It was a day full of emotions experienced by Marc Márquez who spared no effort on the track. But also outside! As determined and motivated as ever, the double World Champion went so far as to steal a photographer's scooter to reach his stand after having fallen. This incident aside, there is great concern about the performance of the front tire in the rain. And it is shared by all his colleagues.
In the Netherlands, this Saturday, it was like in Gravelotte. We're not just talking about rain here. But also drivers, many of whom have crashed more often than not. And sometimes even without ever looking for the stopwatch. Seven went to the pile during FP4, two during Q.1 and two more during Q.2. Sometimes with funny situations. The case of Márquez in any case, did not go unnoticed.
Barely recovered from his antics during Q.2, MM93 left his injured RC213V to rush to the edge of the track and demand that he be brought back to his stand as quickly as possible. He only had ten minutes left to set a time and find his place on the starting grid: “ I made a mistake and fell on my second lap on the track » says the teammate of a Pedrosa eliminated from Q.1. “ I had to return to my stand as quickly as possible, I knew it was a big mistake because at that moment, I had no time».
Certainly, but it was not expected. So he took his destiny into his own hands, as always: “ the marshals were too far away and I saw a scooter with the keys on it. There was no one around. I took it and then saw that it belonged to a photographer. He let me do it. But I must admit that if he hadn't wanted to, I would have gone with it anyway! »
A friendly frankness which also has the gift of relaxing an atmosphere not really inclined to party. Because the front tire has returned to center stage. First in the morning with a big scare at high speed which triggered the airbag in the HRC official’s suit: “ to be honest, I scared myself and then lost confidence at this point on the route. I started my session well by attacking quite a bit, I had a good pace and I was setting good times. We tried different settings. That said, this was not a normal situation. ».
« My front wheel locked and I immediately released the brakes. Maybe it comes from the medium while the others rode with the soft. The others who used a medium also fell, like Lorenzo and Espargaró. The problem this year is that the front tends to get lighter. At the first brake application, the front end locks before hitting the ground. Where it happened, it's a little bumpy and we're full throttle in fifth gear. When we looked at the data, we saw that the wheel was not completely resting on the ground ».
That's it for the dry. But in the wet, it doesn’t get any better: “ If you ask the drivers who crashed today, they will tell you that they don't understand their crash. The track was really very slippery. If it rains tomorrow for the race, it will be a real lottery. There were a lot of falls. In the dry, however, I am quite comfortable ". The one who is also the championship leader will start fourth on the starting grid for this eighth meeting of the season. “ Thanks to the scooter and the work of my team, I was able to do two good laps » he smiled. Remember that this year, drivers can take intermediates in addition to their slick and rain range. Erasers that Valentino Rossi admitted to having never tried it yet.
