Marquez shares respect with Pedrosa, keen to assess Lorenzo

Marc Marquez has joined in the tributes to outgoing Dani Pedrosa as he prepares for his final MotoGP race with the Spaniard as his team-mate before Jorge Lorenzo joins him at Repsol Honda.

The seven-time world champion has spent his entire premier class career with Pedrosa as his Repsol Honda team-mate but from next week’s post-Valencia MotoGP test he’ll be joined by Lorenzo who switches from Ducati. Pedrosa will retire from MotoGP racing while becoming KTM's test rider in 2019.

Marquez attended Pedrosa’s induction into the MotoGP Hall of Fame at Valencia and rates his outgoing team-mate as ‘a legend’ both for the sport and for Repsol Honda.

“With Dani we shared many, many good moments and since 2013 we shared the box and he has been my team-mate,” Marquez said. “We fight on the track but always off the track we have a big respect.

“I’ve learnt many things from him and it will be a special weekend for him and all his team because he is a very special rider for them and a legend.”

Marquez says he’ll keep a close eye on the early progress from Lorenzo when he moves to the factory Honda squad for the first two days of winter testing which take place at Valencia on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

The test will provide the Spaniard with his first-ever experience on the RC213V before a further two-day test at Jerez at the end of November.

“From Monday it will be a new team-mate with a different character and a different riding style so it is time to check how he is on the bike,” he said.

“But for now I am just concentrating on my bike and my box in this race. On Monday we’ll start the 2019 season and prepare in a good way.”

If Marquez finishes on the podium in Valencia it will result in his second-most successful MotoGP campaign in terms of points scored, only behind his 2014 title triumph when he won 13 races that year.

Marquez has finished on the podium in every year of his premier class career plus his Moto2 title-winning season in 2012.