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Let's kick this off with an excellent review of the 2013 racers by David Emmett. An excerpt from "Looking back at 2013 - rating the riders" at https://bit.ly/1eBsCFA
Accepted wisdom holds that a rookie year is for learning, for getting to grips with a MotoGP bike, having a few big crashes, chasing the odd podium and maybe even a win. Marquez did all that and more, but how he did it marked him out as one of a kind. His first podium came in his first race, the Spaniard benefiting from problems Dani Pedrosa suffered with the dusty Qatar surface. His first win came a race later, smashing what would be one of many records in MotoGP. Youngest race winner, youngest champion, youngest rider to set a fastest lap, youngest polesitter, youngest back-to-back winner, youngest to win four races in a row, most wins as a rookie, most poles as a rookie, highest points total for a rookie; the list goes on and on. Marquez broke records held by Freddie Spencer, Kenny Roberts, Mike Hailwood. These are very big boots to fill, yet fill them he did.
What impressed most of all was his maturity. Riders are expected to crash in their first year, and Marquez crashed a lot. But he chose his moments wisely, finding the limit in practice, crashing frequently, but staying upright during the race. Only once did he crash during a race, at Mugello. He did not make that mistake again. He learned quickly, not just adapting to a MotoGP bike in short order (his manager, Emilio Alzamora, said of him, 'in the first half of the season, the bike rode him; in the second half, he rode the bike') but also handling difficult situations well. Prime example was Phillip Island, where his crew made a mistake and caused him to be disqualified. Within 15 minutes, he had assimilated the situation, got to grips with it, and was his old smiling self. That kind of mental flexibility is Marquez' strongest point.
Marquez does not earn the full 10 out of 10, though. He made mistakes a plenty, crashing constantly, riding right on the edge of the acceptable, and taking risks when he really didn't need to. His move on Jorge Lorenzo at Jerez was a hard racing move, seen at that corner many times before. But his crash at Silverstone during warm up, under yellow flags, scattering marshals who were busy picking Cal Crutchlow's bike out of the gravel was downright dangerous. A little more situational awareness would not go amiss.
Accepted wisdom holds that a rookie year is for learning, for getting to grips with a MotoGP bike, having a few big crashes, chasing the odd podium and maybe even a win. Marquez did all that and more, but how he did it marked him out as one of a kind. His first podium came in his first race, the Spaniard benefiting from problems Dani Pedrosa suffered with the dusty Qatar surface. His first win came a race later, smashing what would be one of many records in MotoGP. Youngest race winner, youngest champion, youngest rider to set a fastest lap, youngest polesitter, youngest back-to-back winner, youngest to win four races in a row, most wins as a rookie, most poles as a rookie, highest points total for a rookie; the list goes on and on. Marquez broke records held by Freddie Spencer, Kenny Roberts, Mike Hailwood. These are very big boots to fill, yet fill them he did.
What impressed most of all was his maturity. Riders are expected to crash in their first year, and Marquez crashed a lot. But he chose his moments wisely, finding the limit in practice, crashing frequently, but staying upright during the race. Only once did he crash during a race, at Mugello. He did not make that mistake again. He learned quickly, not just adapting to a MotoGP bike in short order (his manager, Emilio Alzamora, said of him, 'in the first half of the season, the bike rode him; in the second half, he rode the bike') but also handling difficult situations well. Prime example was Phillip Island, where his crew made a mistake and caused him to be disqualified. Within 15 minutes, he had assimilated the situation, got to grips with it, and was his old smiling self. That kind of mental flexibility is Marquez' strongest point.
Marquez does not earn the full 10 out of 10, though. He made mistakes a plenty, crashing constantly, riding right on the edge of the acceptable, and taking risks when he really didn't need to. His move on Jorge Lorenzo at Jerez was a hard racing move, seen at that corner many times before. But his crash at Silverstone during warm up, under yellow flags, scattering marshals who were busy picking Cal Crutchlow's bike out of the gravel was downright dangerous. A little more situational awareness would not go amiss.
