THE MADNESS OF KING MARC
As the MotoGP grid formed for the final time time, Marquez’s bike cut out. Protocol dictates that Marquez should have raised his hand and been escorted from the grid. Understandably flustered, Marquez managed to get his Honda bump-started. He ignored IRTA’s weak attempt to get him off the grid, did a U-turn, rode the wrong way up the grid, took his slot, fired it off the line and blitzed his way to the front by the end of lap 2. Then came his first of three penalties, a ride through.
He rejoined in 19th place. He then proceeded to scythe his way through the field. At times it was breathtaking but it was all too often reckless. It was a reckless shunt/pass on Aleix Espargaro in turn 13 that saw Marquez get his second penalty from race control, drop a position. No problem. He duly obliged and continued apace, relentlessly dispatching the field until ‘that’ flash point. Lap 20, turn 13. A repeat of the Espargaro move, only this time the move had the volume turned up to 11 and he punted his arch nemesis, Valentino Rossi onto the deck, deck effectively ending his race. race Cue his third and final penalty, an additional 30 seconds to his race time, dumping him out of the points.
In the hours and days following, the MotoGP world w has predictably gone mad. In the immediate aftermath Marquez, flanked by his entourage, marched to Rossi’s garage in an attempt to apologise. They were swiftly rebuffed by Rossi’s right hand man, Uccio, while a stony faced Yamaha boss, Lin Jarvis watched on unmoved. Marquez has subsequently been accused of destroying the sport with his reckless aggression and perceived lack of respect for his fellow riders.
Rossi has claimed he doesn’t feel protected by race direction. Was Marquez reckless? Probably. What makes it worse is that it was completely unnecessary. He was at least a second s a lap quicker than every man in the field. fi He simply didn’t need to make the moves he made, when he made them. The red mist clearly got the better of him.