Repsol KTM rider Marc Marquez stunned his competitors and the 88000 fans around the Donington Park racing circuit in Britain in the 125 cc GP on Sunday putting in a fantastic race for his first ever Grand Prix podium finish.
The slightly built 15-year-old Spaniard, who was also the fastest KTM rider in qualifying battled his way to the front of the pursuing group and stayed with World Championship leader Mike di Meglio, finishing the race only half a second behind the fast Frenchman.
Good Day for KTM riders
It was also a good day for other KTM teams with ISPA KTM Aran rider Tomoyoshi Koyama in sixth, Esteve Rabat (Repsol KTM 125) in eleventh and Randy Krummenacher (Red Bull KTM 125) in thirteenth. The positive results confirmed KTMs latest technical development steps in this category.
Onde 2000 rider Raffaele de Rosa, who was riding within the top five and six for most of the race, ran off the track in the last corner, but still reached the chequered flag in fourteenth place.
Marc Marquez (Repsol KTM 125 - third)
"It was a tough race, especially at the beginning where a lot of riders banged into each other trying to gain positions but I was just as determined and confident as everyone else in the group. The bike ran and handles really well, so I managed to defend my position within the top group of riders.
Surprisingly, the wind wasn't a big problem, either. It had disturbed me a lot during the warm-up, but I didn't really notice it during the race. I tried my best to stay with Mike di Meglio, but beating him was out of my reach today. It doesn't matter, because even though I dropped back behind him on the final laps, I think a podium finish is a very good result for me, and a reason to celebrate.
I've been told I made history today being the youngest ever Spanish rider on a Grand Prix podium, but this is not that important to me - my goal is to keep learning - and to become world champion one day. Now I'm going to concentrate on the next race in Assen, where I'll try my best to s core another good result!"
Randy Krummenacher (Red Bull KTM 125 - thirteenth)
"The wind was the same for everybody, but for some reason, I seemed to suffer more from it than the others. Even though I tried a lot to get weight onto the front of the bike, I seemed to be losing the front due to the gusts of wind so it was a tough race for me.
We have to make quicker set-up changes as the weather changes. But at least we got three points that is a step in the right direction. Now I am looking forward to an even bigger step!"
Harald Bartol (Technical Director)
"Congratulations also to Marc Marquez who is our future in racing! As I said yesterday, he has no respect for big names. That's the way it's supposed to be, and he's fantastic to watch on the bike. There's a lot more to come from him in the future!"
Results
1. Scott Redding, Britain, Aprilia, 41:39.472
2. Mike De Meglio, France, Derbi, 41:44.796
3. Marc Marquez, Spain Repsol KTM 125cc, 41:45.278
4. Stefan Gadea, Spain, Aprilia, 41:53.462
5. Simone Corsi, Italy, Aprilia, 41:56.327
6. Tomoyoshi Koyama, Japan, ISPA KTM Aran, 41-56.653
Other KTM
11. Esteve Rabat, Spain, Repsol KTM 125cc, 41:58.448
13. Randy Krummenacher, Switzerland, Red Bull KTM 125, 42:07.819
14. Raffael de Rosa, Italy, Onde 2000 KTM, 42:08.875
15. Lorenzo Zanetti, Italy, ISPA KTM Aran, 42:15.235
DNF Pablo Nieto SPA Onde 2000 KTM
Standings
1. Mike Di Meglio, France, Derbi,132
2. Simone Corsi, Italy, Aprilia, 109
3. Stefan Bradl, Germany, Aprilia, 77
4. Nicolas Terol, Spain, Aprilia, 75,
5. Pol Espargaro, Spain, Derbi, 75
Other KTM
14. Marc Marquez, Spain, Repsol KTM 26
16. Raffaele de Rosa, Italy, Onde 2000 KTM, 24
17. Tomoyoshi Koyama, Japan, ISPA KTM Aran, 19
21. Esteve Rabat, Spain, Repsol KTM 125cc, 14
22. Pablo Nieto, Spain, Onde 2000 KTM, 11
23. Lorenzo Zanetti, Italy, ISPA KTM Aran, 10
24. Randy Krummenacher, Switzerland, Red Bull KTM 125, 10
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- KTM-Sportmotorcycles AG, Mattighofen-
