MAGIC MARC
DORNAMOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Sure, at Catalunya, Jorge Lorenz o’s soon-to-be former bosses at Ducati must have been crying into their cappuccinos after their Honda bound human metronome, gave the field a second consecutive masterclass. En route to victory, Lorenz o put in, a frankly ludicrous, 22 consecutive 1’4 0 laps. In any normal weekend, Lorenz o’s demolition j ob would be the lasting impression and the main talking point. MotoGP 2018 weekends, however, are anything but normal.
For some reason, the lasting impression burned into most retinas, mine included, was the sight of Marc Marq uez , in FP4 , ‘ crashing’ in turn 14 at 150km/h with 61º of lean angle. O f course the ‘ crash’ was j ust the standard battle of nerves between Marc and machine, eventually his RC213 V cried ‘ enough’ and stood back up ready to fight another day, at a time when the other 99.9% of the paddock would be on their way to the medical centre.
This was arguably his most spectacular save to date. Like Hailwood, Roberts and Rossi before him, j ust to name a few, Marq uez is redefining the boundaries and the way we think about how a bike can be raced. What is setting Marq uez apart, and in the process defining the shape of the nex t great era, is not j ust what he can do come race day but crucially how he sets it up with what he is able to do on Friday and Saturday. Like the velociraptors in Jurassic Park, Marq uez spends the first part of every race weekend probing and testing the limits at every opportunity. As soon as he can get the bike pitched over to 60 degrees, his body position enables him to create a tripod effect with his knee and elbow almost j ammed into the asphalt. O nce he has his geometry set he can simply push the front harder and harder until it inevitably lets go. He has an unerring self-belief that by digging in a little harder with his knee and elbow, he can save the un-saveable. The fact that there isn’t another rider currently on the grid capable of copying his techniq ue gives him a huge edge.
U ltimately there is another special ingredient that will see Marq uez remembered as a generation-defining great. Where riders like Lorenz o and Stoner are incredible talents, with skills every bit as j aw-dropping and breathtaking as those of Marq uez , there’s a reason that they aren’t as ‘ loved’ as the Rossis and Marq uez s of this world. Being loved and a living the showbiz lifestyle has z ero interest to the likes of Lorenz o and Stoner. Their motivation has always been one of completely crushing the opposition.
For good and for bad, Rossi and Marq uez attract a different kind of fan or, more appropriately, fanatic. They have the ability to whip up huge crowds into hysteria. Both men understand the old saying ‘ You don’t sell the sausage, you sell the siz z le’. The career of Marq uez has had many echoes and parallels to that of his childhood ( and very much former) hero, V alentino Rossi. Rossi is the sport’s ultimate showman. In his pomp, even when he had a huge advantage over the field hewould rarely disappear into the distance for a Lorenz o-esq ue flag to flag win, even when he could with ease.
He appreciated that the crowds had paid their hard-earned dollar to see a show. He would entertain the masses by toying with his rivals, more often than not it was Gibernau and Biaggi. Whenever he felt the need, he could unleash his ex tra 5% , almost at will, and take the spoils.
O f course it didn’t always go to plan but it was a risk he was willing to take to ensure his adoring public were left begging for more.
This is where Marq uez is firmly forging his legend. It often feels like he is playing with the pack. This is made even more remarkable by virtue of the fact that he is doing it in what is unq uestionably the tightest ever era of Grand Prix motorcycle racing. At Assen, by some counts, there were an astounding 17 5 overtakes during the feature race. Marq uez probably could have upped his pace at almost any point, yet he only pulled the pin with four laps remaining, having chosen to take a huge risk by staying in the thick of the battle, risking everything in the process.
Marq uez could probably run away with the championship if he wanted to and have it sewn up earlier than ever before, but like Rossi before him, that’s j ust not his style. At the end of the day this is showbusiness. Guys like Marq uez live for these brawls. The best of the best don’t keep winning j ust through sheer luck. Marq uez certainly lives up to the old sporting adage: “The harder I practice, the luckier I get.”