P134
CN
III IN THE PADDOCK
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
U
nnecessarily fast? Some
killjoys might think that is
what racing is all about. I
mean to say: if you're in such a
hurry to get back to the start-fin-
ish line, why not just stay there?
But let's not completely under-
mine the point of it. Let's accept
that it is necessary to go—well,
not fast as such, just faster than
the other riders.
Two things at Brno triggered
these thoughts. One was the
presence of Mighty Mick Doo-
han, who was glad-handing and
passing out signed posters with
a picture of his old Arai crash
helmet (eh? I have a spare if
anyone is interested.).
The other was Marc Marquez,
fitting slick tires on a damp track
in qualifying. He wasn't the only
one, but also Jack Miller, the
master of mixed conditions. But
Marquez was the more conspic-
uous, as he danced with disaster
and played with the physics, to
set a clear pole time. Mission
accomplished.
But then, even as a light rain
started falling again on the final
corners, he went around and did
it again! A full 1.5 seconds faster
and several degrees scarier. It
put him a massive 2.5 seconds
ahead of the rest.
Everyone watching was hold-
ing their breath. It was a display
of sheer brinkmanship, seem-
WHEN THE REWARD IS IN RISK
Did Marc Marquez
take unnecessary risks
while leading Brno?
Or was he just being
Marc Marquez?
