Marquez and Pedrosa head to Qatar to start 2016 MotoGP season

.@marcmarquez93 and @26_DaniPedrosa shared the podium in 2014 placing first and third. #Qatar

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The Losail International Circuit will be lit up once again this Sunday, on the occasion of the Qatar Grand Prix. The 2016 season opener for the MotoGP World Championship is once again the only night race on the calendar –and the only event to feature three days of practice, beginning on Thursday. Marc Marquez won at the track in 2014 and took another podium in Qatar in his rookie year the previous season. Dani Pedrosa has been on the rostrum five times.

Following a preseason in which Repsol Honda have visited Malaysia, Australia and Qatar itself, and worked on adapting to the premier class’ new rules, Marquez and Pedrosa are optimistic ahead of the first race of the year.

Marc Márquez

“The season is finally about to start, and I’m looking forward to it. When we came here two weeks ago we did a big step forward with the setup at the very end of the test, and I really felt at ease with the bike, especially in my last run that was quite late in the evening, with the dew already starting to form. That’s positive in view of the race, even if we’re not yet where we’d like to be and still have a margin for improvement with the setup.”

Dani Pedrosa

“With the many changes that have been introduced this year, I expect a greater balance among the performances of the riders compared to the past, at least in the beginning. Losail isn’t among my favourite tracks, but I’ve got five podium finishes here so we must stay focused, work to improve our bike setup and be ready to get the most from what we have and from the situation.”