Marc and Alex Marquez confirm the death of their inspirational grandfather
Marc and Alex Marquez's grandfather was a constant source of support to their careers
The grandfather of Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez has passed away.
"Thank you so much for everything you have cared for and taught us grandpa," Marc wrote on social media in tribute.
"Rest in peace. We love you grandpa."
The official MotoGP account replied: "We're so sorry for your loss. Sending you all the love."
Their grandfather was often cited as an inspiration behind the MotoGP riders' careers.
He featured in Marc's Amazon Prime documentary a year ago, which documented his heroic battle back from career-threatening injuries.
In fact, Marc revealed that his worried grandfather asked him to retire as a result of his eye and arm problems.
"My grandfather told me: 'leave it now, you have enough to live on, what you've done is done, leave it'," Marc said in 2022.
“I promised my grandfather: 'It's the last chance for the arm'.
"I told him that if this one doesn't... there are no more places [on the arm] left to open.”
Marc told GQ last year: "My grandfather was one of the supporters of me leaving.
“Because he said he had enough to live on, he is very direct about that, and I told him: 'Grandpa, I promise you that [this will be] the last operation, let me try, because there is a solution and they are giving it to me. Let me try it.'"
Marc and Alex will team together this season at Gresini Ducati, a fitting tribute to their grandfather whose support they valued so highly.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
