On Track Off Road No. 194

FEATURE
How deep is his thirst to keep
going, to keep striving? To continue
to usurp Andrea Dovisiozo?
To relish the last lap last corners
slap-downs to the youthful affrontery
by Fabio Quartararo and
dish-out repetitive reminders to
fellow Catalan Maverick Viñales
that he still does not have the
package to renew their rivalry
from junior racetracks?
Marquez evidently revels in victory.
He now has 56 from 127 in
MotoGP and all with Honda. He
works and takes risks to retain
the hairline-margin of superiority
necessary in the series - in
spite of the physical costs – and
a vein of dominance that eventually
caused a second teammate
to crumble and curtail a career.
Is his yearning to win and create
a legacy still parched? It’s a
theme that we sit down to talk
about before the Grand Prix in
Sepang. Time is tight but Marquez
chats animatedly in English
and devotes his full attention
what is one of a habitual glut of
media requests every weekend.
He makes continual eye contact
under the Red Bull cap; semigrinning
expression in place. The
answers are direct and enthusiastic,
occasionally with those
chiselled hands and arms rising
to add gesture to his comments.