MOTOGP : QUARTARARO WINS – AGAIN !

Marc Marquez and victories in the premier class have maintained an enviable record. Marc Marquez, with his huge haul of world championships, has solidified his position as a front-runner in the discussion re the G.O.A.T.

This year – when the history books complete their final assessment – will possibly be regarded as an anomaly of epic proportions. Covid-19 has successfully capsized normalcy in all aspects of life. Motorsports did not escape its clutches.

Thankfully, things are tentatively returning to some semblance of what was. Lock-down has taken its toll and we all respond in different ways to extended periods of inactivity.

At MotoGP’s first round at Jerez, Marc Marquez appeared to be his usual, brutal-self. He waved a banner of dominance and quickly shelled the pack. But, we are still in Covid-19′s atmosphere where  nothing is certain.

Marc, while pummeling the pack, left the track, at speed, at Turn 4. Miraculous was his recovery and he was forced to wrestle with fervor through the grid to a podium spot. The MotoGP devil had reckless designs though. Marc was flung from the machine in dramatic fashion with a handful of laps remaining.

Marc was, for a protracted period, the lead act in a riveting series at Jerez – a series that was not available on Netflix ! If you were immersed in Marc’s drama, chances are you missed what might be the lead story of 2020.

QUARTARARO

Fabio Quartaro remained visible, blatantly so, on the MotoGP radar in 2019. Riding a lesser machine, he was krill among a pod of whales. But, his racing acumen and his innate ability to defy the odds embarrassed crystal with their clarity. There were moments when Marc Marquez was forced to empty his bag of trips to silence the youngster.

Covid-19 has forced a truncated season and it appears as if Quartararo spent lock-down orchestrating a path to success. Unlike the multiple and defending world champion Marquez, Quartararo placed no wheel incorrectly.

Quartararo stole race 1 after Marquez’ demise. Marquez attempted to return to the seat at the Andalucia GP, but fate sang a different tune – he was forced to abandon the mission. Quartararo possibly smiled. An invitation was not necessary. In Marc’s absence, Quartararo’s ride was a riot!

Do not allow yourself to ignore a glaring fact though. Quartararo is not aboard a factory-works-machine. And despite that he was almost 10 seconds ahead of the floundering factory machines.

Quartararo’s win surpassed convincing – it was abuse! He was a samurai confronting a gang of knife-wielding thieves. Quartararo has won two on the trot. Marc Marquez has a huge points deficit to overcome. We are aware, however, that for Marc Marquez, very few things which involve a MotoGP machine are beyond reach. We salivate as we anticipate what lies ahead.

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer