Photo: motogp.com
Marc Marquez is the first individual to ride a motorcycle across London’s Millennium Bridge (of fairly recent Harry Potter fame) over the river Thames, in a special event organized by Dorna Sports and BT Sport.
Crowds gathered on both banks of the river to witness this historic event/ publicity stunt. Not only was Marquez’ the first motorcycle to cross the bridge, but he is also the deigning World Champion and the youngest MotoGP champion in the history of the sport, adding to the weight of the whole affair.
The young champion was greeted by British riders Bradley Smith, Michael Laverty, Leon Camier, Sam Lowes, Danny Kent and John McPhee who presented the Spaniard with the newspaper-wrapped fish and chips, a traditional English dish while on the go.
We were kind of expecting a wilder behavior across the bridge, possibly with a wheelie or something like that, but it looks like safety was paramount for Repsol Honda’s treasured rider. Even though the weather appeared to be dry, Marquez’ technicians decided to use wet tires for his bike and also warmed them up for the best possible grip on the bridge’s surface, definitely the last type pf surface a MotoGP bike is made for.
"This event was really important for MotoGP ahead of the British Grand Prix and we were very lucky with the weather - I normally expect rain in England! So to be here in the centre of London on such a bright day, riding over the River Thames and making history was a memorable experience. The slippery metal surface of the bridge did not make it easy, but I went as fast as I could," Marquez told motogp.com.
Marquez will join the rest of the grid Friday at 9am local time (GMT+1) for the first Free Practice ahead of the Sunday Hertz British GP race. You can watch the video of Marc Marquez crossing the Millennium Bridge following the link. Free registration with motogp.com is required.
Wonder whether after all this, footage of earlier illegal bridge crossings will surface on Youtube…
The young champion was greeted by British riders Bradley Smith, Michael Laverty, Leon Camier, Sam Lowes, Danny Kent and John McPhee who presented the Spaniard with the newspaper-wrapped fish and chips, a traditional English dish while on the go.
We were kind of expecting a wilder behavior across the bridge, possibly with a wheelie or something like that, but it looks like safety was paramount for Repsol Honda’s treasured rider. Even though the weather appeared to be dry, Marquez’ technicians decided to use wet tires for his bike and also warmed them up for the best possible grip on the bridge’s surface, definitely the last type pf surface a MotoGP bike is made for.
"This event was really important for MotoGP ahead of the British Grand Prix and we were very lucky with the weather - I normally expect rain in England! So to be here in the centre of London on such a bright day, riding over the River Thames and making history was a memorable experience. The slippery metal surface of the bridge did not make it easy, but I went as fast as I could," Marquez told motogp.com.
Marquez will join the rest of the grid Friday at 9am local time (GMT+1) for the first Free Practice ahead of the Sunday Hertz British GP race. You can watch the video of Marc Marquez crossing the Millennium Bridge following the link. Free registration with motogp.com is required.
Wonder whether after all this, footage of earlier illegal bridge crossings will surface on Youtube…
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