MotoGP: The five things that make Marc Marquez a champion

HONDA superstar Marc Marquez has joined motorcycle racing’s elite with his fifth world MotoGP title — all by the age of 25. So what sets him apart?

Marc Marquez’s dominance is down to more than just pure talent. Picture: AFP

• MotoGP: Marc Marquez to start from pole

HONDA superstar Marc Marquez has joined motorcycle racing’s elite with his fifth world MotoGP title — seven when you count his Moto2 and Moto3 championships — all by the age of 25.

The Spaniard’s premier-class achievements are now equal with Australian great Mick Doohan and he is now chasing down legends Valentino Rossi (seven titles) and Giacomo Agostini (eight).

Former World Superbike winner and FOX Sports special comments man Chris Vermuelen said Marquez was something special.

“Casey Stoner was the last rider to have that pure talent,’’ Vermuelen said.

So what sets him apart?

Marc Marquez’s dominance is down to more than just pure talent. Picture: AFP

ATTITUDE

Marquez has more exes than your average contestant on The Bachelor. Exuberance. Excellence. And an expectation to be the best.

Marquez’s boyish smile is no front. Here is a sportsman who loves what he’s doing.

Some critics dismissed him as an upstart early in his career such were his precocious gifts.

His hunger to set new goals was illustrated by his declaration, when he arrived at Phillip Island with the title in the bag, that he would approach the race like it was the start of the 2019 ­season.

As his great rival Andrea Dovizioso said: “He’s not a rider who is satisfied with what he has done, he’s always looking ahead to the future. That’s the reason why he has won so many titles.”

Marquez has total command of his bike and tyres. Picture: AAP

TYRES

Those rounds chunks of rubber are so crucial to any rider but Marquez has the ability, or sixth sense, to preserve his tyres while others around him are cooking them. Asked in Melbourne this week about tyre strategy, Dovizioso was shaking his head at Marquez’s ability to preserve his tyres while maintaining a hot pace.

SAVES

Marquez has taken the sport to edge, gone over and then pulled it back again. His uncanny ability to save a sliding bike and get it vertical again has baffled fans, rivals and even his team. He says it’s instinct and cannot really explain how he uses a knee or an elbow to push up or twist the throttle or squeeze the brake at the perfectly-timed moment. Physics be damned.

The five-time champion marries physical talent with race smarts. Picture: Mark Stewart

RACECRAFT

Gone is the brash, cavalier style that marked his approach in his early MotoGP years and which probably cost him the 2015 title because of six race retirements.

Vermuelen said his maturity now made him “the complete package’’.

“He’s not only the most talented rider out there, he’s also one of the smartest,’’ Vermuelen said.

In recent races, among his many duels with Dovizioso, Marquez has stalked the Italian, picking his moment.

Four-time and current World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea said Marquez was a class apart.

“Marquez’s style is Marquez’s style — it’ll be world famous forever. He’s taking racing to the next level,’’ Rea told MotorSport magazine.

CRASHES

Marquez was famously given a motorcycle for Christmas at age five. Since then dirt track and motocross riding have been second nature. And still are. Ripping it up on dirt tracks allows a rider to push the boundaries and learn from them. Just ask Valentino Rossi or Jack Miller. Marquez has the unique claim of being both world champion while recording the most crashes (20 at last count) in the same year. But crucially most of his crashes occur in practice as he tests where the limits are and he can calibrate for the race. As Vermuelen said: “He rarely crashes on a Sunday.’’

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Originally published as MotoGP: The five things that make Marc Marquez a champion