Marc Marquez returns to scene of ‘turning point’

Marc Marquez has returned to the scene of the key crossroads in his MotoGP career.

The Sachsenring in Germany has so often been among his favourite tracks but almost became a nightmare location for him.

Two years ago, still feeling the lasting effects of his career-saving arm surgery but crashing regularly due to his need to override a below-par Honda, Marquez experienced a dismal weekend in Germany.

After five crashes throughout the weekend, he withdrew from the grand prix after his final fall during the warm-up. At that stage, his MotoGP future looked bleak.

'Turning point of his career' for Marc Marquez

“There are certain things that happen in racing that you remember where you were,” TNT Sports’ Neil Hodgson said.

“I remember Marc’s morning warm-up crash. I said ‘I think he is done’.

“It was a big statement. I remember you looking at me like ‘what do you mean?’

“But I was seeing something that I’d never seen from Marc Marquez. That he was willing to risk and push and crash five times. All big crashes in one weekend.

“That was the turning point in his career.

“[He said] ‘I am not doing this anymore, I am not willing to ride an uncompetitive motorcycle, I know that I’ve got a contract for next year with Honda, I will either retire or get out of that contract’.

“I think that was the point.

“That feels like an eternity ago.

“Now, I’m back to 2019 Marc Marquez performances. He could win every race for the rest of the year.

“I’m also back at that point in 2019 where the only man who can beat him… is him.

“The only person who can beat him is if he picks up an injury.”

Marquez left behind huge sums of money from his final year of his Honda contract to switch to Gresini Ducati in 2024.

Immediately, the frequency of his crashes stopped and he returned to race-winning form. He has said that he began to enjoy riding again.

It paved the way for this season’s promotion to the factory Ducati team. Marquez has dominated his rivals with the best bike on the grid.

He enters the German MotoGP comfortably leading the MotoGP standings, 68 points clear of second-placed Alex Marquez.

“He can trip himself up. He could arrive overconfident and not so focused when the lights go out,” Michael Laverty noted.

“But he’s aware. He has said that when he arrives at circuits where he’s strong he must not override where he is already fast.”

Marquez, confronted by expectation this weekend in Germany, has vowed not to override because he already knows he can be fast around the Sachsenring.

At COTA and Aragon, two other Marquez favourites, he crashed out from the grands prix this year.

They were the types of mistakes he has promised not to repeat this weekend in Germany.