Marquez and Pedrosa Battle… On Scooters!

Kevin Duke
by Kevin Duke

UPDATE: Honda has now released a higher-quality video of the race in its entirety. Check it out below.

The key aspect about riding motorcycles is the amount of fun they bring to their riders, and that’s clearly on display in this video that pits MotoGP riders Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa against a field of Japanese riders aboard Honda Super Cub scooters.

We’re familiar with Marquez and Pedrosa battling in their Repsol Honda colors, but they’ve traded their 1000cc V-4 GP bikes for something a lot slower to race at the Motegi circuit in Japan. The bikes, according to commenters, appear to be Honda C110s.

Irrespective the machinery, the race is highly entertaining even if the speeds are low. Probably the fastest part of this race is the delivery of the Japanese commentator, which adds to the oddly exotic nature of the video.

Highlights include a burnout by Marquez on the start line (1:37), a rider, Narita, taking an inside line across the grass into Turn 1 (2:46, 3:46), Marquez switching on his turn signal in the middle of the race (4:18), and Marquez doing a brake slide into the wall after the race (6:22).

Although they started from the back of the grid, Marquez and Pedrosa were battling for the lead by the second lap of the course, despite being obviously playful rather than determinedly serious. Pedrosa ended up taking the checkered flag ahead of his GP teammate.

The video quality is low, but the entertainment value is high. Check it out to be reminded of the pure fun that can be had aboard even decidedly humble motorbikes.

Kevin Duke
Kevin Duke

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