My passion for motorbikes makes me push harder: MotoGP world champ Marc Marquez
With four MotoGP titles including this year, Marc Marquez of Repsol Honda is in elite company with just Giacomo Agostini, Valentino Rossi and Mick Doohan ahead of him
He has already won four MotoGP titles at 24 and is in line for a few more, but Spaniard Marc Marquez only wants to live ‘out of motorbikes’.
The reigning world champion has also won a Moto3 (with Red Bull Ajo Motorsport) and Moto2 crown (Catalunya Caixa Repsol) each before stepping into the premier MotoGP class where he won the championship on debut in 2013.
Hindustan Times caught up with the Repsol Honda rider, who, apart from MotoGP, is also interested in Motocross and would like to try his hand at a F1 car in the future.
Excerpts:
HT: Four championships in five years of MotoGP! What you’ve achieved is not something that happens every day. What drives you to earn this greatness?
Marquez: The most important factor is the passion I feel for motorbikes and for my sport. This is what allows me to train and work hard every day without seeing it as a sacrifice, but almost as a hobby.
HT: How would you rate the fight against Andrea Dovizioso this topsy-turvy season?
Marquez: Dovi has been a tough opponent. As I’ve said, I didn’t expect him to be so strong until the end but he proved he was a great championship contender. He arrived until the last race with options to win the title and in the two last-lap fights we had, in Austria and Japan, he beat me, so he did an amazing season.
HT: Who would you say is your fiercest rival or opponent and why?
Marquez: It depends on the season or even in the part of the season. This year, for example, (Maverick) Vinales started so strong and seemed unreachable but in the end it was Dovi who fought with us. The fact that we have a good relationship out of track doesn’t mean that he hasn’t been a tough opponent.
HT: With four MotoGP titles, you’re in elite company. Only Giacomo Agostini, Valentino Rossi and Mick Doohan are ahead of you. Do you have any set target or aim that you want to achieve in terms of world championships or victories?
Marquez: It’s a real honour to be in the elite company but I don’t like to think about the far future. Now I want to enjoy this title and in January we’ll start thinking about what we can do to win the next one. I don’t put myself a goal.
HT: Are you interested in other forms of motorsport for example Formula 1? If you had an opportunity what other form of motor racing would you like to try and why?
Marquez: Of course I’m interested! I like everything that smells gasoline! I would love to try Formula 1 and hope I can do it in the future because it must be an awesome experience. But I don’t think I would ever compete in F1. From the disciplines I’ve tried besides MotoGP, the one that I like the most is Motocross. When I ride an MX bike is when I enjoy more and, actually, I’ve already done some races when in the off season.
HT: In your incredibly successful career, what do you cherish most?
Marquez: The thing that I like the most is the fact that I dedicate my life to my passion. This is something I often talk with my brother, who has the same luck as me, and we say to each other: “We have to be thankful that we are living for and out of motorbikes”, and that’s what I try to do.
