MARC CRASHES OUT OF PODIUM CONTENTION, BUT REMAINS THIRD IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Alex Marquez has finished fourth in today’s race at the Sepang International Circuit, which proves to be one of his favourite tracks on the calendar. This is one of his best results of the season after the podium scored in Sachsenring. It was an excellent performance for the #73, who had a great start on both occasions (the original encounter was red flagged on the opening lap) and showed a great pace, which allowed him to defend his position from a resurging Acosta. The 13 points bagged today are crucial for the championship standings as Alex is now 10^th after overtaking Aleix Espargaró. 
 
It would be a top five finish for Alex had it not been for the crash by his brother Marc, who tucked the front at the last turn at halfway distance. The #93 did not give up and managed to re-join the race and from last place, he made his was back to 12^th position, to secure four crucial points that keep him ahead of Enea Bastianini for third place overall. 

4^th - ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (10^th in the championship standings 155 points)
“We scored some important points this weekend while finding fresh confidence and the feeling we lacked in recent races. It wasn’t an easy race because we had to stay focused after the red flag, and I wasn’t feeling too well due to a cold, which prevented me from getting a good night sleep. I must thank the team because they were really supportive in my toughest moments, and we need to enjoy this time now that we’re back at our real level.”
 
12^th - MARC MARQUEZ #93 (3^rd in the championship standings 369 points)
“We had a very positive weekend, both yesterday and today, on a track that has always been a challenging one for me. There are those days in which you don’t really know why you crashed: I was feeling comfortable today and I knew I could have battled for third-fourth place… But it is what it is, there’s one event left, and we’ll try to finish the season the best possible way.”

The second day of action smiles to Team Gresini MotoGP who shine in qualifying with Alex Marquez’s front-row worthy qualifying and do even better in the race with Marc second behind an uncatchable Martin and Alex fourth at the chequered flag.
 
Marc Marquez takes another step towards third place in the final championship standings courtesy of what was his 21^st rostrum finishing across all races (sprint and full distance encounters), while Alex is only one point away from the world championship top ten. 

2^nd - MARC MARQUEZ #93 (3^rd in the chamionship standings with 365 points)
“I did a great start and honestly, I didn’t expect to be this quick race-pace wise. On paper we were aiming realistically at fourth place but with the last fine tuning I found myself very comfortable and third was within reach. Pecco’s crash opened the door to second place, a result I dedicate to the whole Valencian community.”
 
4^th - ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (11^th in the championship standings with 142 points)
“I had a good start, but unfortunately the others in front of me did even better. We did a good race, and our pace was worthy of a fifth place, maybe even fourth as I didn’t expect Marc to be so quick today, but we must be happy with this race. The goal tomorrow will be more or less the same. If it rains, anything can happen, but at the moment we’re ready to be in the top five.”

The British Motor Museum is again participating in the famous RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, which is taking place on Sunday 3 November. Actor, Simon Gregson who has played Steve McDonald on Coronation Street for over 30 years, will be driving a 1901 Wolseley 10hp tonneau. The Run starts in Hyde Park in London and ends by the seafront on Madeira Drive in Brighton.

Simon’s co-driver is Paul Cowland, known for the series Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars, and a recognisable face in the world of classic cars. Also driving a car from the British Motor Museum, a 1904 Thornycroft 20hp tourer, is Mike Brewer, most famous for his many series of Wheeler Dealers.

The Museum has entered six veteran cars in total, including the Wolseley and Thornycroft. Alongside them are a 1902 Albion A1 dog cart, a 1904 Rover 8hp (the oldest known Rover), and a 1904 Wolseley 6hp Phaeton. The final car from the Museum is the 1899 Wolseley 3.5hp voiturette, with its freshly stabilised wings following a fundraising campaign by the Museum. Affectionately known as 'OWL', the Wolseley voiturette has participated in the London to Brighton Run a staggering 38 times!

The RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Run is a premier event in the annual motoring calendar and has been running longer than any other in the world. It marks the historic day in 1896 when a group of pioneer motorists set out from London towards the seaside, in celebration of the ‘emancipation of the motor car’.

Stephen Laing, Head of Collections & Engagement at the British Motor Museum, said, “We are delighted that Simon is driving one of the cars from the Museum’s collection. The Run is one of the most exhilarating and exclusive motoring adventures in the world. These wonderful cars are all more than a century old and are some of the rarest and finest models from our collection. Watching 400 veteran cars take part in the Run is such a spectacle and we hope as many people as possible come and watch the  cars and their celebrity drivers in action!”

To find out more about the British Motor Museum please visit the website at www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk. For more information on the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run please visit www.veterancarrun.com

Celeb group shot L-R: Nick Avery, Mike Brewer, Simon Gregson and Paul Cowland.

The highly anticipated rain did not lead to good results for Team Gresini Racing MotoGP who witness a first, very early drama during the sighting lap, with Alex crashing out while riding over a kerb. The #73 is forced to a huge comeback from last place on the grid (he was originally set to line up on row three), with the tenth place at the flag being more bitter than sweet, knowing his abilities in wet conditions. 
 
Things went even worse on the other side of the pit-box as Marc Marquez is on one had among the absolute protagonists for half of the race, battling for the lead with Bagnaia, but then a mistake followed by a crash led to a massive amount of ground lost. He finished 11^th as he extends his lead on Bastianini by two more points for third place overall. 

Team Gresini MotoGP scored points with both riders today as Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez were fourth and fifth in today’s Thai Grand Prix sprint race.
 
On one side, Marc lost a few points from today’s winner Bastianini in the battle for the championship top three, even though the fifth place on the grid and the crash in Q2 may have led to far worse consequences. Still, he bagged valuable points, with an exciting battle against the Desmosedici GP24 machines ahead – as tomorrow’s race is the real target for the weekend.
 
Alex Marquez, on the other hand, did not fully shine in qualifying this morning (he was fifth), while he managed to put together a spectacular comeback after recovering three positions at the starts and finishing not far from the frontrunners. The crash by Acosta opened him the doors to the top five. Five, key points were secured in the battle for the top ten in the championship, with Espargaro and Bezzecchi now only six and seven points away, respectively.

4^th - MARC MARQUEZ #93 (3^rd in the championship standings with 351 points)
“Before the sprint race began, I was confident in my chances to battle for the podium, but I hadn’t taken Enea into consideration. I managed to achieve the target of a second-row qualifying result and I also started well because I was second at turn three, but today we didn’t have the pace to stay with the frontrunners. Tomorrow’s realistic goal is to finish as high as today.”
 
5^th - ALEX MARQUEZ #73 (12^th in the championship standings with 130 points)
“It was a good Saturday and let’s say so far a good weekend, too. Without slipstream it wasn’t an easy job to carry out in today’s race, but it went well and I’m happy. Tomorrow’s race is going to be a long one and we’ll need to manage the tyre wear as soon as we can for the end of the race – and there are valuable points up for grabs.”