Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez has admitted he ran out of laps and pushed like he had nothing to lose during the MotoGP 2016 finale at the Valencia circuit.
The Spaniard started from second place but a poor getaway dropped him to sixth and he was forced to fight back to the podium.
He went hunting down Jorge Lorenzo in the final laps but despite closing in on the Ducati-bound rider, the current MotoGP champion – who secured the crown in Japan – ran out of time.
“It was the worst start of the year,” he explained. “There was a mistake or problem with the clutch, a big wheelie and I lost a lot of time.
“And I lost time overtaking [Valentino] Rossi and [Andrea] Iannone – here it’s difficult to overtake. Then when I tried, the Ducati just passed me on the straight.
“When I opened a small gap I pushed like I had nothing to lose, and I was catching Jorge…it was difficult but I tried, and I ran out of laps.
“But no excuses – the race is 30 laps and Jorge won. It was really nice to celebrate the title here with family and friends.”
