Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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VOLUME 63 ISSUE 45 NOVEMBER 10, 2026 P143 Why not? But while Mick tow- ered head and shoulders above everyone else on the track with him, let's not forget that his glory years came after the departure, for various reasons, of a trio of great Americans: Eddie Law- son, Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz. It might have been dif- ferent had Mick not been hurt in 1992 when he was running away with it. Then again, it might have been different if Rainey hadn't crashed terminally in 1993. You get the point. No mat- ter how great you are, it might always have been different. The most recent past can- didate is, of course, Valentino Rossi. He sailed to champion- ships on a 125 and a 250, then blew into the premier class to dominate on a 500cc two-stroke and then on Honda and Yamaha MotoGP four-strokes. Valentino had something else: star quality. Single-handed, he raised the profile of motorcycle Grand Prix racing worldwide. No wonder many people will insist he is the unrivaled GOAT. Yet Valentino, like GOATs before him, had his downfall. His purple patch ended when he defiantly switched to Ducati. He returned somewhat shamefaced- ly to Yamaha two years later, and while he still won a lot of races, the serial domination was over, and likewise the championships. The topic, however, won't go away, thanks to a certain Span- iard, currently well on his way to beating Valentino's record of seven premier-class titles, and to equal Giacomo Agostini's eight. Where should we rank Marc Marquez in the scale of history? He is still adding to his legend— it's hard not to think of him as more than just an apprentice GOAT. The numbers are awe-inspiring enough. In individual race wins (this was written before the Qatar GP), he has 80 in the premier class, just nine short of Rossi's 89, well clear of Ago's 68. Rossi raced for 22 years to amass his total; Marc has done it in 14. Wins in all classes? Agostini's total of 123 is coming into view. Should he win in Qatar, Marc will be just seven short of catching up. Numbers are one way of measuring. There are personal metrics as well. Specifically, overcoming injury. Doohan set the standard. His 1992 crash left him with a permanently damaged leg after a long-lasting medical night- mare. His return to subsequent domination remains a shining example of courage. But Marc has made not one comeback from injury, but two. His first medical nightmare was triggered in 2020 when he broke his right arm. There followed more than two years spanning four surgeries, all while strug- gling with a recalcitrant Honda; the switch to Ducati in 2024 was the key to a return to winning. Already champion in 2025, he was knocked off before the end of the season by charging- bull Marco Bezzecchi, triggering another medical nightmare. He had fractured his right shoulder, an oft-injured joint. It was sort of fixed for this year, but not really. An errant fixing screw was interfering with the crucial radial nerve in his right arm. Not only was it painful. It also robbed him of feeling and control and triggered another string of crashes. He was riding, he revealed to Ducati, with "half an arm," which was literally true in terms of muscle strength, his doctor later confirmed. Another operation removed the troublesome screw, but it didn't solve the problem of weakness, and it hampered movement. He returned within three weeks, more than 100 points off the championship lead. Still weak and lopsided, he needed to change his technique. "It is more adaptation than rehabilita- tion," he said in Malaysia. "I am riding in a different way." With a series of both Sprint and GP wins (seven of each), he fought back to lead the championship. It would take something bizarre to stop him from winning it. There is one other thing that to me sets Marc apart from Valentino. He is far too polite to belittle or pour scorn on his ri- vals. His mind games are much more subtle. Greatest Of All Time impos- sible? I'm getting tempted to change my mind. CN