1,043 days later, “the alien » Marc Marquez has once again performed the “robot dance”, a little sarabande that he treats his fans to after each of his MotoGP victories. By winning on 1er September at the Aragon Grand Prix, for the sixtieth time in his career, almost three years after his last success, the Spanish driver silenced those who had buried him a little too quickly.
Especially since the “Ant of Cervera” – he is only 1.69 m tall and lives in this small town near Barcelona where he was born – did it again the following Sunday at the San Marino Grand Prix, after a great comeback. At 31 years old, the six-time world champion is once again scary. On Sunday, September 22, he will try to confirm at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix that he is making one of the greatest comebacks in the history of motor sports.
At the start of the season, observers of the premier motorcycle category predicted a continuation of the duel between the Italian Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia, the reigning double world champion, and his Spanish rival Jorge Martin. With seven rounds to go in a championship that includes twenty, the two men are effectively neck and neck at the top of the standings.
The Madrilenian leads the dance with 321 points, four more than the Turinese. But, after his victory in San Marino, Marc Marquez is now lying in wait with 265 points and the end of the season seems more and more uncertain. Especially since the official Ducati team announced on June 5 that it had recruited the Catalan rider.
“In 2025, it’s going to be explosive!”
Next season, Marc Marquez will team up with Francesco Bagnaia and, above all, he will have the best bike on the grid – the same as his two rivals. Having moved from Honda, with whom he won all his titles, to the modest Italian team Gresini during the off-season, the Catalan is riding the 2023 version of Ducati this year. A competitive bike but which does not benefit from the latest innovations from the Bologna manufacturer.
” Ducati hired him because they think he is the best, and that it is better to have him with you than against you because he knows how to make a machine evolve,” comments Christian Sarron, 250cc world champion in 1984. “In 2025, it’s going to be explosive, extends the former driver Régis Laconi, winner of the Valencia Grand Prix in 1999. The championship will be even more exciting with his return to the top. He has rebuilt himself mentally. He is a miracle!
Indeed, it is more of a resurrection than a rebirth, as the Spanish ant’s long journey has been like an ordeal. Since his accident in Jerez, Andalusia, on July 19, 2020, the Catalan has suffered a series of falls and relapses, putting his health at risk, and sometimes that of his competitors, which has earned him some stubborn enmities in the paddock.
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