Marc Marquez has become the fourth rider in motorcycle racing history to achieve 100 premier-class podiums. He secured the 2nd position at the Phillip Island race.
The Philip Island Circuit is always exciting, and this time was no exception. Marquez started in the front row and quickly secured the second position behind leader Jorge Martin. For half of the race, the duo battled it out. Towards the end, seven riders were in contention for the top spot. The race would eventually be decided in the closing laps.
Marquez, an eight-time World Champion, crossed the finish line just 0.186 seconds behind Rins. The podium finish came 357 days after his last podium at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in 2021. This was his 31st second position in his MotoGP career.
The eight-time World Champion joins the ranks of Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa in this super exclusive club. Marquez has 152 starts, of which he achieved 59 wins and finished in the top 3 positions, a whopping 65% of his premier-class races. This podium also puts his tally of 139 podiums across all Grand Prix Classes at par with Spanish legend Angel Nieto.
It was a great race today; I really enjoyed the battle a lot and the feeling of returning to the podium is fantastic. It has been a long journey and we have reached the next stage. The soft rear was certainly the correct option for us in the race, I felt quite good, and I was able to fight until the end. At the start I was managing the situation a little bit, but I really enjoyed the race, I tried to win! Alex Rins did really well in the last few laps. I left everything out on track today and I really enjoyed all the overtakes, especially at Turn 2 because the bike was working really well there. We are coming better but there is still work to do. It’s great to achieve this milestone of 100 premier class podiums and an honour to draw equal with Nieto but we are not done yet!
Also Read – 2023 MotoGP race dates in India confirmed