MotoGP: Marquez – down and out?

Marc Marquez is a double World Champion (MotoGP). A feat which he accomplished in scintillating fashion. He is also the reigning World Champion. The aforementioned facts lean in a direction which intimates that Marc Marquez is no ordinary individual and only someone who is challenged in the intelligence department would arrive at a different conclusion. Marquez has shown that he is indeed a fearless, victory-grabbing demon when he jumps on his Repsol Honda. But that was then.

The current MotoGP championship has shown that Marquez is actually human. He is not as infallible as his pre-2015 exploits coerced us to think. Surprisingly, we have been exposed to a side of Marquez, that his opponents spent countless nights on their curb-scraping knees, praying for! He is devoid of his bulletproof armor, victory continues to escape his clutches and he is no longer a permanent fixture on the podium. The truth is unbearable. He is a mere mortal!

The memo went out, the riders in the paddock drew their weapons and like Maroons, they planned an ambush! The Yamaha duo, Lorenzo and Rossi went on the warpath rather early. They were unsympathetic and merciless.

Lorenzo

In recent time, Lorenzo’s status, riding on the seat of four consecutive victories, has escalated to major championship contender! His teammate, ‘The Doctor’ saw his christian name being etched on the trophy and he is riding as if his legacy is in doubt! He clings to a single-point lead over Lorenzo. The extent of the mutiny is only understood when you consider the fact that the Ducati boys are battling for podium spots at each circuit and ‘newcomer’ Suzuki, has broken new ground with a pole-snatching performance recently.

Marc Marquez is having a horrible season. Victory’s sip of champagne is no longer his colleague. He is now more familiar with the taste of warm asphalt and crunchy gravel! The general gist of the experts provides no comfort. They are generally of the view that his championship is in”tatters” and they do not see him recovering from the malady which ails him.

I agree that Marquez has hurled an unexpected bag of depressing results at his fans, but I will be the first to offer forgiveness. Yes, his quest for more glory – to secure his third title – lies in “tatters” but I will also be the first to tell you that it is not over, yet!

Rossi stated that with Marquez it is all or nothing. And that all or nothing approach has rewritten a significant portion of the MotoGP history book! His flamboyant, treacherous, daring, but highly exciting riding style has reinvigorated the sport!

Marc Marquez cannot be ruled out and the wizards at Honda will not rest until a winning mixture is arrived at. There are far too many races remaining in the current season for us to be thinking that it is a lost cause. Marquez may be down, but he is not out!

Watch the Dutch GP this weekend!

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer