2019 CYCLE NEWS RIDER OF THE YEAR—MOTOGP CHAMPION MARC MARQUEZ
P88
Interview
ever records since his first MotoGP
title as a rookie in 2013; among them
the youngest to claim six premier-
class titles. Traditionalists will appre-
ciate, though, that he missed out on
being the youngest to take four in a
row. Mike Hailwood was 25 when he
took his fourth straight in 1965.
For Marc, racing started at age
five, in enduros. Father Julia was a
motorcycle rider rather than a racing
fan, though he did motocross mar-
shaling duty. The impetus came from
the boy. "He said, 'I want a motor-
bike.' And our life changed."
By the age of seven, he was
motocrossing, age eight, he was
Catalan champion. At 10, he began
to focus on road racing, and by 12
had formed a crucial relationship with
former 125cc World Champion Emilio
Alzamora, who was building a racing
empire running from the selection
and development of riders to the
training of technicians.
A wolf in sheep's clothing, or just a straight-up wolf?
This would prove paramount.
Alzamora, still Marc's and younger
brother Alex's personal manager,
recognized him as not only talented
but with an exceptional racing brain.
"When I explained to him things
about riding, about how to do the
corners, I spoke not with a guy of
12 years, but 25 years," Alzamora
once told me. He put Marc on a fast
track to GP racing, with high-level
machines and generous financial
backing all the way.
At age 13, he was on a GP-class
125 Honda, impressing in the 2006
and 2007 CEV national Spanish
championship, nowadays dubbed
WITH A GROWING PILE OF
TROPHIES AND STATISTICS,
VAULTING BANK BALANCE,
AND AN EVER-GREATER
ARMY OF FANS, HE KEEPS
GETTING BETTER. AS IF THAT
WERE POSSIBLE.
