“Marc Márquez offered himself to KTM, but the brand turned him down”, reveals Ricard Jové

2023-06-23 13:21:40

Despite the fact that Marc Márquez has repeated actively and passively that his intention is to fulfill his contract with Honda no matter how badly they are giventhe truth is that in Germany we witnessed a more than evident distance between the rider from Cervera and the factory for which he has been working for the last decade, the same one that has seen him win six MotoGP titles and become a living legend. of this sport.

At the Sachsenring, something broke in the Marc-HRC connection; for the first time since he competed in MotoGP, #93 refused to get on his prototype tired and tired of falling so many times and getting hurt. The 30-year-old driver seems to have said ‘enough’, and although he has decided to travel to Assen to compete, the list of injuries that he accumulates on his body -a broken finger, a sprained ankle and a cracked rib- already anticipate another Difficult Dutch Grand Prix for Marc.

During these days, there have been many rumors and gossip in the paddock about a possible early departure of Marc Márquez to be released in December and sign for another factory, preferably KTM. And if we pay attention to what Ricard Jové said today on DAZN, it seems that the Catalan environment It has already activated its machinery to find a possible destination for it in 2024 If Honda doesn’t guarantee you a very outperforming bike for next year. And Márquez has set a deadline: the Misano test in September, where he will test the 2024 bike.

According to Jove’s words, “On the part of Marc Márquez, his people, those who manage things for him, there have been contacts with KTM to offer the pilot coming with the letter of freedom that he himself and his personal sponsors were in charge of liquidating with Honda, and, therefore, offering himself the option of KTM”, argues the DAZN collaborator in reference to a clause that is said to be around 10 million euros.

“As far as I can tell you”, Jove continues, “the answer (from KTM) It has been negative due to a matter of pure and simple strategyTaking into account that they are happy with what they have, and the exact words of Stefan Pierer, a very intelligent guy who knows how to visualize who is who, he has said that he knows perfectly well that Marc Márquez could destabilize the atmosphere that he now has very good inside the garage with Binder and Miller, but everything that has been said be careful, because it can be a strategy”.

The experienced team manager and rider representative believes that KTM is following a clear and concise strategy with the Márquez affair, especially at a time when, at the same time, they must find a place for Pedro Acosta in MotoGP now that the rider has decided that he does not want to continue competing in Moto2 next season: “From the outset they have had a negotiation, block everything, set limits and then see if things are going to be addressed in some way with the help of the organizer, etc. The problem here is not whether you love him or not, it’s where I put him, because if they already have that problem with Acosta, imagine if you do it double”

Continuing with the theme of Pedro Acosta, Jové comments that KTM tried to persuade Gresini Racing to switch their bikes to RC16s next season, hence the rush that Ducati has been in Assen to announce their plans to renew the agreement that currently links them with the team led by Nadia Padovani, widow of Fausto Gresini.

“My suspicions are that Gresini’s motorcycles could have become the offer that Acosta had“says Jové in this regard, convinced that “99.9% Acosta will be in MotoGP with KTM”, also revealing the intention of the Murcian rider to obtain his letter of freedom to have raced with another manufacturer in MotoGP next season, an attempt that KTM stopped dead.

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“On Wednesday (Acosta) received a letter to execute the right that KTM had before June 30 to upload it to MotoGP. This information is what I have, and they will deny it, but it is shocking that there was an attempt by Acosta , or in this case of its intelligent representative, to pay the letter of freedom and not go to MotoGP with KTM. He had something, I don’t know what it was, but he really had something very interesting economically and sportingly, because he even offered a figure of six zeros to get that letter of freedom. Obviously, KTM has not accepted it”, concludes Jové trying to shed some light on this hot topic.