MotoGP: Marc Marquez Ready For Indy
Paul Carruthers | August 6, 2014
When Marc Marquez lines up for Sunday’s Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix he’ll be aiming for a 10th straight win in the 2014 MotoGP World Championship. And there won’t be many in the line betting that he won’t.
After all, the defending World Champion has completely dominated the 2014 season and he arrives at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a massive 77-point lead int he series point standings. Wins in the next five races and the Spaniard will wrap up the title in Aragon – with four races to spare. No matter where anybody else finishes.
It’s getting to the point where there’s simply not enough space to write about the things that Marquez is accomplishing. And he’s only 21. Yes, Twenty One.
When Marquez won the last round before the summer break in Germany, it was his 41st Grand Prix win (in all classes) – a mark that put him 13th on the all-time list. A victory in Indy will move him into a tie with multi-time World Champions Toni Mang and Max Biaggi with 42 career wins. And Marquez has now won 15 MotoGP victories – the same number as countryman Alex Criville, the first Spaniard to win a premiere class World Championship.
As for riders in the premiere class who have won nine more races in a row… how does this sound for a list of who’s who? Giacomo Agostini, Mike Hailwood, John Surtees, Mick Doohan and… yes, Marc Marquez.
But now the focus shifts to seeing if someone can stop the kid from Cervera. And it’s Indy’s turn to play host to history in the making. And Marquez has won three races in a row at the Brickyard – twice in Moto2 and last year’s MotoGP race, which he started from pole position. He sounds confident heading into the race, and why wouldn’t he be?
“It’s been a great summer break, which has combined some important time off to recharge the batteries, and also training to ensure I’m ready for the second half of the season,” Marquez said. “I’ve had time to reflect on what an amazing first nine races we’ve had and now I’m really eager to get back on the bike in Indianapolis. I’ve always liked the track and it will be interesting to see the changes that they’ve made, so we’ll need to pay attention from the first practice session and get back into our rhythm as quickly as possible.”
Paul Carruthers | Editor
Paul Carruthers took over as the editor of Cycle News in 1993 after serving as associate editor since starting his career at the publication in 1985. Carruthers has covered every facet of the sport in his near-28-year tenure at America’s Daily Motorcycle News Source.
