MotoGP 2013: Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi and the cusp of greatness

Overtaking greatness!

It’s not just victories but memorable passes which usually reverberate around the world of Moto GP. While some overtaking manoeuvres steer the onlookers to indulge in false hopes, most make way for telling conclusions – on and off the track. And one might not be thrilled by the fact that in the last decade, Valentino Rossi has been a constant protagonist in a whole lot of momentous passes, and the only rider synonymous with change in his generation.

At Jerez 2005, he effectively ended fellow rival Sete Gibernau’s career by outmuscling him on the last lap, while 2008 saw Rossi famously ‘Corkscrew’ Casey Stoner at Laguna Seca to snatch the World Championship. Again at Catalunya 2009, in a rather heated contest, Rossi’s final turn onslaught on Lorenzo was his way of showing the Spaniard his rightful place.

Legacies dented and decimated – the Doctor had done it all in his glittering career. Of course, the winning champagne may have capped his winning festivities, yet it were these crucial moments that conjured what has been a prolific career for the man from Tavullia.

Now, five years on, the famous Corkscrew curve of Laguna Seca came calling for Rossi’s name all over again – only this time he was to be on the receiving end of the proceedings. A quick rewind of the iconic Stoner-Rossi battle must have flashed past the watching crowd.

A 20-something Spaniard etched an even deeper line of gravel as he roared back on the track to leave Rossi on his tail for the rest of the evening. Never had a rookie won a race, on what Rossi’s chief engineer once called as a ‘sh**ty little track’, until Marc Marquez stepped up the podium to take his second-straight race win of the season.

As if that wasn’t enough, at Jerez, Marquez then literally shoved Lorenzo off the track, presenting his own version of the Rossi-Gibernau 2005 duel on the same track. Suddenly, the Moto GP season looked like an exhibition of its iconic moments – all in one season – thanks to Marquez.

With another win at Indianapolis last weekend, Marquez, in his first season, has a clear 25-point advantage on the top of the pile. He smashed the pole record by nine-tenth of a second in the race and went on to win it more than a second faster than his closest championship contenders – Lorenzo and Pedrosa. Certainly, that is something even Rossi wouldn’t have seen coming at the start of the season.

Unlike his Spanish counterpart Lorenzo – an off-track Rossi pretender – Marquez is making a name by replicating the exploits of his childhood hero. Rossi, on the other hand, at the horizon of what has been a splendid career, couldn’t have asked for a better parting gift from the sport. This has given him a chance to compete with his younger self. After beating the best of almost two generations of riders, this may well be the worthiest of opponents to share the grid with the Doc.

Nonetheless, it’s startling how Marquez’s epoch-making events have garnered curiosity across the globe. A rookie bagging 4 wins, including an American Double and 9 out of 10 possible podium finishes, has to be more than just pure coincidence.

You’re next – Rossi to Marquez

Considering his Championship winning exploits in Moto 2 and 125cc divisions in past three years, his ability to get a grip of the Premier class racing was never truly in doubt. Early season practice runs, where he was at par with Valentino, and less than half a second behind the likes of Lorenzo and Pedrosa, always pointed towards him having a good season under his belt.

Add initial driving transitions to the list along with the necessity of setting the pace on the track, and it never really works out that well. Be it Stoner, Lorenzo, Hayden, Pedrosa, they all have one thing in common – an ordinary first full season at the top.

Hence, it makes the argument way more convincing when we talk about Marquez aspiring to be one of the select few rookie World Champions with eight races to go.

Also, when one looks further into his preparations, one sees every sign of a veteran mapping out his race strategy. Marquez sketched a mountain biking routine during the off season to get the right physique before he’d even touched his new ride.

Prior to the first few testing sessions, Marquez was said to be prepared with all the tracks maps and conditions he may have to face throughout the season.

He didn’t leave anything to chance, and one cannot argue with the benefits he’s ended up reaping from his rigorous training regime. Also, his inclination towards Moto X during his spare time, like his fellow front-grid competitors, shows there is more to racing in his DNA than people might have thought.

Yes, this does look like an ideal route for any rookie rider to set his foot on the Moto GP platform, yet it’s been a while before we saw such an assured newbie right from the word go. In fact, one has to actually go back as far as 2002, when Rossi set the Premier class on fire in his first season, to find a rider with lots of groundwork behind his first run with the elites.

Marquez has definitely set new standards this season with a level of consistency that other riders have forsaken in search of extra pace off the track. With the exception of Mugello, he has hardly faced a major crash. Also, comparing the current lap timings with those of the rest of the grid suggest that he might end the Championship contest sooner than anyone could expect.

Marquez has shown he’s gifted, prepared, aggressive and consistent. And what eventually follows it all is winning. But the question remains – is he good enough to sustain it on a longer run? Has he got what it takes to be even one of the greatest, if not greatest of all time?

Rossi tipped him for greatness from the time he set his eyes on the Spaniard, yet there is a long way to go. Marquez, who because of his age cannot even drink his own winning champagne, still has a long way to go before he can rest on his laurels. Even Rossi, now at the age of 34, is still pushing himself hard to breach Giacomo Agostini’s magic number of 122 wins. Marquez, on the other hand, has just four wins under his belt.

When asked whether the crown was passed to its rightful heir at the Corkscrew showdown, Rossi subtly pointed to his recent lows and a struggling bike setup. He replied, ‘it was never his to give away.’ Yet, had the question been about naming his successor, he couldn’t possibly have found anyone as good as Marquez from the current roster.

Iconic passes have traditionally made way for telling conclusions, and this particular one may well herald the inevitable change of guard everyone has been waiting for.