Honda moved quickly to fill the vacancy at the factory Repsol MotoGP team after Jorge Lorenzo announced his retirement last Thursday. 23-year-old Alex Marquez, now a double World champion, will join older brother Marc next year at the factory MotoGP squad on a one-year contract. Marc, of course, is an 8-time World champion who continues to thoroughly dominate the MotoGP category.
Alex has won 12 Grand Prix races up to this point, but has very limited experience on a MotoGP bike (a few practice-day rides). Alex is expected to test with the rest of the MotoGP regulars tomorrow at Valencia.
The signing of Alex Marquez forecloses, of course, the possibility that Johann Zarco would join Repsol Honda next year. Zarco injured his ankle yesterday in the gravel trap as MD previously reported.
Although Marc Marquez has stated he put no pressure on Honda to sign his younger brother, there is some belief that HRC did not want to “rock the boat” with the elder Marquez while in negotiations to extend its relationship with the great champion, who is still in his prime.
Here is the brief press release from Honda announcing the signing of Alex:
Honda Racing Corporation is pleased to announce the signing of double World Champion Alex Marquez. The young Spanish rider will join the Repsol Honda Team on a one-year contract.
He will move from the intermediate class to partner eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez in 2020 for his debut season in the premier class aboard the Honda RC213V.
See more of MD’s great photography:
Dirck – You OK? I hope all is well. Highly unusual for so much time to pass between posts.
I’m good. Things will pick up. Thanks for asking.
Happy Thanksgiving and we thank you for this site!
This is going on 6 days old… Can we get another story on Motorcycle DAILY. Just sayin’
I knew MCD should have slowed it down between Nov 4 and 7 when they previewed 10 new bikes.They could have drug that out for a couple of weeks.
Fluff or substance? I’d rather wait for good content than have a bunch of warmed over marketing messages, like so many other outlets do.
November 18 post and it is now November 23. You deserve a holiday now and again too Dirck but is this now Motorcycle Weekly?
Yeah, Pedrosa missing out on the MotoGP crown is a real bummer. I was mad at him for a little while for taking Hayden out during his championship year but he proved to be a class act over time who was virtually untouchable on certain tracks and when he was on.
Dang cell phone, that was meant for Mickey waaaay down at the bottom. Operator error I’m sure.
Yea a lot of people were even though it was not malicious,simply a racing incident like we’ve seen a hundred times before and since. Pedrosa was already off the bike when it went on to take out Hayden.I can see people, particularly Americans, being upset until the end of that season when it proved to have no impact on the outcome since Hayden was crowned WC. But there were still people having an adament grudge against Pedrosa a decade later.
I think some times people forget how young these guys are. I’m sure Pedrosa had better judgment than I did at 22 years old.
Then again, some people are just d*#cks.
Why did you take my post down?
I didn’t find it offensive or confrontational.
I have read things here far more questionable.
FC
It’s entirely possible that someone hit “report post” instead of “reply” so it probably will come back once Dirck has a chance to review the report?
Thanks, Tim.
I have $20 that say it won’t pass…..
😉
I used to never miss watching a race on Sunday morning. Get up early, watch some great GP action and then enjoy breakfast. I attended several GP’s at Laguna and Indy. That was then…Now, GP is hard to watch here and the sport itself? Well, my interest has totally waned. I’m out.
If Marc had pull, he’s earned it. The guy is an 8-time world champion and single-handedly won the Triple Crown this year. That’s the exact guy you want to have leverage. Please don’t disrespect Alex. Didn’t he win Moto3 and Moto2 championships? How much leverage is required to get a 2-time world champ to join your team?
Lastly, I think it’s cool that Papa Marquez is there supporting and looking out for his boys. Most, if not all, motorcycle racing requires strong family involvement because these people often start riding motorcycles when they’re little children.
Does MM pay you to post tripe like this or do you sleep with him?
“Single handedly?” Please, do tell readers the date Repsol Honda Team died and the circumstances of said death.
Team definition: “a group of players forming one side in a competitive game or sport.”
“Team” and “Single handedly” are mutually exclusive, for those that stopped school after the 3rd grade.
You’re a disgusting old man. “Sleep with him”? Really? Why aren’t posts like this blocked?
Any you know what I meant by “single-handedly”. I’m talking about race results, in that Lorenzo scored very few points for the Repsol team, and Crutchlow and Nakagami had their share of troubles for the manufacturer’s title.
Stop trying so hard to get your head deep into your own bowels.
“why aren’t posts like this blocked” – well if you’re that triggered, feel free to click “report post.” I thought it was a rather funny way of putting it.
I suggest perhaps you’re so upset because it’s actually both? In which case I say, bravo, gigolo (hustler?) with MM93 as a client is a hell of an achievement.
Snowflakes gonna snowflake.
AWESOME!
Already imagining how cool a brothers team could be and all the possible scenarios.
“Just stay behind me lil’ bro”
This combo should be interesting. I suspect Alex will do alright but forever be in the shadow of his brother.
Well, if lil Marquez is riding around in big brother’s shadow, he’ll be in good company.
The same tires, that is probably the largest single thing?
Man for moto
One possible dowside is higher risk to see Repsol team-racing strategy, when Alex will be already fast enough to support his big brother.
One day, many years ago, a young Italian racer was admitted passage onto the world stage by way of the Premiere Class. This kind of rider classification promotion had been seen before and since, many times over.
His route to the top level of racing was predicated on a beautiful streak of winning, with multiple podiums in the lower classes, culminating in two World Championships, which significantly elevated his profile. His drive, focus, personality, and charisma did little to hold him back; indeed it propelled him through the stratosphere of the sport, allowing him to redefine the perception of the organization, bringing many multiples of millions raining down on the organizers and professional endorsers and sponsors of the sport, and indeed, himself.
Traditionalists have argued that something was lost when such a magical and unpredictable sprite seemed to have appeared on the scene out of nowhere, breaking the unwritten etiquette of behavior that winners and champions display, or even behavior from race losers that was out of the ordinary and unbecoming a steward of the sport.
But this special spark, this wildly unpredictable force of nature would not, could not be bound to acceptable behavior, rewrote the textbooks, and redefined constantly what it meant to be a racer, winner, champion, and ultimately, and void of argument, a master of the sport of motorcycle racing.
Fast forward years, decades, and even more, and examine what our sport currently has, and will certainly continue to grapple with. Exhibit A: A Spaniard, sponsored by a Spanish racing organization, with an income being mostly footed by a Spanish oil conglomerate. A motorcycle manufacturer, leveraging this Spanish rider and crafting a bike, unridable by others due to being developed to satisfy focused characteristics, which particularly revolve around ridiculous trail braking and risk taking, that has warped the machinery to such a level that it is currently unridable by other, world class riders.
As we all know, this is a foolish approach, simply because it is not sustainable. You cannot craft a bike that is aligned to a single, sole rider and assume a collection of people will rework behavior and skills necessary to adapt, at least not in the short term.
Take into consideration that this sport is becoming wildly unpopular due to many overlapping issues, including an aging demographic, a justifiably controversial propulsion system, a larger gap between disposable income and pricing and marketing models, an (arguably) gamed system favoring promoters’ interests, and – most importantly – lower sales figures worldwide, and we must ask ourselves some important questions.
– Are we at a turning point?
– Should our sport continue on it’s current trajectory?
– When will our interest and those of the rest of the world (forgetting motorsport) converge?
– Is nepotism ever good?
– Are championships valid when nationalistic interests are being considered?
– Is this a healthy pursuit any more?
– How can we capture the freedom we feel passionate about and reinterpret it for future generations, sustainably?
These are some of the things I think about. Alex Marquez does not fit into any model of sustainability or bringing new buyers into the sport. He has less than no charisma. He doesn’t break rules, but does a crap job of following in his brother’s footsteps.
Until some of these questions are solved, I care less and less about bikes or sport that is falsely innovative or has a champion that can help shepherd the sport into a new dimension. It will either happen, or we’ll have a sting of Zarcos or worse.
I beat the rush back in 2002 when they started to promote the team obsolete four stroke garbage that require NASA+ levels of expensive rider aids.
All the expenses of course warped road racing in general. Ever notice how people from all over the world can raise to the top of off road motorcycle racing? Not GP. No sir. You have to come from a select few countries in a small area of the world.
Fake racing. GP is the Honda show. WSB is the Kawasaki show. I will continue to be a no show. I even stoped buying new street bikes. New dirt bikes? Sure! Make mine a two stroke. But for the street bike industry I have not one dime.
“people from all over the world can raise to the top of off road motorcycle racing”
I love the Dakar!
Well that was pretty dramatic.
Please pass me a tissue…
Interesting view, but it seems to ignore the past. From a competitive standpoint, GP is healthier now than it has ever been. When Rossi began to dominate, he and the other front runners would lap into the top-10. Through most of the past 15 years, there were literally only 3 bikes with any chance of winning (the repsol honda’s and one blue Yamaha), now we see all the brands scoring wins, some brands winning with more than one rider. At its worst, there were only 12 MotoGP entries. TWELVE.
The class’ health is undeniably improving when Suzuki, Aprilia, and KTM have invested in the past several years and remain committed. Ditto with WSBK, with Ducati and Honda investing in next generation bikes to try to win there.
Marquez still wins because he’s simply the best, but he’s facing a tougher challenge than any dominant champion before him. If fans can’t enjoy the racing that’s happening now, it’s time to close shop because there’s nothing that will save it.
How does your theory feel about the fact Alex was given a 12 month contract. If your conspiracy theory was true, why not a 5 year contract, to help cement the return of the Spanish (on wheels) Inquisition?
How would you explain the fact Alex was given only a 12 month contract?. If your conspiracy theory was true, why not a 5 year contract, to help cement the Spanish (on wheels) Inquisition?
You imply there is huge push from the commercial side advocating for this transaction, without realizing those very interests allow #46 to still ride a factory Yamaha.
I am not buying your Nationalistic agenda either, Dorna took over in 1992, and Honda-Repsol signed in 1995. Those were Rainey/Schwantz/Doohan days, “paella” celebrations in the paddocks were not even remotely a possibility.
I disagree with your analysis on several points but in lieu of another TLDR post I’ll boil it down to my prediction that next year will be as anticipated and exciting as any of the Rossi decade. It’s brings me no pleasure seeing my hero Vale decline but it had to happen and though Marc is a rather meh personality, like Rossi’s previous nemesis Jorge, he has established himself as a true master of the sport and a massive target for up and comers. Yes the year end finale was a bore but on the whole the bikes get better, the field gets better and the show is still great.
putting me and my younger brother on the same motorcycle race team would be bad news. it was fine w/ hockey and football, because there was an “other” to beat. in this situation, alex will be an “other”. in this situation, MY brother would be done by assen…
This +1
Obviously Honda did not want the Marquez Family name going on another Brand.
There’s something in common with Racing bloodlines with Thoroughbreds and Alien’s.
Never seen rider get so much praise from his competition and from other manufacturers. It is like watching Kramer dominate his karate class.
I still enjoy watching Johnathan Rea too.
Agree, regarding Cal. For all the donkey work he’s done for Honda, they should have given him the Repsol ride. Start Alex off in MotoGP with an LCR ride.
Cal is sponsored directly by Monster. The Repsol team has sponsorship with Red Bull. This is most likely why you’ll never see Cal in the official team even though his contract is with HRC and he gets an A-Spec bike.
When Marc was excused from the rule that stated all rookies must enter MotoGP on a sattelite team, did that rule dissolve completely?
To the question of “who else” would be eligible for the seat, my standard answer would be, “not a rookie”. The risk here is that Repsol #2 continues to circulate around the 2nd half of the field, weakening the team’s brand.
Does Rossi have a younger brother somewhere? No? Let’s make one.
Yes, he has a ½ brother who currently races in Moto2 on the Sky VR46 team. His name, since you obviously don’t know it, is Luca Marini.
Spain, it’s all about Spain…
Repsol – Spain oil company.
Marquez Bros – Spain dudes.
Dorna – Spain based.
Exactly all that needs to be said.
and what will you say when the Italian gets his VR 46 team in MotoGP?
Would MotoGP even be viable anymore without Spanish and Italian riders?
Maybe the U.S. gov’t needs to start sponsoring youth riding camps and race series like Spain and Italy does and in 10 or 15 years we could again lead the world in motorcycle racing.
Mickey,
Very salient point. Thumbs up.
Well Mickey, when he gets his own team it will mean that he finally retired and a youngster will (finally) get their chance. You are correct, that without Spanish or Italian riders there’d be a void but the racing would still be exciting as all hell. Now on the other hand, if the U.S. gov’t sponsored camps and series, there’d be finger pointing going on about “Socialized” racing. Oh the shame.
The rest of the world is a larger market for Dorna than Spain. They’d almost certainly prefer a promising US or Indonesian rider on that bike if Dorna had the choice.
Repsol, they probably don’t care much about that since Marc is already Spanish and dominating in their name. That’s plenty good for them.
Marc said he would be happy if Alex got the ride but that he wouldn’t try to influence Honda’s decision one way or the other. Of course that statement as it stands was probably enough to influence Honda’s decision.
No, their gold digging daddy told Marc to tell Honda that if they don’t hire him, he’s going to go jump ship.
And in return, Daddy bought them new bunk beds with their money.
You all know that if Marc wasn’t on that team, little bros wouldn’t be there.
Jeremy, you are correct in that Dorna would rather have somebody up and coming from Indonesia, India or anywhere from the far east. The demographics from that part of the world is where motorcycle sales are booming. In the U.S., old dogs like us, are a dying breed. I can eventually see no race in the U.S. because of lack of interest from motorcyclists.
I actually read in an interview a year or two ago that the US is still Dorna’s largest market. They really want to build the enthusiasm of the fans here to stop it from declining. They are praying for an up and coming US star to break into the GP and WSBK series.
Outside of my group of motorcycling friends, I have yet to meet someone who knew who Nicky Hayden was.
In my group of bikers, there’s a MUCH smaller group that I consider Motorcycle Enthusiasts. Such a small group can’t possibly make a company or organization continue to invest. We’re headed to nursing homes. The others will buy a $200 cable package to watch NASCAR.
“Spain, it’s all about Spain…”
That’s the main reason why I lost interest in MotoGP.
(sarc) Yeah, and I hate America and the MLB because Canada only has a team in Toronto. Same hate for America and the NBA because Canada also only has a team in Toronto. I mildly dislike the US and the NHL since Canada has teams in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. But, the pendulum swings back to utter disgust… don’t get me started with the NFL… ZERO teams outside of the USA. Whew, being a hater takes energy. I need a nap!
Obviously you don’t understand the concept of “World Championship.” I don’t care if Spaniards dominate the Spanish Superbike Championship, I don’t care if Brits dominate the British Superbike Championship, I don’t care if Australians dominate the Australian Superbike Championship………..!
The Spanish are dominating this world championship because they’re the most committed nation with the best rider. Any and every nation is welcome to play.
There are currently races in 16 or 17 countries and racers on the grid from 11 countries. That pretty much makes it “WORLD” to me.
Yes, Mickey, they do take their ‘show’ all around the world. But it is still controlled and dominated by Spain, and Spanish, Italian and French riders get all of the best opportunities.
The best riders get the best opportunities. Right now those are Spanish and Italian (and a Brit + an Aussie or two) riders. If 10 Anglos proved to be the fastest riders, they’d get the 10 best opportunities. It’s as simple as that.
Dorna isn’t “Spain”, they’re Spanish.
The Dorna Marquez fan-boy commentators are going to be unbearable next year!
Seems like some Spain and Italy haters in this sub thread. As has been stated, if the USA wanted to sponsor youth racing programs I’m sure the results would be different. Anyway we have NASCAR to be proud of…. wait a minute can we trade?
If a guy has talent and desire and heart I don’t care where he’s from, I’ m going to cheer from him. I don’t care if he’s from Italy, or Spain, or Antartica.
Everything is not “fair” in this world and if a Spanish company wants to risk millions of their money on one of their native sons, who are my to say they shouldn’t be able to do that.
Back when American tobacco companies were spending millions of their dollars sponsoring American riders was it any different?
Honda saves a seat for a Japanese rider. Is that wrong or their perogative?
When Ducati hired Rossi with the hopes of an Italian winning the WC on an Italian motorcycle, was that wrong?
So Spain is heavily invested in motorcycle racing, and supporting Spanish riders, is that wrong?
Non of that is wrong imo, it’s just how it is and always will be.
Americans would love to see an American WC. Italians want to sed an Italian WC and Spaniards want a Spanish WC. Nationalism is a powerful motivator.
I agree with you Mickey as did my prior post. Apparently, that wasn’t clear. I wasn’t referring to you with the “haters” comment. Mostly directed at Ralph W. and TF.
You’ve ‘read’ something into it that I didn’t say. I don’t hate hate Spain and Italy. I do hate fake sporting competitions that are supposed to be world championships but favor just a few countries because that is where the money comes from. MotoGP is all about making money for Dorna. They don’t care about people who want to see a real world championship.
Well Ralph it is a business for Dorna but with races in countries with races: Qatar, Thailand, United States, Argentina, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Finland, Czech Republic, Austria, Great Britain, Japan, Australia, Malaysia (16) and soon another country which name escapes me and riders from: Italy, Spain, France, Czech Republic, Japan, Great Britain, Australia, So Africa, Portugal, Finland, Malaysia ( 11) it seems to cover a lot of the world if you ask me.
I don’t hate Spain, Italy, or Marquez(s). I hate paying to watch while one guy parades a Repsol logo around in front of a camera while a couple of talking heads gush. If that’s your idea of entertainment, so be it and to each his own. I have to wonder what the reaction would be if a Ducati rider were that dominant.
you mean like Casey Stoner in 2007? They thought he was the greatest thing since sliced bread.
A record 2,884,242 fans sat in the stands this season, so someone must think MotoGP is pretty entertaining
BTW Stoner did it again in 2011 wearing Repsol colors and he isn’t even Spanish, he is Australian.
Mickey, thank you for the common sense response. Maybe one day I can cheer for a naturalized American of Dutch-Indonesian decent. Shell Oil sponsored of course.
I hope 73 isn’t too fast to be a threat to 93 for his own sake. I’s trying to imagine Papa Marquez’s reaction when Dirty Marquez runs Baby Marquez off the track.
I think there’s very little danger that Alex will crowd Marc at the front. The MotoGP field is full of Moto2 champs and contenders and most of them can’t get there on arguably better motorcycles.
I agree. Alex rarely ever beat Zarco, Bagnaia, or Morbidelli (I think Alex had three wins in Moto2 from 2014 to 2018.), despite being on probably the best funded team in Moto2. And frankly had KTM not taken half a season to figure out how to make their chassis work somewhat with the new Triumph engine, I bet serious money that Binder would be wearing the 2019 Moto2 crown. (Heck, he only finished three points behind Alex as it is.)
I hope he proves me wrong, but I don’t think little brother is going to make many waves. But then I thought that about Fabio, too, so what do I know.
93 will get into 73’s head in more than one way. Brothers being brothers will always be pushing and shoving. Can you imagine a family get together at Pop Marquez’s and the boys start rasslin’ on the carpet? Pop would have to pull the champ off the top of the challenger, who’d probably have carpet burn on his nose and forehead. There’d undoubtedly be hurt feelings. MM is going to open a can o’ whoop arse many differ ways.
I thought Zarco would be a great fit.
But no way Marc would want a rider on the team that could possibly outshine him.
So Honda elected to keep him happy and bring in his brother.
And what strategy did MM93 employ to keep Quartararo from “outshining” him…? Oh yeah, superb talent and brilliant race-craft.
And that is incredibly hard to beat
I certainly believe with a top tier team on top tier machinery, Zarco could certainly be a consistent threat. As would someone like Quartararo.
YMMV.
I gotta say this is a little weird. But…who would you put in that seat? Honestly, every available rider has an issue or another, and for this reason or that is only a Possible on winning on the Honda. Might HRC finally be admitting that it really is the rider, and you build the bike to them rather than one everyone can win on? And who better to groom for the next slot than Little Brother, with Big Bro to learn him the ropes, while ensuring that while he still cares the bike is more for him?
Of course I’m also reminded of the Rodriguez brothers. While the ages are reversed here, I am sure Biz Markie Mark wouldn’t at all want this move, if he didn’t know in his heart of hearts he is faster.
In some of the reviews of Vinales, after his performance in the last few races, he was asked what he thought was the reason for his new speed, and he said they quit changing things on the bike. He just needed time to learn how to ride the bike the way it was, and he asked them to just leave it alone. Your comments about building the bike around the rider make sense.
Interesting. A raw deal for Cal imo. He has actually won a few MotoGP races, close to 20 podiums I think. They know he’s got 1 more year, should have given him the reward for 1 season and let him wear the Repsol colors, while young Alex gains some experience on the LCR Honda.
Of course you never know. Lorenzo was a 2 time WC in the lower classes and Pedrosa was a 3 time WC in the lower classes so maybe younger Marquez will work out and be a force to be reckoned with as well.
Good luck in 2020 to them both.
Sure seems like Honda could have given Cal the well deserved factory seat and still put Alex on factory equipment. It was probably some marketing person that talked the decision makers into that one!
Cal is on the factory bike now. It may even be better for him since his team can focus on him and not be distracted by Marquez’ needs.
I thought he deserved a crack at it personally, but I can’t deny either that LCR might be the better gig for him. Cal’s their number one, he has a 2020 bike with good factory support, and he knows the environment. I can’t imagine a more demoralizing position to be in than to be Marc Marquez’s teammate. It’s probably good to have that “we’re a satellite team” psychological buffer when one is trying to figure out how Marquez can dominate the championship while you everyone else on the same bike is just trying to stay afloat.
Good point Jeremy
“Cal is on the factory bike now”…. that’s why I said factory “seat”. But you do have a point that it may be best for him to stay where he is.
Lorenzo’s retirement saddened me more that I expected, but it’s good to see him go on with his life still young and relatively healthy.
Honda really had no choice here, but Alex is a World Champion twice over. It looks like we are in for another great year of racing for 2020. My guess is that Honda will put a real effort into building a more rider-friendly bike.
Congrats to Honda for the Triple Crown, and to The Brothers M for their championships and becoming teammates.
A great year, Fred? That was great watching Marc smoke the field? Clearly the other bikes are quite behind the Honda but then again Honda has considerably more money than the other manufacturers. Not sure what Dorna is thinking having two brothers smoke the field. They should be required to ride out of separate garages and sign a non disclosure to even speak about racing at all.
The other teams are behind Marquez. They’ve beaten all of the other Hondas.
Agreed.
Can anyone say Casey Stoner?
Stoner spent 3 years in 125 class no championships, 2 years in 250 class no championships, and 7 years in Moto GP 2 championships. Overall his record was not that great. He was a talented rider, but if he hadn’t won the Championship on that crappy Ducati that no one else could ride, no one would have considered him a superstar in retrospect.
Think it would have been different Mickey if Stoner was on a factory Honda as a rookie and they were all on the same tires.
I suppose that’s possible Motoman but we will never know. All we can go by is records and stats. Someone won championships on the 10 years he was in GP that he didn’t.
Can’t argue with the stats for sure Mickey. But I think some riders are better than their records such as Stoner. No doubt you have to have the total package to achieve Marquez, Rossi, Hailwood, etc level of success. I think Stoner is a introverted guy and lost his patience for doing things he didn’t like. Certainly appears to have a great life now.
No doubt Stoner was a mega talented rider, he tore up the Australian championships like Agostini on an MV. He had a little trouble once he got on the world scene. That escapes a lot of people how highly skilled the top riders from all over the world are. It’s really tough to dominate once you make it to that level.
My fav was Pedrosa, 3 time WC in the smaller classes, but too diminuitive to do any good in the premier class (at least that’s what they said). His stats are phenominal in a time when he raced against Rossi, Stoner, Lorenzo and Marquez all in their primes. Regularly beating them. Too bad he never won a championship in the premier class, what a talented and classy rider.