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Every motorcyclist knows the use of the rear brake: a simple retarder in a straight line, but a serious aid to steering when tightening a trajectory in a curve, it remains quite useful for ordinary mortals.

On the other hand, with rare exceptions, it was believed to be useless in competition, the rear wheel being completely unloaded during each heavy braking, and the best drivers in the world rarely having the opportunity to miss a trajectory...

Of course, some nevertheless use it more than others, like Andrea Dovizioso who does not hesitate to place the control on the handlebars, mainly to avoid the difficulty of braking in right turns, the motorcycle then being very inclined towards the rear brake foot control.

In his time, Casey Stoner also used the rear brake a lot to tame the rebellious Italian. But this remains quite rare...

Also when, in Czech Republic Grand Prix post-qualifying press conference, a journalist asks Marc Marquez if it is correct that he uses his rear brake for 80% of a lap, compared to 11% for the Yamahas, he nods his head in the affirmative with a serious air and replies: “It of course depends on the circuit and the problem you have. But I think we use it about the same on corner entry. The main difference is that I use the rear brake on the straights to avoid the wheelie. Yamahas and Ducatis use it less because they are more capable of keeping the front wheel (on the ground), with the electronics or the motor, we don't know. Overall, I use it more because I use it in a straight line. It's like that. When entering a corner, sometimes in a few corners, it depends on the situation, but of course you can also drive without a rear brake. »

Confirmation from the Honda driver, therefore, who throws certain preconceived ideas into oblivion: Marc Marquez therefore uses his rear brake to counter the tendency to wheelie during each acceleration, which, in conjunction with the electronic aid, must require quite a bit of "dexterity." foot "…
As our photo shows, it uses a ventilated rear disc for this, unlike other Honda drivers.

As a reminder, in Brno, drivers use their front brake 30% of the time (Brembo data).

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