VOLUME 56 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 17, 2019 P95
brother narrowly won Moto3
and Moto2 titles, but he hasn't
matched Marc's stellar progress.
The focus, now that they are on
the same bike in the same team,
will be even more punishingly
acute. It will be hard for Alex, and
equally so for his older brother.
Marc will undoubtedly make the
most of it and looks set to keep
on breaking records. In 2019 he
passed Mick Doohan to place third
on the list of premier-class win-
ners, with 56 to Agostini's 68 and
Rossi's 89. In the all-time list, how-
ever, there is still work to do. His
total of 82 passed Mike Hailwood
and is approaching Angel Nieto's
90, but Rossi (115) and Agostini
(122) are likely three or more years
away. And nothing lasts forever,
as the previous champions have
shown. All have given way in the
end, one way or the other.
For John Surtees, it was to
move to Formula One. For Mike
Hailwood, a triple-whammy—Hon-
da's withdrawal, a state of ennui at
winning too much, and (again) the
lure of four wheels. For Agostini, it
was a surfeit of achievement. For
Kenny Roberts, worn-out wrists
and a breadth of vision that took
him into team management. For
Wayne Rainey and Mick Doohan,
it was an injury. For Valentino
Rossi, just the march of time,
though he has so far been unwill-
ing to recognize it.
After seven premier-class
years, however, Marc Marquez's
lease on winning, however,
seems as fresh as ever. With a
growing pile of trophies and sta-
tistics, a vaulting bank balance,
and an ever-greater army of fans,
he keeps on getting better.
As if that were possible. CN
Marquez's skill in saving a crash has absolutely no peers. His technique in not
crashing is now being taught to children in racing schools in his native Spain.
