CN
III IN THE PADDOCK
P112
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
W
hat's luck, what's luck
got to do with it?
Well, not everything,
perhaps. But it's essential.
Even the most skillful and self-
opinionated racer will admit that
talent is only the base ingredient
for success. You need all that.
Then you need a good bike and
a good team. Plus good luck. Or
at least an absence of bad luck.
In this way grand prix racing is
like any sport, or even any game
of cards. You need to be dealt a
good hand before you can use it
to win.
This might seem obvious, but
a reminder now and then does
not go amiss. Marc Marquez
has just had a couple of such
reminders. A reversal of his luck
could change the course of
a MotoGP championship that
has started out promising more
variety and tension this year than
last, when the stripling won the
first 10 races in a row.
The main one came, as it
has to many other riders, while
indulging in a spot of motocross.
This is ideal training for MotoGP.
Good exercise, for one. And
motocross requires not only
creative use of body weight but
as importantly, great finesse in
throttle control. And it's fun. Until
it goes wrong.
Marquez's crash was innocu-
ous enough. Can happen. The
problem was his companion, fol-
lowing right behind and charging
straight into the fallen rider.
THE LUCK OF THE DEVIL
