2013 MotoGP Champion Marc Marquez’s Records
When the young Marc Marquez signed with Repsol Honda ahead of the 2013 MotoGP Championship, expectations were set high.
The talent was obviously there; Marquez was a two-time champion, taking a title in the former 125cc MotoGP class (2010), and another in Moto2 (2012).
And there was no doubting the Honda RC213V; the Spaniard was filling the seat left vacant by retired two-time MotoGP Champion Casey Stoner, who earned the 2011 title aboard the machine.
Though the talent/bike combo created high expectations, racing in the premier class at 20-years old still left doubt circulating throughout the MotoGP world.
But this quickly changed at Qatar for the season opener. Marquez would finish his first official free practice in fourth behind the series top riders – Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrsoa and Valentino Rossi. He would then lead the second and third free practice sessions, and eventually finish third in his first-ever MotoGP.
Marquez would become the youngest rider to ever take a podium in a premier-class race. He also set the fastest lap at Qatar, breaking another record for youngest rider to do so.
Thus began a long list of records that led up to Marquez becoming the 2013 MotoGP Champion. En route, he took 16 podiums, including six wins, and nine poles. His only bad performances arrived at Mugello, where he suffered a DNF due to a crash, and a DNF at Phillip Island, where he was black-flagged for not pitting on time due to a mandatory bike change (new pavement).
Following are Marc Marquez’s multiple records by date set during the 2013 MotoGP Championship. If history proves anything, these records will likely remain for years to come…
April 7: Youngest rider on the premier class podium in the MotoGP era. 20 years and 49 days old (with 3rd at the Qatar Grand Prix). Youngest rider to score the fastest lap in a premier class race.
April 20: Youngest rider to achieve a pole position in the premier class (GP of the Americas). Aged 20 years and 62 days.
April 21: GP Victory at the GP of the Americas, aged 20 years and 63 days. Youngest rider in history to win a race in the premier class and also the youngest winner at races in all three categories. Also the youngest rider to lead the premier class standings and take two consecutive podiums in MotoGP, and to achieve pole, the fastest lap and the win at the same Grand Prix.
May 5: Finishes second behind Dani Pedrosa at Jerez and becomes the youngest rider to take three consecutive podiums in the premier class. Aged 20 years and 77 days.
July 22: First rookie to win at Laguna Seca and first rookie to achieve consecutive victories in the category. Aged 20 years and 154 days.
August 18: Victory at Indianapolis, aged 20 years and 182 days, makes him the youngest rider to win 3 races in a row in the premier class. Also becomes the first to win three races in the USA (in the first year the feat is possible).
August 25: Victory at Brno makes him the youngest rider to win four consecutive races in the premier class, and the rider with the most wins in his first season.
August 31: A fifth pole gives him a record number of poles for a rookie.
September 1: Second place at Silverstone earns most podiums ever achieved by a rookie, beating Valentino Rossi’s previous record from 2000. With 233 points, he breaks the scoring record for a rookie in his first season, previously held by Pedrosa with 215.
November 10: Crowned youngest World Champion in history, aged 20 years and 266 days. The last rider to complete this feat was the American Kenny Roberts in 1978. Marquez also became the youngest champion in history to win the title in all three categories, and the youngest champion to win the title in his first year.
