– Joy and disappointment naturally lie close together in sports, especially in motorsport, where besides pure athletic abilities, the technical factor also plays a major role. Technology is also playing an increasingly important role in the Motorcycle World Championship.
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The continuous technical development also increases the speeds. This is usually the case until the motorcycles are once again slowed down by the regulations. With increasing speeds, despite all safety precautions, the risk also rises, specifically the risk of injuries. This applies especially to motorcycle racing.
No matter which World Championship class: crashes are as much a part of the riders’ experience as the joy over a strong race or qualifying, or the disappointment over an individual mistake or a technical failure. Regarding crashes, MotoGP riders maintain a pragmatic approach.
For example, Alex Marquez said a few days after his horror crash at this year’s Catalonia Grand Prix in Barcelona that he had asked to see the footage of the accident while still in the hospital. On one hand, the younger brother of Marc Marquez wanted to understand the course of the accident, on the other hand, he wanted to mentally come to terms with what happened.
Marc Marquez also knows exactly this feeling. “After a heavy crash, sometimes you don’t want to ride again, but you have to. It’s part of our job,” says the nine-time motorcycle world champion, who has had to endure one or another heavy crash in his World Championship career since 2008.
Especially since Jerez 2020, Marc Marquez has had to miss numerous races because he had to undergo surgery and recover after various incidents. “It is a fact that after a severe accident we are passionate and would love to ride again immediately. It’s our job,” says Marc Marquez.
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Marc and Alex Marquez are not alone with their views. Marco Bezzecchi also knows the feeling. “The best thing you can do after a crash is to get back on the motorcycle immediately and try to enjoy riding,” says “Bez”.
“Because riding is what we love to do most,” says the Aprilia factory rider, who spent most of the current MotoGP season as the championship leader but has made headlines more for crashes than wins in recent weeks.
“It’s true that the risk always rides along,” says Bezzecchi. “But we know that from the very first moment. As far as I’m concerned, I can only say that after a crash I want to be back on the motorcycle as quickly as possible every time.”
Pedro Acosta sees it very similarly. He, too, who will ride in the Ducati factory team alongside Marc Marquez from 2027, tries to block out the risk factor as much as possible. “I think it’s better not to think too much about it and just ride, just keep going,” says Acosta.
Acosta was the one who triggered Alex Marquez’s heavy crash at the Catalonia Grand Prix in mid-May without his own fault, because Acosta’s KTM, riding directly in front of the young Marquez, had a technical defect.
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