.jpg?q=50&fit=contain&w=1140&h=&dpr=1.5)
How many people can confidently claim to be exceptional at what they do? Every day, there is a new argument about who is the greatest ever in sport A or a generational talent in sport B. Marc Marquez certainly falls in the generational category. Following his exploits in MotoGP, he will soon feature in many fans' MotoGP GOAT conversations... if he isn't already.
Marc Marquez is a MotoGP racer and eight-time world champion who has showcased his talent from a very young age. At only twenty-eight years, it seems the man from Catalonia, Spain, is far from finished, and he's already one of the most-winning MotoGP riders of all time. How much do you know about Marc? Let's look at some facts that any MotoGP fan needs to know about the six-time MotoGP champion.
10 Got His First Motorcycle At Age Of Four Years
Are champions born or made? You will probably get a different answer depending on who you ask this question. One can argue that Marc Marquez is one of the people born with riding in their DNA. Marc asked for a motorcycle for Christmas when he was four years old and had his first riding experience with the help of training wheels.
After his career, it isn't bizarre to imagine Marc falling in love with the sport at a young age where most kids are interested in toys, cartoons, and playing hide-and-seek.
9 Started In Enduro
Marc kick-started his competitive racing career in dirt racing. When he was five, he took part in the Enduro for kids, since there wasn't a motocross class for his age group. In 2000 Marc came second in the Catalan Motocross Championship, and a year later won the Catalan Championship in the Initiation motocross category. Marc only made his road racing debut in 2002, where he finished third in a road racing series by the Catalan Motorcycling Federation.
The off-road world has remained Marc's passion to date, as he continues to practice and has incorporated enduro and motocross disciplines in his training regime.
8 Won MotoGP Title In His Debut Season
Marc Marquez joined the MotoGP in 2013 and took the competition by storm. He broke many records on his way to a historic title win. The 20-year-old became world champion in the premier class in his debut season, becoming the first rookie to achieve such a feat since Kenny Roberts in 1978.
During the first race of that season, Marc became the youngest rider ever to take the fastest lap of the race in a MotoGP Grand Prix. He also became the fourth-youngest rider to take the podium after Randy Mamola, Norick Abe, and Eduardo Salatino.
7 Youngest World Champion In MotoGP History
Marc Marquez is currently the youngest rider to win the premier class MotoGP championship. He achieved this in 2013 at the age of 20 years 266 days, beating the previous record set in 1983 by Freddie Spencer at 21 years 258 days.
In 2010, Marc won the 125cc world championship at the age of 17 years 63 days, making him the second-youngest rider to become world champion after Loris Capirossi, who set the record in 1990. Also, the man from Catalonia holds the record for most wins by a teenager. Marc won 26 races before he turned 20. No other rider has achieved this in the history of professional motorcycling.
6 Training Routine
Marc Marquez has a punishing fitness regime that showcases his drive to propel himself towards being the best in the sport's history. Since he was eleven years, Marc developed a regime that is a complex mix of gym work and motocross riding to fine-tune his body and reactions. He also goes out for runs and trains on a bicycle to work on cardio.
Marc emphasizes the upper trunk strength and stability, including the abdomen, to help him effectively navigate the track. He also aims to increase elasticity, since it helps prevent injury if he rolls off the gravel while racing.
5 Younger Brother is Competing in the MotoGP
Marc Marquez has a younger brother, Alex Marquez, who also lives for the sport. Alex joined the MotoGP for the 2020 season, racing on a Honda RC213V bike and managed two podium finishes. While he might have to be content with living in Marc's shadow, he is still an able rider in his own right, as he joined the MotoGP as the reigning Moto2 World Champion.
Alex has two world championships to his name after also scooping up the 2014 Moto3 Championship. After a promising MotoGP debut season, Alex can only hope to count on his superstar brother for advice on improving and becoming a better rider.
4 8 World Championship Titles As Of 2021
As of 2021, Marc has won eight Grand Prix Championships, six of which came in the premier MotoGP class. He is sixth overall in all-time wins, and still has a long way to match the fifteen championships won by the legendary Giacomo Agostini. However, only Giacomo with eight and Valentino Rossi with seven have won more titles in the premier class.
Given that Marc is only twenty-eight years old and still producing exhilarating MotoGP performances, you can only expect him to move up the all-time wins table. Whatever the case, he has cemented his name in the history books.
3 Marc Marquez Pre-Race Rituals
Many athletes are known to have rituals they follow before every event. Marc Marquez is no exception as he has confessed to having pre-race rituals, although, in his words, he does not consider himself superstitious. On Sundays, Marc wears red pants for the race and blue ones for practice, and before a race, he has to get dressed in the same order.
Marc always gets on the bike from the left-hand side. These rituals help him focus on the race and improve his concentration throughout the race weekend.
2 Marc's Show Of Solidarity
Marc Marquez's skills go beyond the sport. This is evident through the various collaborative works that showcase his teamwork, responsibility, and commitment to a better society. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Marc participated in various efforts to help stop the crisis caused by the virus. Together with his brother, they made a special helmet design for the first round of the 2020 MotoGP season. These helmets were auctioned off, and the funds were sent to the Red Cross Response Program.
Marc has worked on social projects with UNICEF with For Every Child Initiative and Allianz Seguros with their Laps for Life initiative.
1 Marc Marquez And The Ants
Marc wears a helmet with an ant image design at the top. It turns out there is a deeper meaning behind this; he identifies with ants. Marc was intimidated at school and on the racetrack due to his tiny frame at a young age. It was a big deal for his managers that they took him to a doctor to make sure he would grow a little more at fifteen years.
Marc also admires the philosophy of the ant. Ants are tiny beings that can lift things that are many times their size. He draws similarities since, as a child, he overcame his size limitations and punched above his weight by beating other young riders who were bigger than him.