Barcelona boost the aim for Repsol Honda Team
MotoGP 2024 Round 6 Preview, Gran Premi de Catalunya
Spain, May 21, 2024: The work continues for a determined Joan Mir and Luca Marini as they prepare for the Gran Premi de Catalunya and the sixth round of 2024.
A favourite of fans and riders alike, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has seen host to a number of iconic moments over the years. At 4.66 kilometres long, the track has undergone several layout changes during its time on the MotoGP World Championship calendar with the final chicane once again removed for the 2024 edition. The Repsol Honda Team last achieved victory at the Catalan GP in 2019.
Having made strong gains over the course of the weekends in Jerez and Le Mans, Joan Mir has been able to consistently challenge for top Honda honours and charge through the field in recent weeks. Last year Mir finished 19th in Barcelona, just his second finish outside the top five at the track in the premier class. With a strong historic record, the scene is set for a return to the points after the double DNF of the French GP.
Luca Marini has been steadily building over the opening rounds of the year, collecting strong data and consistent race finishes. The Barcelona round offers another chance for further improvements and to close the gap to the rest of the field. Like his Repsol Honda Team teammate, a better grid position on Saturday could prime the Italian to contest points in the pair of races.
Joan Mir
“I am excited to be back in front of the home fans, it’s always a busy weekend for us as riders but you enjoy it no matter what. We arrive here in a positive way, our final result in France is not what we wanted but in the last two races we have been able to make good progress during the weekend. This is what I want to maintain, improving and taking the maximum we can from our package. Let’s have a good weekend and put on a nice show for all the fans!”
Luca Marini
“We’ve been working a lot even since the last race, always trying to improve. That’s the focus for this weekend again, keep working with the things that we have found and collecting as much information as we can. Let’s see what happens and how the weekend progresses for us, I want to be closer to my teammate this weekend.”
