Marc Marquez: “I remember exactly the first save”
Motocross and dirt track are where Marc Marquez says he 'experiments' with the boundaries of bike control.
The recent COTA MotoGP weekend saw Marc Marquez pull off a big save on the opening lap of the Sprint race.
That came after losing the rear, almost sending him into a highside, before Marquez swiftly regained control and took his win streak to five in a row.
But Marquez is more famous for his ability to save massive front-end slides, lifting the bike back under control even when it looks to have gone well beyond the point of no return.
So where did it all begin?
“I remember exactly the first save. It was 2010, at Turn 3 in Barcelona,” Marquez recalled. “I said, 'Ah! Maybe I'm able to save crashes!'
Turn 3 is a sweeping 180-degree right-hander following the opening chicane, while 2010 was Marquez’s breakthrough season in the 125cc class.
After just two podiums from his previous world championship campaigns, Marquez swept to his first world title with ten wins for the Red Bull Ajo team, including Catalunya.
The young Spaniard further developed his skill when he moved to the Moto2 class in 2011, riding a Suter chassis notorious for severe chatter.
“Especially in Moto2, I saved a lot of crashes because we had massive chatter with that [Suter] bike, and with the chatter, I was always playing with the elbow to save those crashes,” Marquez said.
Marc Marquez: “You can experiment”
Motocross and dirt track, always a large part of Marquez’s training, are where the eight-time world champion says he 'experiments' with the boundaries of bike control.
“It's important,” the Ducati Lenovo rider said of his off-road training. “More than sliding, it's about understanding what you need to do in every situation.
“In road racing, most of the laps are with the same movement, same slide, same way to turn the bike.
“But in flat track, dirt track, motocross, every lap is different, and you can experiment a bit easier.
“For example, when I train with my Panigale, I never experiment with things, because a small mistake is big damage.
“But in flat track and motocross, you can experiment and you can push the limits.”
Not all slides can be saved of course, with Marquez suffering his first falls of the season at COTA.
The second accident, after cutting a kerb while leading the grand prix, means he is now one point behind young brother Alex heading into this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
