Return of the King

Marc Marquez declared fit for Race 3

So, unless you've been living under a rock, you may have noticed that a certain Marc Marquez has made his return to the MotoGP paddock. His return comes after a 9 month absence due to complications with an arm injury he picked up in the opening round of the delayed 2020 season. 

Up and down social media, the question on everyone's mind and Twitter timeline, has been: 'how will he perform?' And from a pundit's point of view, let alone a fan's, it really is the most anticipated part of the 2021 season. Marc has been the reference for so many, for so long, and he truly is the most talented rider of his generation. For such a complication to arise, at the very pinnacle of his career, is a twist that not many, if any, could have possibly predicted. 

But from my side - as both a fan and hopefully a future pundit - I'm just beyond thrilled to have him back in the paddock. Even if he comes dead last, which to be honest would be the biggest shock ever, I'll still be cheering him on. Even if he never wins another race, or gets another podium, I'll still be cheering him on.

And that's because he was the rider who saved the sport for me.

Marco Simoncelli

Nearly 10 years ago, the world lost a bright, brilliant riding talent. Marco Simoncelli was bold, beautiful, and had the craziest hair I'd ever seen. As a young kid, he was absolutely the rider who most captivated me, whose bike I would always be straining to try and spot. Simoncelli was the rider I was always secretly hoping would win.

When he died, I was heartbroken. The BBC news report on his death is seared into my mind - it's probably one of my clearest, early racing memories. 

And for me, I never believed that I could so adore another rider in the same way. For much of the 2012 season, I couldn't bring myself to watch the races, because I knew that fascinating, curly-haired, smiling man would never again be on my screen.

It was just by chance that I sat down to watch the opening round of the 2013 season. And there he was. Marc Marquez. All of 20 years old. Tiny and skinny with a big, bright smile and nervously excited doe brown eyes. A rookie that took a podium in his opening race, alongside his hero Valentino Rossi, and who would go on to win the championship and become a name almost as big as his idol.

Marc Marquez 3rd in MotoGP debut

At the time, I couldn't have known how successful he would go on to be, but from the moment he took off his helmet, I was hooked, and have been ever since.

I make no effort at pretending I'm some super-fan who knows absolutely everything there is to know about Marc Marquez, because there is for sure many others who treasure the Ant as much, and more, as I do. But he is so special to me that I felt I had to write my own piece about his return.

When he crashed in Jerez 2020, I definitely didn't think it would be 9 months before I could see him racing bikes in circles again. Like I said, I don't think anyone could have predicted the absolute shocker the last 9 months must have been for him. 

For what it's worth, my two cents on the 'how will Marc perform' question, is that he's taking the right approach. Returning for the Portimao race is a strategy that has been agreed upon by both himself and the doctors he has been working with, and they are the only people who truly know how he is healing, and what his mindset is like. Am I expecting him to be fast immediately? Absolutely not. Am I expecting him to throw absolutely everything on the line to try for a podium finish or even a win? Also no. This is the next step in his rehabilitation, and he's doing it at a circuit that he doesn't know extremely well, not to mention he's only been on a bike 3 times in the last 9 months, and not at all in the past month, as he revealed in the press conference this afternoon.

Marc Marquez shows off his broken arm

Of course, you can never count Marc Marquez out of achieving an absolutely stunning result - that's just his nature as the best of his generation - but that amazing result this weekend will translate into a finish inside the top 10.

Marc is my racing hero, and he always will be. The past 9 months, where he hasn't been able to race, and knowing that it must have hurt him quite a lot to be forced into such a frightening sabbatical has been truly, genuinely awful. 

Now he's back, and like I said: I will support Marc Marquez for as long as he chooses to be a racer. I don't care if he never gets another championship, podium, or even so much as a single championship point. To have him back on my screen, knowing that he is back in the environment that he loves, and has worked so hard to be in, is more than enough to make me happy.

And let's be fair - he's Marc Marquez. Even if it does take him this entire season to recover, I'm certain he will be back to his winning ways - that's just what he does, and its part of the reason he is and always will be, the reason I fell back in love with MotoGP.

Marc Marquez - my racing hero