Cycle News

VOLUME 63 ISSUE 18 MAY 5, 2026 P149 was different. For one thing, it happened at turn 11, the fast- est on the Andalusian circuit. While a difficult and important corner, it is an unusual place to fall. On a weekend with a (below average) total of 48 crashes, only one other rider hit the deck there, Moto2's Sergio Garcia. More importantly, Marc had no explanation. To the public, it was "a small mistake." But to his team, he was genuinely baffled. No explanation. And as every rider knows, the crashes that take you by surprise, for which you can find no explana - tion, are the worst. They're the ones that make you lose sleep. Just for the record, it was Marc's second race crash of the weekend. He also fell in Satur - day's Sprint, hit halfway through by sudden heavy rain. In typical style, however, he managed to jump back on, whiz across the racetrack into the pits for a wet bike, and go out again to win a crazy race. Vintage Marquez. Surviving crashes is vintage Marquez. He has not always recorded the most crashes in a single year, but it has happened quite often. This was so in 2022 (22 falls) and again in 2023 (29), the last of his increasingly dif - ficult late Honda years, when he was battling not only lingering injury but also an increasingly intractable bike. Learning the Ducati in 2024, he clocked 24 tumbles, with only Pedro Acosta (28) suffer - ing more. Just falling off, even at speed, isn't going to faze him. So why the concern? Because it might be part of a pattern. An under- mining moment. The trigger for a costly lapse in confidence. This is Marquez we are talk - ing about here, the rider who did in Valentino Rossi, the greatest of his generation. That makes doubts seem a little far-fetched. But it seems the background music might have changed, slightly but significantly. For example, we have Jorge Lorenzo suggesting that in - creased corner speeds have left the great man floundering, struggling to adapt his style to the latest developments. Which sounds daft, but to be fair, it is something that eventually hap - pens to aging riders, no matter how great they were before. Each fresh genius sets new standards, while other riders follow on, seeking and eventu- ally finding new ways to catch up. As the chasers develop new techniques, the erstwhile and now inevitably older leader finds it hard to adapt his own style. Old dogs, new tricks. Jorge's opinion is not to be ignored, and furthermore, there is a more prosaic reason for its credibility: simply physical. The injury that brought an early end to Marc's triumphant 2025 sea - son in Indonesia, after winning the title with five races to spare. Ironically enough, it was caused when he was knocked off by his current nemesis, Marco Bezzec - chi (whom he immediately and publicly forgave—what a jolly decent chap he is). After yet more surgery, Marc started this year with his right shoulder not yet fully recov - ered, and five races in, it is still not back to normal. It might never be. It means that he can't ride with his usual upper-body strength and agility. He might never be able to. This was compounded by an apparently minor but still costly instability in the latest Ducati, which further spoiled Marc's prowess in the opening laps. We have seen several times that his late-race lap times are as quick as the leaders', but by then, he had already lost too much ground. Ducati may or may not have solved this issue in the post-Jer - ez tests, where honeyed reports of "promising progress" were, as usual, accompanied by a lack of any meaningful detail. Marc needs them to find a solution. He may be one of the greatest riders of all time, but he is still a vulnerable human being, at a stage of his life and career when many objectives have already been achieved and the urgency of youth is no longer a factor. It's too soon to call the first part of the 2026 season a crisis in confidence, but all the ingredi - ents are there. The forthcoming races will be crucial if Marc hopes to extend his reign. CN

• Cover