Marc Márquez Alentà (born 17 February 1993) is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and two-time MotoGP world champion. He is one of four riders to have won world championship titles in three different categories, after Mike Hailwood, Phil Read and Valentino Rossi.[1]
Márquez won the 2010 125cc World Championship,[2][3] the 2012 Moto2 World Championship,[4][5] and the 2013 and 2014MotoGP World Championships. Márquez became the first rider since Kenny Roberts in 1978 to accomplish the premier class title in his first season, and the youngest to win the title overall.[6] He defended his title, winning the 2014 championship with three rounds to spare.[7] He is the older brother of 2014 Moto3 world champion Álex Márquez.[8]
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[hide]Career[edit]
125cc World Championship[edit]
Born in Cervera, Spain, Márquez made his championship debut on 13 April 2008 at the 125cc 2008 Portuguese Grand Prix at the age of 15 years and 56 days.[9] He is the youngest Spanish rider to take a pole position or a podium in a motorcycle racing world championship.[citation needed]
Márquez achieved his first podium on 22 June 2008 at the British Grand Prix. For 2009, he was a factory KTM rider, and in the French Grand Prix achieved his first pole position at the age of 16 years and 89 days. He also took pole for the 2010 Spanish Grand Prixbut the exhaust pipe fell off on the opening lap and went under the rear wheel, causing Márquez to crash and injure his shoulder. His first win was on 6 June 2010 at Mugello. Further victories at Silverstone, Assen and Catalonia in the next three races made Márquez the youngest rider to win four successive races.[10] His fifth win in succession at the Sachsenring was Derbi's 100th victory in Grand Prix racing, and Márquez became the first rider since Valentino Rossi in 1997 to win five successive races in 125cc racing.[11]
He was less successful in the following races, dropping to third in the standings at one point behind Nicolás Terol and Pol Espargaró after being involved in an accident with Randy Krummenacher at the first corner at the Aragon Grand Prix.[12] Four successive wins from Motegi onwards had moved Márquez into a 17-point lead over Terol with only one round to go. At Estoril, the race was red-flagged due to rain with Márquez running second to Terol. When returning to the grid for the second race, Márquez fell on the sighting lap and had to return to the pits. With repairs, Márquez started at the back of the field having not made it out of the pit lane before it closed five minutes prior to the start. Despite this, Márquez recovered to win the race and thus extend his lead before the Valencia finale. His tenth victory of the season moved him to within one of tying the record set by Rossi in 1997.[13] He would fall short of tying it as he was fourth at the final race in Valencia to become the second-youngest World Champion after Loris Capirossi.[2][3]
Moto2 World Championship[edit]
Márquez moved into the Moto2 class for 2011 – the first of an expected two-year deal[14] – as the sole rider of the new team Monlau Competición, run by his manager Emilio Alzamora. He finished 21st in Portugal, before taking his first victory in the class at the French Grand Prix.[15] At his home race in Catalonia, Márquez finished second behind championship leader Stefan Bradl, before another fall at the Silverstone, having started from his first Moto2 pole position. With Bradl taking his fourth victory in the first six races, Márquez trailed him by 82 points at the end of the weekend.[16] Márquez made a mid-season surge up the championship standings, winning six of the next seven races to move within six points of Bradl in the championship standings.[17]
In the Japanese Grand Prix, Márquez took his seventh pole position of the season but finished second to Andrea Iannone,[18] but that finish combined with a fourth place for Bradl, allowed Márquez to take the championship lead by a point.[19] At the Australian Grand Prix, Márquez was involved in an incident with Ratthapark Wilairot during free practice; Márquez crashed into the back of Wilairot after the session had been concluded, and for riding in an "irresponsible manner", was given a one-minute time penalty onto his qualifying time.[20][21] The penalty ensured Márquez would start the race from last on the grid, but he made his way through the field and eventually finished the race in third place.
Prior to the Malaysian Grand Prix, Márquez confirmed that he would remain in Moto2 for the 2012 season,[22] after rumours of a move into the MotoGP class. Márquez's race weekend was hampered in the opening minutes of the first free practice session, as he crashed on a damp patch of asphalt.[23] After sitting out two further practice sessions, Márquez completed two laps in the qualifying session, but his times were only good enough for 36th on the grid. He did not start the race, as he failed a medical examination prior to the warm-up on race morning.[24] Márquez attended the final race of the season in Valencia, in the hope of being fit to compete, but withdrew due to his continued vision problems, giving Bradl the title.[25]
MotoGP[edit]
On 12 July 2012, it was announced that Márquez had signed a two-year contract with the Repsol Honda team in MotoGP, replacing the retiring Casey Stoner alongside Dani Pedrosa, from 2013 onwards.[26][27]
Márquez tested the Honda RC213V for the first time in Valencia after the end of 2012 championships lapping just over a second slower than his teammate and compatriot Dani Pedrosa who topped the time sheets.[28] Márquez was again impressive during the first official MotoGP testing at Sepang where he finished the first two days of testing at third position just behind Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo and ahead of Valentino Rossi in fourth before swapping places with Rossi on the final day .[29] Márquez also did a race simulation during the closing stages of the session and his timings were consistent and phenomenal for a rookie. Márquez continued his impressive form in the private test of Honda at Austin where he topped the timesheets all the three days.
2013[edit]
Márquez started the 2013 season strongly with a podium finish in Qatar. He qualified sixth and eventually finished third behind Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi.[30] At the second round of the championship at the new Circuit of the Americas in Texas, Márquez beat his team mate Dani Pedrosa and became the first winner at the new track. In doing this Márquez became the youngest ever MotoGP race winner at 20 years, 63 days, beating Freddie Spencer's 30-year-old record.[31]
Márquez slipped during the third free practice session without getting injured or damaging his bike and eventually qualified third fastest at Jerez. Márquez finished the race in second position behind teammate Dani Pedrosa.[32] At Le Mans, Márquez took the second pole of his short MotoGP career, 0.03 seconds ahead of Lorenzo. Márquez suffered a bad start to the race and spent many laps in the lower half of the top 10 however by mid-race he began to find his rhythm and progressed forward. Márquez overtook Andrea Dovizioso with only two laps to go in the race to claim his fourth podium finish in as many races, tying Max Biaggi's record from 1998.[33] Márquez endured a tough weekend atMugello. After crashing his Repsol Honda on Friday morning Márquez crashed again on Friday afternoon, he had a third crash on Saturday morning practice but recovered to qualify on the second row for the race. He suffered his 4th crash of the weekend with only 3 laps to go in the race; his first non-finish since joining the premier class.[34]
At Catalonia, Márquez finished the race in 3rd place.[35] At Assen, Márquez suffered a huge highside in morning practice causing small fractures of his little finger on his right hand and also his left big toe.He finished the race in 3rd place.[36] At Sachsenring, following injuries to main rivals Pedrosa and Lorenzo, Márquez took his 3rd MotoGP pole position. After an average start he worked his way to the front to lead by the end of lap five and was never again headed despite a strong late race charge from Cal Crutchlow to win by 1.5 seconds.[37] At Laguna Seca, Márquez replicated the overtake that Rossi made on Casey Stoner at the same corner in 2008 to pass Rossi. He won his third race of the year to extend his championship lead to 16 points over Dani Pedrosa.[38]
At Indianapolis, Márquez grabbed pole position by 0.5 seconds from Jorge Lorenzo. In the race Márquez made an average get away and dropped behind Lorenzo and Pedrosa. On lap 12 Márquez made a pass on Lorenzo for the lead, Lorenzo and Pedrosa were able to keep pace with Márquez for a few laps but towards the latter stages the gap opened out and Márquez took his 4th win of the year by just over 3 seconds.[39] At Brno, the race saw an intense battle between Márquez and Lorenzo. Lorenzo made a great start off the line and led the race at the first corner. The pair proceeded to swap places on various occasions, with the final pass coming at Turn 3 with just under four laps to go; Márquez became the first rider to win four consecutive races since Valentino Rossi in 2008.[40]
At Silverstone, during Sunday morning warm up, Márquez crashed his bike and dislocated his shoulder in the impact. The race was a fight between Márquez and Lorenzo in the early laps as they pulled away from the field. In the final laps the two front runners traded places and paint; Márquez passed Lorenzo with only a few corners remaining but was again repassed and finished second.[41] At Misano, Márquez was atop the standings once again by over half a second from Lorenzo to claim pole position. Márquez finished the race in second place behind Lorenzo.[42] At Aragon, Márquez started from pole for the seventh time in 2013. Again Márquez lost the lead to Lorenzo in the first corner. Márquez found himself 2 seconds behind Lorenzo but soon caught up with Lorenzo and eventually crossed the line over one second ahead of Lorenzo to record his sixth victory of the season. Márquez moved on to 278 points with four races left, 39 ahead of second-placed Lorenzo.[43]
At Sepang, Márquez took his fourth consecutive pole position. In the race Márquez made another poor start and was fighting with Rossi for third and fourth places in the first laps of the race. Márquez finished the race in second place.[44] At Phillip Island in Australia, Márquez was disqualified from the race, reducing his championship lead over Lorenzo (who won) from 43 points to 18 with two rounds to go.[45] At Motegi, Márquez recovered from a heavy fall on raceday morning to finish second behind Lorenzo.[46] The result trimmed his championship lead to 13 points, meaning a fourth-place finish at Valencia would be sufficient to crown him champion even if Lorenzo won. Márquez started the race on pole, but had a bad start, and fell to third. Márquez then let Dani Pedrosa do most of the early attacking on Jorge Lorenzo; Lorenzo then pushed on after a scare to win the race, Pedrosa and Márquez came second and third respectively, which was enough for Márquez to become champion, the youngest in series history.[47]
2014[edit]
The 2014 season started well for Márquez producing fastest times on all three days of the first Malaysian test. He then suffered a broken right leg and was unable to take part in the second Malaysian test or the Phillip Island tyre test.
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The first race of the season was held at Losail in Qatar. Márquez progressed steadily through the events practice sessions and showed strong pace on Saturday afternoon to take pole position. During the race he made an average start dropping to 4th place on lap one, Márquez gradually worked his way to the front of the race and enduring a tense battle with Valentino Rossi for the second half of the race, ultimately winning by 0.259 seconds.[48] He also went on to win the next five rounds in Texas,[49] Argentina,[50] Spain,[51] France,[52] andItaly,[53] all from pole position.
At the Catalan Grand Prix, Márquez failed to take pole position – qualifying third after crashing during the session – but after holding off attacks from team-mate Pedrosa, and Yamaha pairing Jorge Lorenzo and Rossi, Márquez was able to win his seventh race in a row, extending his championship lead to 58 over Rossi.[54] With younger brother Álex winning the earlier Moto3 race, the Márquez brothers became the first siblings to win Grand Prix world championship races on the same day.[55] The brothers repeated the feat at the Dutch TTtwo weeks later.[56] At the German Grand Prix, Márquez again won the race, thereby becoming the youngest rider to win nine races in a row in the premier class.[57]
With a tenth successive victory coming at Indianapolis, Márquez became the third rider to achieve such a feat in the premier class, after Mick Doohan and Giacomo Agostini.[58]
Márquez suffered his first defeat of the season at Brno,[59] but won the following race at Silverstone, defeating Jorge Lorenzo.[60] At Misano, Márquez crashed while battling for the race lead with Valentino Rossi; he remounted and – with a last-lap retirement for Aleix Espargaró – was able to score one championship point.[61] Márquez and Pedrosa crashed in heavy rain late in the race at Aragon and finished 13th[62] and 14th, with Lorenzo winning his first race of the year after he stopped earlier from third position to change to his wet-setup motorcycle.[63] Márquez clinched his second title at Motegi with three rounds remaining.[7][64] At Phillip Island, Márquez took his 12th pole position of the season, matching Casey Stoner's record from 2011, but he crashed out while leading the race,[65] his first non-finish since the 2013 Italian Grand Prix. At Sepang, Márquez broke Stoner's record, with his 13th pole position of the season and his 50th Grand Prix pole position. He took his 12th win of the season, matching Mick Doohan's record of most premier class victories in a single season, from 1997.[66] Márquez's result was also good enough for Honda to claim the manufacturers' championship, with a race to spare.[67] At the final race in Valencia, Márquez broke Doohan's record, with his 13th win of the season.[68]
2015[edit]
The 2015 MotoGP season started off with Márquez, once again, being the favourite to take the Championship, but he started slowly with a fifth-place finish in Qatar, after a mistake at Turn 1 dropped him to the back of the 25-rider field.[69] He won the second race of the season in Texas, his third successive triumph at the Circuit of the Americas.[70]In Argentina, Márquez, started from pole position, and then led the race with a maximum lead of four seconds. However, Valentino Rossi closed the gap and on lap 22 caught up to Márquez. The two riders made contact at Turn 5 with two laps remaining, with Márquez crashing out of the race to record his first non-finish since the 2014 Australian Grand Prix.[71] He finished second behind Jorge Lorenzo in Spain, despite riding with a fractured finger on his left hand after a dirt-track accident, a week before the race.[72] In France, Márquez took his third pole position of the season, but dropped down to seventh place at the start. He overtook Cal Crutchlow, who crashed out of the race, and on lap 22, Márquez struggled during a hard battle for fourth place with Bradley Smith and Andrea Iannone, who was riding despite his injured left shoulder, and finally Márquez finished in fourth place ahead of Iannone.[73]
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Márquez failed to finish the races in Italy[74] and Catalunya,[75] but returned to the podium with a second-place finish at Assen,[76] after a race-long battle with Rossi. Márquez took successive victories in Germany,[77] and Indianapolis,[78] before a second-place finish at Brno.[79]Márquez crashed out at Silverstone in wet conditions,[80] but won at Misano.[81] Márquez crashed out at Motorland Aragon,[82] and a fourth-place finish in Motegi ended his hopes of retaining the title.[83] In his 130th start, Márquez achieved his 50th Grand Prix win – becoming the ninth rider to reach that mark, and the youngest to do so,[84] at 22 years, 243 days – with a final-lap pass on Lorenzo at theAustralian Grand Prix.[85] Márquez crashed out in Malaysia after a collision with Valentino Rossi. The incident was reviewed by Race Direction after the race, where Rossi was given three penalty points – enough to enforce a start from the back of the grid for the final race in Valencia.[86] Márquez finished second to Lorenzo in Valencia, with Lorenzo taking the world title
