FEATURE
MOTOGP: THE YOUNGEST EVER
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
M
arc Marquez made light of his new record
– youngest ever premier-class Grand Prix
winner. Not important, he said.
Worried rivals might think otherwise. So what
does it actually mean to be so young and already
winning? And does winning only your second GP
guarantee success?
Pretty much. Six riders have won GPs before
turning 21: Freddie Spencer, Norick Abe, Dani Pedrosa, Randy Mamola and Jorge Lorenzo bested
by Marquez.
Only Spencer and Lorenzo have won championships. Pedrosa and Mamola are highly ranked nearly men. Abe never quite reached that standard. He
only won twice more, and his best championship
position was fifth, in spite of factory Yamaha backing.
On the other hand, Mick Doohan had to wait until
his second season before his first victory, aged 25,
but went on to steamroller five titles in a row.
A little perspective on
Marc Marquez's first win
AGE BEFORE
BEAUTY?
P74
WINNERS