Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1365688
VOLUME 58 ISSUE 17 APRIL 27, 2021 P129 MARC IS ACCUSTOMED TO BEING ABLE TO TAKE CONTROL, OF HAVING TO DEAL WITH ONE OR AT MOST TWO CLOSE RIVALS. NOW HE NEEDS TO BE READY TO DEAL WITH PACKS OF THEM. After 265 days since he last rode a MotoGP bike and 518 since he last saw a checkered flag (when he won the 2019 Valencia GP), he almost at once looked as he'd never been away, as he pushed and plowed the front tire, spun and slid the rear, saving the saves like always. I can't have been alone won- dering if he might not win the race and wondering whether the arm-wiggling exercising wasn't psycho-bluffing to lull his rivals into a false sense of security. Turned out genuine, however; and finishing seventh was clearly a physical ordeal for his wasted muscle strength. And a mental ordeal, as he proved all too hu- man, dissolving into tears when he returned to his applauding pit. And there were moist eyes in his press debrief. (He didn't reign, but he poured.) In truth it was rather touching. It was a clear display of just how difficult his long absence has been and just how much he loves racing. Any rider forcibly removed from the saddle can imagine the heartache, the hours spent in running lap after lap on track after track in his imagination, making sure to keep fresh all the nuances of the real thing. Also, the maddening frustra- tion of watching races on televi- sion, all too aware that oneself is the major missing element from each of them. But how much of the emo- tion came from within, and how much from without? Marc's return race at Portimao showcased the rampant superi- ority of winner and new champi- onship leader Fabio Quartararo, his second victory in a row on a well-tempered new Yamaha that has taken every victory so far. Then there came the bound- ing race-pace (from 11th to sec- ond) of runner-up Bagnaia. Who might have had a shot of winning had his qualifying lap not been disallowed. Marc started strongly in fourth and dropped to seventh, an impressive enough finish for a convalescent. But he was almost 15 seconds adrift, while Zarco, Rins and Miller had all three been ahead of him when they fell off. Otherwise, it would have been 10th. This drove home an uncom- fortable truth—in Marc's lengthy absence his youthful rivals have gained massively in speed but even more importantly, also in confidence. Marc is accustomed to being able to take control, of having to deal with one or at most two close rivals. Now he needs to be ready to deal with packs of them. This is another lesson in a year of rampant rookies. Both smaller classes were won by new boys. Pedro Acosta (16), fresh from the Red Bull Rook- ies series, trumped it in Moto3, and Raul Fernandez, fresh up from winning races in Moto3, took a fine Moto2 win. A pair of Spaniards whose precocious progress threatens to eclipse the history of compatriot Marquez. A year also when old boys are struggling. None more than Rossi, whose preseason bluster about carrying on for two more years after this one has been badly undermined by a dire start to his 22nd season in the premier class. He's clearly in trouble and needs a big improve- ment to salvage his pride, and with it his enthusiasm. And a lesson also for Andrea Dovizioso who has recused himself for a year. Testing the Aprilia may be an enjoyable way of keeping your eye in, but you wouldn't want to find yourself too race-rusty in the company of the new class of 2021. Damn those playful mice, eh? CN