have been having.”

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