Christian Sarron

250-cc World Champion ― 1984

‘In practice, marc deliberately pushes past the limit to get to the point where he loses front grip. this is his way of training himself and it gives him such confidence, more than any other rider, because he knows the limit he can go to and most of the time he can save a crash.

‘I started racing late and I didn’t ride off-road, so I didn’t have the same balance on the bike and I wasn’t as safe as the American riders I raced against, who had all done dirt track. When they lost the front, they’d save it nine times out of 10. When I lost the front, I’d save it, maybe, six times out of 10. When marc loses the front, he saves it 99 times out of 100.

‘That confidence allows him to push beyond the limit, so if someone is in front, he will brake later and push even harder, until he gets past. He is very difficult to beat, so what do you do? marc isn’t perfect with his lines because he attacks too much, so what I would do is try to find better and more consistent lines. I think that’s the only way to beat him. remember when Jorge lorenzo rode the yamaha on Bridgestones? He beat marc many times by having better lines and a smoother style.’