Marc Marquez is one of the top 5 most talented riders ever. He may be the single most talented. But he was bad for the sport. In his absence, we have seen great racing, unpredictability, drama, and amazing paint scrubbing racing. But look at the numbers and these guys are actually faster than Marc was.
The real superpower Marc brought to the starting line was fearlessness and a win-or-die mentality. Marc has been riding on the edge of crazy for a long time and has been the fastest because of it. And he has managed not to pay a price. He crashes more than anyone else but has never been hurt seriously until 2 seasons ago. Meanwhile, in Marc's absence, we have seen Honda move on and Alex show his world championship form in the GP class. The racing is the best I have seen in the GP class in a great while.
When Marc lined up on the line you knew he was going to win or crash. While some may admire his guts, I would rather see a racer race with his brain. Obviously, Marc is capable of piloting his Honda intelligently, but he tends to prefer the bonkers approach. The interesting question is how much risk will Marc take now that he realizes this isn't a video game and the price to pay for over-valoring could be a career, or worse. And of course, will he be able to control that diva temper when he's not alone at the top?
In any event, I for one am not looking forward to his return. It turns out really fast guys riding intelligently makes for a better Sunday morning show. Maybe what makes Rossi the GOAT is that he was always only a bike or two ahead of the field.
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