MOTOGP
M
OTOGP HAS
WITNESSED
THE
phenomenon
that is Marc Márquez jump onto a
MotoGP bike and immediately win
the world title with relative ease.
Admittedly the rules were bent to
pave the way for him to graduate
to the premier class on the best
bike and with the best team in
the world, but as a rookie in 2013
Marc was something to behold!
His speed was unparalleled and
he rode on the edge and beyond
for a full season, yet he somehow
managed to stay onboard and
remain injury free. Marc rode by
the seat of his pants and delivered
a championship at the first time
of asking.
Was Marc Márquez’ MotoGP
world title win the dawn of a
new era? Lorenzo, Pedrosa,
Rossi amongst others; all former
World Champions on a similar
level of equipment to Marc,
seemingly had no answer to this
new Wunderkind. During the
2013 season the old guard was
forced to look inwards. Had they
become complacent, or was Marc
stepping into new territory that
had not yet been explored? His
riding style seemed to allow him
to gain more from his bike and
tyres than any other before him.
So how is it possible that a
rookie could redefine the top
level of MotoGP? I feel that tyres,
electronics and power delivery
are the three main attributes
allowing this evolution in MotoGP.
But we can’t just look at these
factors and not examine Marc
Márquez himself. Now I am a fan
of Márquez. He is a precocious
talent, but sometimes we need to
take a step back and look at the
devil in the details:
HE WAS
GROOMED FOR
STARDOM
Good things grow on solid
foundations! Marc came through
the Spanish system, which is
streaks ahead of the rest of the
world with regards to grooming
young talent. More specifically
Marc was taken under the wing
of mentor and manager Emilio
Alzamora, himself a former 125cc
World Champion and CEO of the
Monlau Repsol Technical School.
As a kid Marc had bags of talent
no doubt, but having the right
people around you and more
importantly the right machinery
beneath you, plays a huge role
in that development. Valentino
Rossi is a prime example of this.
For years everything he touched
turned to gold, however a few illfated years on, the Factory Ducati
made the G.O.A.T (Greatest Of All
Time) look very ordinary.
Marc had great equipment
throughout his rise to stardom,
causing much green eyed envy
in the paddock and leading to
questions raised on the legality
of his machines in Moto2. In
hindsight it’s clear that there
was nothing special about his
Moto2 bike. Monlau Competition
had found themselves a smart,
fearless, hungry, talented kid, and
gave him everything he needed to
soar through the ranks. Once he
was placed on board a Factory
Honda in the premier class the
results were breathtaking and the
rest of the world began to believe.
EARLY
SCHOOLING
DELIVERS
SUPERB
RESULTS
The arrival of Marc in MotoGP
has abolished much of the
negative stigma surrounding
the path to MotoGP. These
young guys coming through the
current system are brought to the
forefront full of talent, confidence,
and most importantly experience!
It’s possible for them to deliver
the goods immediately given
the right equipment. So the
exuberance of youth can be a
benefit with today’s MotoGP bikes
and tyres. Scott Redding, a rookie
to MotoGP in 2015, stated: “The
limit in MotoGP is crazy - there
is no limit. I’m still building and
building. You think you’re there for
a minute then someone catches
you and you realise you can push
even more.” u