Marc Marquez 2012 Title Wrap & Bio
At the age of 15, Marc Marquez entered Grand Prix racing, the Spaniard competing in the former 125cc class in 2008.
Three seasons later, Marquez took his first world title – he won the 2010 former 125cc title while competing aboard a Derbi. Marquez was on the radar of many throughout the industry, and joined the Moto2 class in 2011 aboard the Repsol Suter, the series then in its second year.
The Catalan started the 2011 season off with accidents at the opening two rounds in Qatar and Jerez. Though not the smoothest season, Marquez ended second overall behind winner Stefan Bradl. That year, Marquez won six races.
The 2012 season was a different story. Marquez began with a win, and continued performing optimally throughout the season. And at Phillip Island – the penultimate round of 2012 Moto2 – Marquez clinched the 2012 title.
Starting on the front row, Marquez took the holeshot. But a few corners later, he dropped to second behind Nakagami, but then retook the lead. One lap later, Pol Espargaró got past him and Marc had a wobble, taken advantage of by his rival to pull ahead.
On lap six, Scott Redding would move pass Marquez, leaving the Spaniard in third for almost the entire race. Motivated home rider Anthony West latched on and managed to overtake both of the two, as Márquez stuck in the slipstream for two laps and finally passed Redding on the last corner to take the podium finish.
With one round remaining, Marquez, who will join Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa in MotoGP next year, took 8 wins in 2012 Moto2, helping him achieve the most overall GP victories of a rider under the age of 20 (25 victories in total). And when he wasn’t winning, Marquez was on the podium a further five times.
Marc Marquez (Repsol Moto2) says: “It’s an incredible feeling, a dream. When you cross the finish line it is a great moment, but it happens very fast. The best bit comes with the celebration with the team. It is very satisfying to win the title. At this time I remember the hard times this year, the injuries, the support of my family and team. I cannot help but get emotional.
“It was a very difficult title victory, because Pol [Espargaró] has not made it at all easy for me and deserves my congratulations for the great season he’s had. After the serious injury I suffered a year ago, which could taken me away from racing forever, the most important thing is that I was able to get back riding. This season the team formed a magnificent group. I have never felt so comfortable in a team before. We have full confidence in one another.”
Following is a bio of Marquez courtesy of MotoGP.
Marc Marquez Bio:
Marc Márquez’s debut World Championship campaign in 2008 immediately served notice of his talent, and he took a podium at Donington in his first season despite a shortened campaign due to injury. In 2009 he scored a single podium on his way to eighth overall, before his full talent truly blossomed in 2010 as he scored an incredible 10 victories from 12 poles on his way to the 125cc World Championship title. One of his most notable rides was the fight-back from last on the grid in Estoril to storm to victory.
Stepping up to Moto2 in 2011 the youngster got off to a rocky start, crashing out of the first two rounds. However, a first win in Round 4 at Le Mans laid the way for six more victories as he pushed Stefan Bradl for the title closely, until a crash in practice at the Malaysian GP ended Márquez’s season prematurely. Problems with his vision as a result of that crash cut short his 2012 pre-season, but he was well on the pace in the final Test at Jerez and was an instant favorite for the 2012 title.
And Márquez did not disappoint as he took victory in the first race of the season in Qatar, and made his intentions clear with some tough and controversial overtakes in the race. A first DNF after a crash in a wet Le Mans gave his rivals hope, as compatriot Pol Espargaró mounted a strong challenge. Yet after a coming together of the two at their respective home race in Catalunya, where Espargaró crashed out and Márquez collected valuable points, the title race was strongly skewed in the champion’s favour.
A total of eight wins, one of which in Japan saw him fight his way through the whole pack, and 13 podiums ultimately saw the Spaniard take his maiden Moto2 World Championship title before moving up to the Repsol Honda Team in the MotoGPTM premier class next season.
Marc Marquez Career Highlights:
- At the age of 19 years 254 days he is the third youngest rider of all-time to win the world title in the intermediate-class.
- He is the fifth Spanish rider to win the intermediate-class world title, joining: Sito Pons (1988 & 1989), Dani Pedrosa (2004 & 2005), Jorge Lorenzo (2006 & 2007) and Toni Elias (2010).
- Márquez is the first rider to win the Moto2 world title using a Suter chassis.
- He has already had eight victories in 2012, which is a new record for most Moto2 wins in a single season.
- With 25 wins already in Grand Prix racing, Marquez has won more Grand Prix races than any other rider in the history of the sport whilst still a teenager.
Marc Marquez MotoGP Career:
- 2008: 125cc World Championship – 13th position on KTM, 13 starts, 63 points
- 2009: 125cc World Championship – 8th position on KTM, 16 starts, 94 points
- 2010: 125cc World Championship – 1st position on Derbi, 17 starts, 310 points
- 2011: Moto2 World Championship – 2nd position on Suter, 13 starts, 251 points
- 2012: Moto2 World Championship – 1st position on Suter, 16 starts, 299 points (one round remaining)
Marc Marquez Quick Facts:
- Birth date: 17/2/93
- Birth place: Cervera, Spain
- First Grand Prix: QAT – 2008 – 125cc
- First Pole Position: FRA – 2009 – 125cc
- First Podium: GBR – 2008 – 125cc
- First GP Victory: ITA – 2010 – 125cc
- Grand Prix Starts: 77
- Grand Prix Victories: 25
- Podiums: 38
- Pole Positions: 28
- Race Fastest Lap: 15
- World Championship Wins: 1x125cc, 1xMoto2
