The roar of the engine, the groaning of the air currents in the ears, the scenery speeding by, the passion awakened by the speed... This is the most intuitive driving experience given by motorcycles. Nowadays, it is not limited to a means of transportation, but also a culture and a way of life.
As the world's premier motorcycle sports event, the World Motorcycle Championship is both a shura field and a temple for top professional racing drivers, and the highest level of grand prix (hereinafter referred to as MOTO GP) plays a pivotal role in the hearts of fans around the world as the Football World Cup is for football fans. And there is one man who is not only the youngest world champion and multi-record holder in MOTO GP history, but also a handsome guy – he is the active Spanish driver Marc Márquez.
Supernova surgida was born
Born in the city of Serra vila in Catalonia, Marc's father has been working to train him to become a driver since the age of 4, and he has shown extraordinary talent and ambition, starting to compete in international competitions at the age of 14 and advancing all the way thereafter. At the end of the MOTO GP 2012 season, the popular Casey Stoner chose to retire honorably, the Honda team just vacated a seat, and Marc, who had just risen to the group, was firmly stationed.
(Source: crash.net)
In 2013, his predecessors were all not old, and they all had the strength to win the championship, and it was in this situation that he broke the opponent's defense line with the momentum of the newborn calf who was not afraid of the tiger, and made a splash in the second leg, Austin City, Texas, USA, becoming the youngest station champion and pole winner in the history of the competition, and finally won the title of the youngest overall champion through the 18 races. What's even more amazing is that he finished third in the year's race.
(Source: sports.cnn.com)
The process of this supernova shining once excavated is not exaggerated by describing it as a stone breaking, a carp leaping the dragon gate, and the debut of the peak. Up to this year, Marc has won a total of eight international championship trophies including 125, MOTO 2 and MOTO GP levels, setting an astonishing record including but not limited to: ten consecutive wins at the beginning of the 2014 season, pressing out the biggest angle in the history of MOTO GP, the lowest ranking in the 2019 season as runner-up, etc., and has also accumulated a strong fan base that can compete with veteran drivers and nine-time champion Rossi in MOTO GP.
(MOTO GP recorded the largest angle of the bend (no crash), source: youtube.com)
Ant-Man Spirit Hormiga Roja
Marc's gloves, helmet and other peripherals are patterned with red ants, this animal, although small, can carry a weight equivalent to dozens or even hundreds of times its own weight, he and his team want to express the "more and more courageous, weight forward" sportsmanship. "Cuando te caes de la moto de 350km por hora sólo piensas una cosa: volver a subirte en ella. ）”
(Source: marcmarquez93.com)
However, he also paid the price for this desperate momentum: in the 2015 season, the replacement of mounts caused difficulties in adapting, the frequency of falls increased; old wounds on the shoulder added new injuries, unable to return to the field in time; and conflicts with opponents were constantly controversial and tense... As a result of these factors, he did not finish the game as many as 6 times, and had to miss the long-awaited third world champion. Caught in frustration, he finally saw his weakness. Not only do you have to restrain yourself in a timely manner for the sake of results on the field, but you also need endless testing and practice on the sidelines to cultivate the tacit understanding between people and cars. Happily, in the 2016 season, despite being completely into a new state, it was still a bit difficult for the world champion to return to his hands.
"He intentado a cambiar el método de entreno, a cambiar mil cosas, para ser igual rápido en circuitos de derechas y de izquierdas. ）”
(Source: sports.cnn.com)
The human body is not a steel bone, but the will can be as strong as steel after thousands of hammers. Compared with other world champions who chose to retire due to injury or personal reasons, he still chose to persist in fighting for his childhood ideals and successfully maintained his peak status for nearly 10 years, which has both luck and talent, love and perseverance are also crucial. Because of this, he fully deserves the respect of the world and the praise of the "new generation of legendary drivers".
Strong desire to win or lose Ganas de ganar
Marc's riding style has always had a distinctly Spanish temperament – bold and fierce, aggressive, with a desire to win at all costs. Marc was able to frankly admit his competitive spirit in an interview: "En mi cabeza sólo hay ganar o perder. No hay blanco o negro, no hay gris. ）”
However, there are two sides to the winning and losing mentality, which can stimulate the driver's motivation in the usual training and the momentum on the field, but also bring fatal dangers: every adventure is accompanied by great uncertainty, and once the mistake is made, the consequences will be incalculable. Marc often fell for aggressive driving styles, even setting a record for the fastest speed in history (over 330 km/h) for MOTO GP, meaning his injuries would be far more severe than other drivers with a more cautious driving style.
(Crashing starts at 125cc displacement)
He has also been criticized for nearly pushing his opponent out of the track, frequently offending opponents: from his once idolous predecessor Rossi to former world champion Lorenzo, even his teammate Dani, who is also expected to compete for the title, is not spared: the consequences of the fight often end with one of them being forced to change the driving route or even fall, sometimes even lose both.
(Marc vs Rossi clash between old and new kings, Argentina 2015, Credit: autorevolution.com)
Critics see his pursuit of extremes at all costs as a provocation to the safety of life and the rules of the game. Everyone's concerns are not unreasonable, after all, the last driver who could be as fierce as him, Simonelli, died on the track due to a mistake in the course of the competition. Fortunately, after years of grinding on the field, the luck of the great difficulty has allowed him to accumulate experience after adventure, attack more calmly than ever, and grasp his limits more well.
Asuntos internos
As mentioned above, as a "arrogant" and honorable hairy boy on the field, Marc inevitably became a hot machine: creating news with opponents in the arena, reacting to confrontations with parties outside the arena became news, and was compared with seniors and newcomers. Like football, motorcycle racing also has forklifts, passers-by, and fights, so it is common for various confrontations to cause disputes inside and outside the field. From another point of view, these dramas also allow the audience to see the flesh and blood and personality of the "racing machines", and there are many people who snort "racing CP".
With Senator Rossi:
When Marc won the first championship of MOTO GP, the jianghu began to circulate the saying that "93 is not dead, 46 technology is hard", comparing it with the nine-time champion Rossi, and the two fans often argue endlessly over the collision of the two "Luo" and "horse".
(Source: autosport.com)
In Malaysia in 2015, Rossi was sentenced to get rid of Marc's interference foot, and as soon as the result came out, public opinion was in an uproar, and the relationship between the two also changed from pity to hatred. Coincidentally, in argentina in 2018, Marc made a mistake when overtaking at a high speed, and the car was thrown out of the car to squeeze Rossi out of the track, and after several years of repairs, the relationship broke the mirror and fell into the freezing point again. Some netizens ridiculed the two-person game scene: "We have a good relationship, that is, occasionally a little fight - after all, out of the mix, sooner or later to pay back."
(Source: youtube.com)
With former world champion Lorenzo:
"Robot" Lorenzo has always been very unconvinced of Marc, because in 2013 in Jerez, Spain, he was pushed out by the fledgling Marc in the last corner (ironically, this curve is named after himself), and the original runner-up became the third place.
(Source: autorevolution.com)
Although the other party was not sentenced after the game, he was angry and unwilling to accept the other party's apology (the old arrogant petite). However, in 2019, the two became teammates and the relationship gradually became harmonious. Lorenzo: What can I do, not to forgive you like an old father...
(Source: elperiodico.com)
With teammate Dani:
As the second main force of the Honda team for many years, although Danny Jr.'s desire to win or lose is not strong, but the driving skills and the concept of the overall situation are praised, and he has the strength to win the championship, but he is always willing to avoid direct conflict with his teammates for the sake of team points.
(Source: redbull.com)
Unfortunately, even if he had a very good relationship with Marc in private, and once rode a small motorcycle side by side to ride the exhibition game, he could not escape the fate of being shoveled by Marc in the main race.
Marc: If you catch up with me, I'll make you hehehehe...
Dani: So love disappears, right?
In the MOTO GP arena, where the shelf life of the rider is only a few years, it is often "talented people from generations in the country, each leading the way for hundreds of years", and evergreen trees such as Marc Márquez and Valentino Rossi will undoubtedly become the existence of the center of the storm. Whether they achieve anything, fail to qualify due to injury, or a driver expresses his opinion on the condition of the race, they are like ghosts on the field, and their presence only increases.
After a 4-month delay due to the epidemic, MOTO GP was finally unveiled on July 19, and people were pleasantly surprised to find that Marc's younger brother Alex was promoted from the Moto 2 level this year to the Honda team where his brother was located. At the same time, Marc has also ushered in a stronger opponent - Quatararo, who is as young and crazy as he used to be, has been leading the standings since the beginning of the race, and his appearance and technology are also online.
(Source: motorsport.com)
In the next 12 games, can Marc continue to turn the tide and reverse the plot? Can we achieve the Nine Crowns at the age of 27? Please wait and see!
Have you ever been fascinated by this talented driver?
Vocabulary related to motorcycle sports
Grand Prix: grand premio
Rally: carreras de dragsters
Off-road racing: scrambling
Road race: carretera
Unfinished: DNF
Driver: Piloto
Pit Stop: Pit stop
Pole position: primer puesto
Best path: traza óptima
Corner: curva
Bending: ápice
Straight: recta
Cornering angle: ángulo
Crash: Caerse
Circle: vuelta
Checkered flag (waved at the end of the car): bandera a cuadros
Starter: arranque
Clutch: embrague
Fairing: carenado
Brake: freno
Throttle: acelerador
Helmet: Casco
Foot brace: caballete