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MotoGP, Marquez at 153 Km/h and 64°: here's how he didn't crash

Telemetry from the Honda reveals the numbers behind Marc's incredible 'save' during the Valencia race

MotoGP: Marquez at 153 Km/h and 64°: here's how he didn't crash

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Marc Marquez's 'saves' have become one of the six-time champion's trademarks. One of the best this year was undoubtedly that at turn one of the Valencia track, during the race in which he was battling for the title.

To better understand the Spaniard's feat, we need some numbers, provided by the bike's telemetry. Marc braked at the end of the straight 30 metres beyond his usual braking point, but despite this he was able to get the bike into the turn at 153 Km/h, in third gear. When the steering locked, the front tyre slid along the asphalt for 50 metres, while the lean angle was 64 degrees.

The strange thing is that he did not crash.

I realised I was entering the turn too fast, but I thought I'd be able to brake and turn the bike - he says - I was leaning over with all the weight on my elbow, but I used my elbow and knee as if they were levers to get the bike back up”.

Easy to say, almost impossible to do. For Marquez this is pretty standard though. One of his most famous saves came during testing at Brno in 2016 (shown in the above photo by Tino Martino), while the most recent occurred during post-race testing at Valencia. A leopard doesn't change his spots.

Translated by Heather Watson
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