VOL. 55 ISSUE 38 SEPTEMBER 25, 2018 P57
MARQUEZ
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
T
here's been a pattern to MotoGP since the summer break. It's the
Ducati/Honda show. The Italian bikes have achieved a marvelous
maturity, and only Marc Marquez has been able to match them.
So, has it become predictable?
Anything but. The fighting is hard, the tension fascinating. There have
been three different winners in the past four races. And at Aragon, for the
first time since before the holidays and after an afternoon of the hardest
possible work, this time it was Honda's turn again.
Just to add to the variety, there were new and unexpected combatants
in a four-way battle. Andrea "Desmo Dovi" Dovizioso and Marquez were
joined by both factory Ecstar Suzukis. Andrea Iannone even led briefly,
and Alex Rins was seldom more than a bike-length or two away.
But where was pole qualifier Jorge Lorenzo and his missile factory
Ducati? He didn't even make the first corner. Pushed wide onto the dirty
part of the track by Marquez, he was precipitated into a vicious highside
as he re-opened the throttle, and was stretchered off to the medical
In the three previous Marquez
vs. Dovizioso battles, it was
always the red riding Italian
who came out on top. This time,
Marquez reminded everyone
why he's the world champion.
