YOUNG SPANIARD DOMINATES
Barely 22, Spain’s Marc Marquez has owned motorcycle racing’s MotoGP for three years now. A Wheels interview,
If the definition of wunderkind is “a young person who can perform miracles,” it would perfectly suit 22-yearold Marc Marquez from Cervera, Spain.
Winning the world championship title in MotoGP is the toughest achievement in motorcycle road racing. MotoGP is the crown jewel of two-wheel motorsport.
Marquez won his first MotoGP title in 2013, his rookie year, at age 20. He followed up with an incredible run in 2014, winning nine races in a row and 13 of 18 races, securing his second crown.
The prevailing belief in the MotoGP team garages is that unless he beats himself with mistakes or injuries, the other riders are racing for second place.
It’s true he races a reliable and very sophisticated motorcycle in the Honda RC213V. The electronics of the Factory Honda are believed to be the benchmark in MotoGP.
Yet his riding style — it can only be defined as “living on the edge” — is what separates him from other riders. Most racers regularly approach the edge of performance during MotoGP racing; Marquez always rides right on that edge and continues to look comfortable while doing it.
At last weekend’s U.S. Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas — Marquez won, of course — I sat down with the young champion and asked how he’d gone from ambitious young racer from Spain to his current status of living legend. You have taken the MotoGP racing world by storm. What has been the key to your success?
This isn’t something that happens overnight. It’s the outcome of years of hard work and sacrifices. Of course, there are some things that cannot be taught or learned, but for the rest, I have been dedicated and focused on achieving this dream since a young age. Racing on two wheels, literally on the edge of the laws of physics, takes a strong mental condition. How do you maintain that strong focus? Can focus be trained?
I consider myself lucky, as I’ve never needed a mental coach or psychologist or something. I am mentally strong and it comes naturally to me to focus and to control my concentration. What is the best advice you have ever received in your career and from whom?
From a young age, I would have to say my father. To remain patient, work hard and maintain my modesty. You have one competitor on the grid who has been racing for 20 years (Valentino Rossi). Can you imagine yourself to be that man on the grid one day?
This is an incredible feat to achieve. I can’t imagine still being at the front and battling with younger guys fighting for the title when I’m 36 years old. It’s really unbelievable. Your teammate, Dani Pedrosa, suffers from a lingering arm injury that is very difficult to address. Have you ever had injuries that could have been career ending?
Of course I had the serious injury to my eye in 2011, which was a scary moment for me. I didn’t know if I would recover 100 per cent, but thankfully I was surrounded by people who cared and I remained confident I would race again and slowly my vision came back. Your brother Alex, 18, is taking a deliberate route to race in Moto2 after his 2014 Moto3 championship. It is safe to assume he will end up at some point on the MotoGP grid. Do you look forward to racing with Alex side-by-side?
This would be great. Alex is doing a good job learning Moto2 and I’m sure he will reach MotoGP in the next few years. The important thing for him to remember is there is no rush; he must remain calm and focus on Moto2. You love to race motorcycles on flat tracks — a combination that made U.S. riders in the past strong contenders on the road-racing circuits. How does flat-track racing help you on the MotoGP track, if at all?
I love to ride dirt tracks, since a very early age, and now I realize that my riding style has adapted from this — especially left hand corners. In the past few years, the popularity of dirt track in Spain has increased so this is a positive for the sport in our country. Do you do recreational riding in your time off? What bikes do you have in your garage?
Not on the road, as I don’t have a (driver’s) licence. I never seem to have the time to do the necessary tests. Instead, my brother and my friends spend a lot of time on dirt bikes. I have a Honda CRF250, CRF450 and also some trials bikes. What else is in your garage?
Mountain bikes and road bikes, skis and training equipment. Then I have a Honda CRV and Civic. It would be nice
to add the new Honda NSX into the mix.
When you meet young motorcycle racers, what advice do you give them?
Make sure you love riding. This is the key to success. You have been very successful on Honda motorcycles. Would you ever be interested trying another bike?
It’s too soon to say. I’m very happy at Honda. They have worked with me and helped me bring my team here to work with me in MotoGP, so we are a big happy family. Honestly, at the moment, I’m not looking to go anywhere. This year, we have former MotoGP world champions such as American racer and 2006 MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden fighting for single points due to the lack of equally competitive bikes on the MotoGP grid. Has MotoGP created a grid where the bike is the key difference?
I don’t agree with this. Already, in just a few races this year, you can see the MotoGP class is much closer than in previous years.
It’s still possible for the rider to make the difference, you need a good bike, but it’s possible.
Canada is a small market for motorcycles, but there are many motorcycle racing enthusiasts. We have a successful Formula One carracing event. Would Canada be an interesting place for MotoGP to race?
I would like to visit Canada. I hear great things about the Montreal F1 race and I think it would be great to come there. I see many Canadian fans on social media that follow me. The only time I’ve been to Canada was on an emergency landing en route to Indy a few years ago. Hopefully, next time I can stay for more than a few hours. Describe your relationship with the Honda team, the support you receive and how you can bring such a high level every time you ride your Factory Honda racer?
The support I get from Honda is incredible. Like I said, we have a great relationship since the beginning and I hope to continue in this way for many years to come. We share the successes together and we learn from our mistakes together. This is how a team should be.
Freelance writer Axel Binneboese is host and producer of FullThrottleRadio on spreaker.com. He can be reached at fullthrottleradiokrml@gmail.com and his Twitter handle is @radiothrottle. This is his first contribution to Toronto Star Wheels. To reach Wheels Editor Norris McDonald: nmcdonald@thestar.ca