Former MotoGP world champion talks about the myth that some riders have special abilities to develop a motorcycle
There are a number of riders who have built up a reputation for being good development riders. Aleix Espargaró, for example, has contributed significantly to Aprilia’s rise. Valentino Rossi put Yamaha’s MotoGP project on the road to success 20 years ago. Marc Márquez, on the other hand, is less associated with good development work. But the Spaniard dismisses the idea that a rider can advance the development of a motorcycle as a myth anyway.
“These mystical phrases, ‘now this rider is coming and making the bike better’ or ‘this rider doesn’t know how to develop a bike’, don’t make sense. Anyone who says that doesn’t know anything about motorcycles,” explains Marquez firmly.
According to the multiple champion, the engineers are responsible and not the drivers. “You make your comments, another driver makes his comments. There are four drivers and the engineers implement it,” he describes the development process from his point of view.
Marquez refers to the situation at KTM to support his point of view. With Dani Pedrosa, the Austrian manufacturer has what Marquez calls “the best test driver” in the squad. However, the development of the KTM RC16 has recently stalled. A lack of success has led KTM to appoint a new team manager.
“They are struggling to improve,” says Marquez, referring to the situation at KTM. In the MotoGP paddock, everyone agrees on which bike is currently the best. “The Ducati is the best bike. With Michele Pirro, they have a great test driver. But he wasn’t a great champion,” says Marquez, supporting his thesis that development is based not on the work of the drivers but on that of the engineers.