Honda Team’s lone rider Mir prepares for Argentina Grand Prix

BUENOS AIRES: As Marc Marquez recovers from surgery, his teammate Joan Mir will be the sole representative of the Repsol Honda Team at the Gran Premio Michelin de la Republica Argentina, the season's second Grand Prix.

Riders and teams headed immediately for the airport to begin the day-long journey from Portimao to Termas de Rio Hondo. This is the eighth occasion that the 4.81-kilometre-long circuit in the north of Argentina will host a Grand Prix event.

The 30-year-old Marc Marquez, who has won the World Championships six times, and the Repsol Honda Team have stepped onto the top step of the podium on three occasions in Argentina during 2014, 2016 and 2019 editions of the race. In 2018, Cal Crutchlow won aboard the RC213V of the LCR Honda Team.

Joan Mir also boasts a strong record in the South American circuit, only once finishing a race there outside the top five -- when he was seventh in just his second Moto2 race.

Recovering from a DNF in Saturday's Sprint Race, Mir took a solid 11th place -- despite a long lap penalty. The race served as a great source of information for Mir and his team to further their understanding of the RC213V and putting together a strong and consistent weekend in Argentina is the objective.

Marc Marquez will continue his recovery from surgery on a broken first metacarpal of his right hand.

"A busy start to the year as we are already heading straight to the next race! For us, still in the learning stages, this is a positive because we are able to get more time on the bike and immediately try out some new ideas," said Mir.

"We had a mixed weekend in Portimao, so I am hoping everything can run without incident this weekend and I can get more miles on the bike. This is the objective, to keep building and improve our speed in both races," he was quoted as saying in a release on Thursday.

"Last year I managed a good result in Termas, so I am interested to see what we can do this year. I also want to wish Marc all the best in his recovery, it is always better to be riding alongside him on track and have hi" in the garage," he said.