MARQUEZ WIN MOTIVATED BY ROSSI
Repsol Honda star uses his qualifying clash with nemesis Rossi to fire him to victory
‘The best time tospeak is on track’ RACE-WINNER MARC MARQUEZ
Valentino Rossi inadvertently played a key role in helping Marc Marquez win a last-lap thriller over rookie sensation Fabio Quartararo in Misano
Hi clash with Marquez in Q2 aroused memories of their bitter and acrimonious feud in Sepang 2015 and Argentina 2018, and both were afterwards summonsed to a meeting with MotoGP officials. Both escaped a sanction but Rossi incensed Marquez by saying the Spaniard had deliberately impeded him on his final lap.
Booed incessantly by Rossi’s army of fans, Marquez said he used the pre-race spat as ‘extra motivation’ to win in the Italian’s backyard. And it seemed Rossi’s criticism was akin to poking a sleeping lion, as a wound-up Marquez put recent last- lap defeats to Dovizioso and Rins behind him to edge out Quartararo in another classic scrap. Marquez knows he hasn’t a prayer of beating Rossi in any popularity contest and said: “I know that with the microphones the game is lost but on track it is another story. What happened (in Q2) woke me up because before that I was only thinking about the championship. But I just told myself that now is the time to speak on track. The best way to react is to do your talking on the track. I’m always fully motivated but when somebody plays with you it gives you extra motivation.” Quartararo had led the race from lap three right to the final lap but Marquez made his decisive move at Turn Eight and survived a late onslaught from the Frenchman to secure his 77th career victory. Only Giacomo Agostini, Rossi and Angel Nieto have won more races and his Misano success now moves Marquez ahead of late British icon Mike Hailwood.
He added: “I was having to ride right at my limit just to stay with Fabio. The easiest thing would have been just to follow and take 20 points. But I need to sleep well and the only way I can do that is to attack and try to win. If I don’t try then it is like I am throwing away the whole weekend.”
With Andrea Dovizioso nowhere near to repeating his Misano success of 12 months ago, Marquez goes into his home round in Aragon this weekend with a commanding championship lead of 93 points. His first chance to clinch a sixth MotoGP crown could come in Thailand next month and he added: “I have to be patient but the only person who can lose this championship is me.”