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/229152
CN III CARRUTHERS SAYS P210 BY PAUL CARRUTHERS THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT I 've been to my fair share of motorcycle races in my 28 years at Cycle News. Combine that with a childhood spent traveling the world while going to motorcycle races and you can start to figure out why I think of myself as somewhat of an expert on all things racing. With that being said, Marc Marquez made me feel stupid. With Marquez's rookie season of MotoGP racing on the horizon, I made the bold prediction that the 20-year-old Spaniard would win a few races and finish fourth or so in the championship. I figured he'd be fast, but would have a few crashes (that he did). I also figured that the MotoGP bike would bite him enough that he would, as my mom would say, "spend a little time between the linen." That he didn't. He crashed and crashed often, but only in practice and he was able to bounce back from each one with all the gusto of… well, of a 20 year old. Make that a 20 year old with a bit of good fortune on his side. And he won the MotoGP World Championship. Are you kidding me? You can read all about Marquez's exploits elsewhere in this issue, but there's no denying that he's a very special young man. If you read Cycle News then chances are you know who Freddie Spencer is. And Kenny Roberts. Youngest premier class World Champion heading into 2013? That'd be Spencer. Last rider to win the premier class World Championship in his first attempt? Hello, Mr. Roberts. So what Marquez did was go out and make it easier for those answering trivia questions from here on out because the answer to both of those questions is… Marc Marquez. He's also now the answer to the question that gets answered here every year: Who is the 2013 Cycle News Rider of the Year? So who did Marquez beat out for the award? Well the list has to start with Ryan Villopoto. For the third straight year, Villopoto won the Supercross Series, becoming just the third rider in history to win three SX titles in a row (joining Jeremy McGrath and Ricky Carmichael). And the 25 year old also won the outdoor title – for what was his eighth AMA National Championship. So all in all, he had a very Villopoto year, though he ended it with a bit of controversy after opting to skip the Motocross of Nations to undergo foot/ankle surgery. Even though Marquez and Villopoto were the most dominant riders in the sport in 2013, they couldn't be more different. At least on the surface. While Marquez can't seem to stop smiling, it seems a feather to the bottom of Villopoto's surgically repaired foot might not even get you a grin. And while one is on the verge of true superstardom, the likes of which only Valentino Rossi has ascended to, the other is already talking about retiring when his current contract is up. So the same, but very different. So while it was really only about those two when it came time to pick our Rider of the Year, there were plenty of others standing in line be- hind them. How about Tom Sykes, the Brit bouncing back from losing the World Superbike Championship by half a point (yes, half a point) in 2012 to win the title this year? Or Charlie Mullins returning to the top of the heap in the National Enduro Championship after finishing 11th in a disappointing 2012? Matt Smith stands apart from the rest in that his NHRA Pro Stock Championship came in the same season that his father Rickie won an NHRA title on four wheels. You don't see that every day. Okay, you never see it. Then there's Eli Tomac, the 21-year-old Coloradoan who many believe is the next big thing in motocross/Supercross. Tomac won the 250 Motocross Championship and barely lost out to Ken Roczen in the 250 Supercross West Series after winning the title the year before. This year he moves to 450s full time and big things are expected. Kailub Russell is another young gun who had a tremendous 2013 season, the KTM factory rider beating Mullins to the GNCC title by seven points with the championship going down to the final race between the two teammates. And there may not have been a more popular champion in 2013 than East Coast 250 Supercross Champion Wil Hahn. One of those in the pits that everyone likes, Hahn was another who fought back from injury, returning in 2013 from a broken hip and overcoming a broken hand at the season finale when the championship was on the line at Las Vegas.