Alex Marquez: exclusive interview
Alex Marquez tells us what it’s like being Marc’s little brother, how British horsepower helped him win the Moto2 title and how he ended up filling Jorge Lorenzo’s seat at Repsol Honda…
It’s never easy living in someone’s shadow, so what’s it like being the little brother of one of the greatest motorcycle racers the world has ever seen?
Not bad, according to Alex Marquez. ‘Since we were kids we’ve always been together: at tracks all weekend, every weekend, riding motocross, dirt track, pocket bikes,’ says the 23yearold, three years younger than big bro. ‘Marc’s my brother and he’s my best friend. We have more or less the same hobbies and he knows so much and helps so much. Now he has a girlfriend, so he’s a bit busier, and I’m a bit jealous!’ Come on, surely they fight sometimes?! ‘No. Well, sometimes, but not for serious things. When we were small kids, yes, but not now. Now when we have a problem we talk.
‘We’re not really similar. I’m a bit more calm, whereas Marc has more energy to burn. He’s always, “okay, let’s do this, let’s do that!” It’s good that we have different characters – that’s why we have such a good relationship.’
The world’s speediest siblings train together, travel together, sleep together (they share a motorhome in the paddock) and now they are Repsol Honda Motogp team-mates.
Motogp king Marquez reckons their working relationship is as much of a help to him as it is to his younger brother.
‘When you have someone else to ride with and train with it’s easier to keep the motivation,’ says the six-times Motogp champion. ‘We are together at the circuits, which gives you a good feeling for the weekend and means you can attack in every practice session.’
Marc is renowned for his aggressive riding and is just as ruthless when riding at home. ‘Sometimes in flat track we crash into each other, but it’s no big deal,’ says Alex. ‘We ride like that because we enjoy it. In motocross he is really, really fast, but in flat track I can push him if I fit new tyres. It’s nice – we are always playing.’
The brothers made history in 2014 when they won the Motogp and Moto3 world championships to become motorcycling’s first simultaneous sibling champs. And last season they became the first brothers to take the Motogp and Moto2 titles. However, while Marc has been the dominant force in Motogp ever since, Alex has had more downs than ups. His win/crash ratio during his first four seasons in Moto2 was something else: three victories versus 71 tumbles. His worst
‘Sometimes in flat track we crash into each other, but it’s no big deal… We ride like that because we enjoy it’