The Phoenix is a mythological animal capable of rebirth from its own ashes. Exactly as Marc Marquez has done. Today, in Motegi, where he had previously stood on the roof of the world, he won his 9th world title and, if not the most important, it is certainly the most significant. It came 6 years after the last one, a long wait that has been rewarded.
Since he had entered MotoGP, Marc had become accustomed to breaking records and opponents, one success after another, a series that seemed like it could never end. He was to discover that the most dangerous opponent was the most unexpected, himself.
On July 19, 2020, in Jerez, he did not want to make do with any old result, he wanted to surprise. He crashed and hurt himself, in his right arm. It would be the beginning of an ordeal whose end was not in sight. That year alone he had surgery three times. He returned to racing and winning, but he was not what he was before. A few injuries in training, the return of diplopia, until in 2022, at Mugello, he decided to stop and fly to America for another surgery on his right arm. The humerus was rotated 30 degrees. The year 2023 began badly, very badly indeed, between crashes and injuries.
At that point, Marquez's career seems over. He hasn't won in two years, the number of Grands Prix he missed was more than those he raced. He was at a crossroads: retire or get back in the game. The first solution would be the easiest, Marc is already in motorcycle racing history, no one could hold that decision against him after what he has been through, he had nothing to prove. He had nothing to prove to anyone, but a lot to himself. He did not want to give up, throw in the towel and live with regrets.
He knows he has to part ways with Honda, the years go by and he cannot wait for the RC213V to become competitive. He has to get on the best bike to prove himself, and he has but one solution. Ducati. In Tokyo they understand, they let him go, Marquez gives up a lot of money and goes to a private team, like never before in MotoGP. Gresini is a small but professional team, there is a family environment and less pressure.
Marc does not know if it is the right choice, if he is really the same rider as before the injury. He will find out that he is better. Podiums come, competitiveness returns and with it a smile. He has not yet won a race on the Rossa, but he has already convinced Dall'Igna. Gigi is betting on him and he is not wrong, because the Marc who arrives at the court of Borgo Panigale is not the one of the good old days, he is - if possible - even better.
He does not even need to beat his opponents on the track, because he is simply unattainable for them. He leaves them breathless, speechless, weaponless. It is no accident that the only one who somehow manages to resist him is Alex, who knows what his brother is capable of.
Marque wins, he overcomes, and he does so in a whole new way. He may no longer have the explosiveness and recklessness of his twenties, but his thirties offer him experience and awareness. When he blunders twice early in the season in Austin and Jerez, he understands that he can simply manage the situation. He doesn't need to overdo it, no one can get close to him anyway. And he escapes, racing on the tracks like a horse on the prairies, faster and faster and freer and freer.
Free to do the only thing a champion cares about, winning. He is the best rider on the best bike, and he can't take any blame for that. 'Todo rojo' he had written on his suit in the first test in the official team. All red, the color he imposed on the championship. An impressive sequence of victories, the ball in his personal roulette wheel always stopping on # 93.
Today, the youngest MotoGP world champion has also become the oldest. One circle closes, but that's not enough for Marc. He wants to open another, you can bet on it.