Photography by Gold & Goose
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez knows the day will come when he won’t win a MotoGP. He’s just hoping it’s not this weekend at Mugello. Or the next race, or the one after that. But he says he knows what to do when that day comes.
“Sure will arrive some day, some Sunday, it’s impossible to win and then it will be important in that race to be quiet and finish second, third, fourth… that day will be important to understand that we can not win and take some points for our championship.”
The way Marquez has stormed to five straight wins to start the 2014 MotoGP season makes it appear that he’s unbeatable. But if he is going to lose one, Mugello could be it. After all, Movistar Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo has won the last three GPs at the Italian circuit and his teammate Valentino Rossi practically owns the place with seven straight wins from 2002 to 2008 at one of his two home tracks (Misano being the other). It also won’t hurt Rossi’s motivation that Sunday’s race will mark his 300th Grand Prix.
The difficulty of this weekend’s race isn’t lost on Marquez.
“Lot of people will support Valentino and I think 90 percent of the circuit will be yellow color, but Valentino is Valentino and he arrive with 300 GPs and it’s incredible with this many GPs on that level,” said the defending World Champion in today’s pre-race press conference. “I expect to see a great level from him this weekend. And also Jorge [Lorenzo] is so fast here and has won last three GPs. It will be a difficult weekend, but we will try and do our job. We start on Friday and try to find the correct et up and our target is to fight for victory. If this is not possible, then we try to visit the podium.”
Marquez also has memories of Mugello. Both good and bad. In 2010 he won the first World Championship race of his career in the 125cc Grand Prix. He also won in Moto2 at Mugello in 2011. But last year his weekend started with his horrific crash on the front straight and ended with a second crash in the race itself.
“Of course, like you say, Mugello I have great memories,” Marquez said. “I won my first race in World Championship in 125, but last year was a most difficult weekend especially with the crash on Friday. But anyway in my mind I know was second and fighting for podium. I know that I crashed, but I was there. I was close to the first guy, who was Jorge [Lorenzo]. We will see with this weekend. I think with more experience one year later it will be different and I expect that.”
Mugello is a special racetrack. Fast and flowing and somewhat daunting.
“It’s special because it’s really a fast track and also so tight for MotoGP,” Marquez said. “You need to be so concentrated because if you do some mistake you immediately go off the track. It’s one of the most difficult tracks, but the reality is that it is so nice and you enjoy a lot.”
