Photo: motogp.com
How does having the Marquez brothers as colleagues in team Repsol Honda sounds? To some, this might sound a little bit wacky, but in reality, things are not that far from seeing this happening. At least, this is what the rumor mill serves us this morning…
The 2014 season was a truly spectacular one, just as the less pessimistic of us hoped it would. This year has already been written down in the motorsport history books, because it brought multiple record-breaking performances involving the two Marquez brothers, Alex and Marc.
First of all, it was the first time in the history of motorcycle racing when a rider won 13 races in a single season, in the premier class. The former record belongs to Mick Doohan, by Marc Marquez first equaled the Aussie’s 12-win streak at Motegi, only to add a 13th victory before the season was over. The list of records Marc Marquez broke this year is way too long to be mentioned here, but coupling his 2014 title win with his brother Alex becoming a Moto3 World Champion in the same season is a complete first for Grand Prix racing, as this feat was never seen before.
After all, the current contracts team Repsol Honda has with Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa are set to expire in 2017, while Alex Marquez is already confirmed as a Moto2 presence with team Marc VDS. It looks like Honda was pleased with Alex’ performance in the Valencia test when he rode his brother’s old RC213V machine, so we definitely have something here. A leading MotoGP team just doesn’t offer people rides with its prototypes, don’t you think?
Some say that Alex Marquez is so much more than “people”. After all, he is a World Champion, he rides for Marc VDS, which have just secured Honda’s satellite bike for the 2015 MotoGP season for Scott Redding and are family in one way or another. While the above are obviously true, we still believe that no top MotoGP team is inviting other riders to throw a leg over the championship-winning bike just for fun…
Of course, the battle behind Marc Marquez was fiercer than ever, with Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa being separated by very small gaps in the final rounds of the season. Still, it’s the result which matters, and Pedrosa unfortunately failed to deliver.
HRC’s politically-correct declarations were of course, supporting Pedrosa as the team finally came with a late confirmation for him as a contracted rider for 2015 and 2016. Unless the Spaniard wins a title, we have solid reasons to believe that HRC will be willing to replace him with a younger talent, at least with more chances and time to battle for the world title from 2017 on.
The rookie rule was suspended in 2012, allowing Repsol Honda to bring in Marc Marquez in the seat of a works bike instead that of a satellite team. He could make it in MotoGP in 2016, but it’s hard to say whether he will be a Repsol Honda rider, because of Dani Pedrosa’s standing deal with HRC. If Pedrosa and HRC agree on not extending the contract for 2017, we just might see an all- Marquez team on the grid. Still, the equation has too many variables that only allow us to speculate freely.
If Alex Marquez has an equally promising season in Moto2, we might see him in MotoGP with Marc VDS, some say. This would allow him an extra year to get familiarized with the premier class prototypes prior to making the jump to a factory seat.
We’re ready to make some bets that if Alex Marquez wins the 2015 Moto2 title Honda will want him in the team as early as 2016 and might make Pedrosa a pull-out offer. What do you say?
First of all, it was the first time in the history of motorcycle racing when a rider won 13 races in a single season, in the premier class. The former record belongs to Mick Doohan, by Marc Marquez first equaled the Aussie’s 12-win streak at Motegi, only to add a 13th victory before the season was over. The list of records Marc Marquez broke this year is way too long to be mentioned here, but coupling his 2014 title win with his brother Alex becoming a Moto3 World Champion in the same season is a complete first for Grand Prix racing, as this feat was never seen before.
Shuhei Nakamoto can’t help considering an all-Marquez team
HRC Vice-President Shuhei Nakamoto, the man in charge of the team is obviously very careful when it comes to making declarations. However, he admits that the idea of having the two Marquez brothers in the same box cannot be discounted altogether.After all, the current contracts team Repsol Honda has with Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa are set to expire in 2017, while Alex Marquez is already confirmed as a Moto2 presence with team Marc VDS. It looks like Honda was pleased with Alex’ performance in the Valencia test when he rode his brother’s old RC213V machine, so we definitely have something here. A leading MotoGP team just doesn’t offer people rides with its prototypes, don’t you think?
Some say that Alex Marquez is so much more than “people”. After all, he is a World Champion, he rides for Marc VDS, which have just secured Honda’s satellite bike for the 2015 MotoGP season for Scott Redding and are family in one way or another. While the above are obviously true, we still believe that no top MotoGP team is inviting other riders to throw a leg over the championship-winning bike just for fun…
How about Pedrosa’s future?
On the other hand, Honda is somewhat frustrated with Dani Pedrosa’s still missing world title. A rider with a huge experience and a constant podium presence, Pedrosa still has no MotoGP world title to his name. The season finale wasn’t a time to remember for him and the team, either, as he fell back from the runner-up position to the 4th place in the world standing in only two races, missing the 2104 podium altogether.Of course, the battle behind Marc Marquez was fiercer than ever, with Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa being separated by very small gaps in the final rounds of the season. Still, it’s the result which matters, and Pedrosa unfortunately failed to deliver.
HRC’s politically-correct declarations were of course, supporting Pedrosa as the team finally came with a late confirmation for him as a contracted rider for 2015 and 2016. Unless the Spaniard wins a title, we have solid reasons to believe that HRC will be willing to replace him with a younger talent, at least with more chances and time to battle for the world title from 2017 on.
Alex wants to ride in MotoGP
Marc’s younger brother made no secret that he is looking forward to becoming a MotoGP rider. If we couple this with the determination and good riding skills he showed in 2014 in Moto3, there is a solid chance to see him taking the step to the premier class in 2017 even.The rookie rule was suspended in 2012, allowing Repsol Honda to bring in Marc Marquez in the seat of a works bike instead that of a satellite team. He could make it in MotoGP in 2016, but it’s hard to say whether he will be a Repsol Honda rider, because of Dani Pedrosa’s standing deal with HRC. If Pedrosa and HRC agree on not extending the contract for 2017, we just might see an all- Marquez team on the grid. Still, the equation has too many variables that only allow us to speculate freely.
If Alex Marquez has an equally promising season in Moto2, we might see him in MotoGP with Marc VDS, some say. This would allow him an extra year to get familiarized with the premier class prototypes prior to making the jump to a factory seat.
We’re ready to make some bets that if Alex Marquez wins the 2015 Moto2 title Honda will want him in the team as early as 2016 and might make Pedrosa a pull-out offer. What do you say?
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