In the world of MotoGP there’s been many great riders. Arguably the best of these would be Valentino Rossi (and yes, I admit that I’m a fan!) – a man who has managed to smash records, race hard, win when the odds were against him and yet all the while remain one of the most likeable guys out there.
Whilst I can argue the case for his legendary status, I cannot argue with the fact that the day is approaching when he will hang up his helmet and inevitably find a new way to fuel that adrenaline addiction. Before that happens though, we are able to enjoy the sight of Rossi taking on the youngster with the potential to break all of VR46’s records. I do, of course, refer to the Smiling Spanish Assassin Mr Marc Marquez.
When he hit the premier class last season he shook the establishment and seriously put several riders on notice with his crazy lean angles, insane cornering, mad overtakes, and on-the-limit riding. All the while leaving viewers holding their breath expecting to see the #93 bike flying across gravel traps and into barriers.
Week after week went by, with records being smashed all the while – and the season ended with the rookie lifting the World Championship. With a huge grin on his face of course.
This season, we have been rewarded with the sight of Marquez storming to pole in the first 3 races and taking victory when the flag fell. That’s not to say he’s had an easy run. Whilst Austin wasn’t the most thrilling of races the opener at Qatar and last weekends return to Argentine were certainly up there as great races. The Argentine race in particular showed just what Marquez is made of after he ended up dropping to 5th and even 7th before riding his way through the field and then chasing down an on-form Lorenzo. And then just to top of how good he is, he then proceeded to build up a decent lead over the former champion who was eventually caught by Pedrosa to give Honda a nice 1-2.
It’s still early days – but we may well be witnessing the rise of the next legend in MotoGP racing.