It’s LCR Honda Castrol’s Alex Marquez like you’ve never heard him before. The two-time Grand Prix World Champion sat down with hosts Matt Dunn and Fran Wyld to chat about life on and off his RC213V, his interests outside of racing his MotoGP™ bike at over 200mph, and why he thinks it’s not always a good thing winner a World Championship when you’re barely 18 years old.
The 2014 Moto3™ and 2019 Moto2™ World Champion claimed two podiums in his rookie premier campaign with Repsol Honda Team but has endured a tougher time – likewise to his fellow Honda riders – so far in 2021. Becoming a MotoGP™ rider is a dream for many, but only a select few earn the chance to race at the pinnacle. Alex Marquez has worked hard to become one of those. However, it’s not always easy, especially when results aren’t going your way.
Asked if he enjoys being a motorcycle racer, Alex Marquez admits that it’s sometimes difficult, particularly if you aren’t enjoying some good results on Sunday afternoons.
“It’s not always nice, like, not… nice. There’s some days that you want to rest. But then, if I stay at home, after one hour, one hour and half, I want to and I need to go. Just one hour [on the] bicycle, easy, but I need to go. Then you go, but for that reason. If I have Marc with me - we are always together: “come on, we go!” “But I’m tired today!” “Come on, come on! One hour, one hour and a half. That's it, we come back!”
“I never lose motivation to work at home or something. It’s true that when the results are really good, it's so easy to keep the motivation but with bad results, I never lost the motivation to work and to be stronger and to go gym or ride my bicycle every day. This is something that the day that I will lose that motivation will be the day to stop, you know, but at the moment, I'm happy in this mode of life… to be tired nearly all day… but I like it is something that I really like.”
Alex Marquez also reveals who he and Marc Marquez’s unsung hero is, someone who really helped propel the duo to where they are today.
“I speak a lot usually about Emilio [Alzamora]. Also, he’s my manager, and he helped me a lot and everything in my career. But one guy that was really important for me, my career, was Joan Moreta - he passed away and he was the Spanish president of the Federation, but he was also in the RACC (Real Automóvil Cub de Cataluña). And when I was like, because first of all, in Spain, we start in karting and at that point, okay, one normal family can make ‘that’ with the cost and this, you know. But after that when you need to go to the big tracks… and already, you need money, you know.
“And in that point, we said okay, we stop. And my father bought me a supermoto bike that is cheaper and we compete in a supermoto championship and that's it. But then this guy with the RACC came to me to take to me to the big tracks and this, so what that was the key in that point you know if not…”
Alex Marquez goes onto explain how important the step between getting onto the ladder through family funding, and then having other people trust in you and give you a chance to progress in national championships.
“Yeah. When you came from our normal family - this is important that the people trust in you and give you one year, a chance to show that you can show them the potential or something like this. You know, if you don't have even the opportunity, then it's difficult. But we are lucky that in Spain we have a lot of fans or really passionate guys that they trust motorcycle and they like it…”
Head over to your favoured Podcast platform to listen to the full chat with Alex Marquez, as well as any episodes you may have missed!