He, with a small mouth, goes around saying that it will be (almost) impossible to fight them, this year, for the world title. MotoGP to the two Ducati leaders, ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia y Jorge Martin. Marc Marquez Encourages31 years old, 8 world titles, says that all the stars “existing and future” must come together for him to have any chance of success in the last three races.
Fundamentally, not only because he comes from nothing, from the operating room, from the gym, from absolute desperation and, although he has recovered (almost) all his power, he does not have the same bike as the favourites and, therefore, it is impossible to compete against the two powerful Ducati ‘Desmosedici’ of the two-time champion and the runner-up. 2025 will be a different story. That is his second plan after having completed the first by signing for Ducati Corse.
There is still a lot, a lot left
When you ask Bagnaia if the only one who can challenge him for the title is Martin, the Italian rider from the Borgo Panigale factory puts his hands on his head and says: “Please! We are not even halfway through the championship, there are 12 races left, that is, 444 points at stake. This is a long way off. It seems, yes, that Jorge and I are on a similar path to last year, when everything was decided on the last day, but the grid is full of official bikes and champion riders in various categories, including MotoGP. Marc (Márquez), for example, has eight world titles, let’s stop making predictions, please.”
“Let’s not make predictions, please. We haven’t even crossed the halfway point of the World Championship. There are 12 Grands Prix left, 444 points up for grabs. There are a lot of official bikes and all the riders are world champions.”
However, the two-time champion from Turin recognizes that the two ‘Desmosedici’ models that are on the grid of the top category, the 2024s, his, Martín’s, Enea Bastianini and of Franco Morbidellias well as the 2023 of MM93his brother Alexwho has just renewed his contract with Gresini Racing Team for two more years, Marco Bezzecchi y Fabio DiGiannantonio “They are impressive, which is why the last five podiums have been taken by all of us. Not only is the bike very good, but the riders are also very good.”
Bagnaia has just achieved a double in Assen (Netherlands), the ‘cathedral’ of world motorcycling. He has added his third consecutive victory on that track and has managed to equal the number of ‘Ducati’ victories (23) with theAustralian Casey Stoner“I love Assen, that’s why I got it tattooed on me in 2016, after my first win. But there’s still a long way to go, I insist, and we all have to keep riding and working at the same level.”
‘Pecco’ Bagnaia and Marc Márquez greet each other before the Assen press conference. / Jesús Robledo
We go from Assen, Bagnaia’s kingdom, to Sachsenring (Germany), the garden, along with Austin (Texas, USA, 7 victories), of the eldest of the Márquez brothers, who has won on the German track on 11 occasions: 2010 (125cc), 2011 and 2012 (Moto2), 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 (MotoGP). “I know that everyone thinks that we visited the ideal circuit for me to achieve not only my first victory with Ducati, but my first victory since Misano-2021, but Bagnaia and Martín are very strong.”
Márquez dreams, of course, of fighting for victory or the podium with the two Ducati leaders. “Both ‘Pecco’ and Jorge have gained spectacular momentum in the last three races and I think they are one step ahead of all of us. At Le Mans and Jerez, for example, it seemed that I was the only one who could fight, a little, with them, but in the last three Grand Prix they have taken their competitiveness up a notch. Now, we cannot dream of snatching victory from them.”
“At Le Mans and Jerez I was able to get close to ‘Pecco’ and Jorge, but in the last three Grand Prix they have taken a step further, now they are a step above the rest. I hope to be able to get close to them again in Germany, which I love.”
It is clear, given the data offered by his record at Sachsenring, that it is one of the tracks marked in red for making a splash and completing an impressive season of adaptation to the Ducati. “They have escaped me in the World Championship standings, I am 58 points behind but, as ‘Pecco’ says, there are still 444 points at stake. Anything can happen. Now, to be honest, and we have to be, in Germany this weekend if we put together a perfect weekend, which is not easy, and I feel good, comfortable on the bike, fast, at most I will be there with them, that is, at their level, but certainly not above them.”
It is well known that Ducati, they say, assure, that there are no secrets for the riders, that is, the eight professionals who ride the ‘Desmosedici’ can see the telemetry of their other seven teammates. “If you look at the data, ‘Pecco’ does everything easily, fluidly and is very consistent. You only had to see him ride at Assen, he led all the laps and ended up winning, without any trouble, the two races, the short one and the long one on Sunday, it is very difficult to reach that level.”
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2024-07-01 22:17:20
#Márquez #Bagnaia #Martín #level #hope #challenge #victory #Germany
