Marc Márquez stands 5-foot-6 and weighs 130 pounds, an inch shorter and 2 pounds lighter than Spud Webb, the shortest player in NBA history to win the league's annual slam-dunk competition, having famously pounded home a perfect-score-earning, off-the-backboard one-hander to seal victory in the 1986 contest. For Márquez, however, the rim is out of reach. Forget a reverse two-handed strawberry jam from a lob bounce off the floor.
So it's probably a good thing the 26-year-old five-time MotoGP world champion was delayed by weather in Dallas traveling from Nashville, where he and brother Álex took in Saturday's night's supercross race, to Houston, where the two-time NBA champion Rockets were playing the Phoenix Suns on Sunday afternoon. Tie-in? Tissot is the official watch and timekeeper of the Rockets and MotoGP, and Márquez is an ambassador for the Swiss brand.
Rather than loft a ceremonial pregame “first shot,” Márquez presented at halftime a T-Race special-edition chronograph to Patrick Fertitta, son of the Rocket’s owner, casino and restaurant mogul Tilman Fertitta. Could Márquez sink a three-pointer with the same grace as he saves front-end slides? Better to leave fans guessing. After the game, I spoke with Márquez about that experience ahead of Sunday’s MotoGP race at Circuit of The Americas.
Supercross on Saturday night in Tennessee, basketball on Sunday afternoon in Texas. How were those back-to-back experiences for you and Álex?
Of course, Supercross I already know what I can expect because I visit them a few times, especially last year in Minneapolis. We enjoyed that, and we spent some time with the fans.
Here in Houston, with Tissot, I watched for the first time a basketball game. It was incredible to see the MVP of last year [Rockets guard James Harden]. It was a pleasure to be there.
I met Patrick [Fertitta], and I gave him one of my watches, the special edition of this year. We had a good time. He told me his girlfriend is a big fan of MotoGP.
At some point in your childhood did you have to choose between motorcycle racing and another sport?
Football—or soccer—is popular in Spain. When I was a child, we were playing a lot with friends. I remember when I was eight years old, I was riding motorbikes but also playing football. My father sat me down and told me, “You must decide now. Football or motorbike? Races are on Sunday, and soccer games are on Sunday.”
I decided motorbikes, and I think I made the correct decision. It wasn’t difficult because my real passion was motorbikes. It was only difficult because when you ride a motorbike you are alone. And all my friends were playing football.
My group of friends has a small soccer team, and sometimes I play with them. But always only in preseason time. During the season, I am scared to go there with them because they are full attack.
Given your unblemished premier-class record in North America, do you think many fans, and even other riders, assume you will win on Sunday at Circuit of The Americas?
There is a big pressure because it’s true I won in Austin the last six years. What I feel is this: The people who think it will be easy, that the victory is already there, it’s not like this. Every year is different, and every year brings different problems.
I have to concentrate 100 percent. Of course, I will try to win. That is the target. But we will see. The other riders in MotoGP are also very fast. Dovi [Andrea Dovizioso], Jorge [Lorenzo], both the Yamaha riders [Valentino Rossi, Maverick Viñales] are really fast.
We will try to be there in front, but if it is not possible, we need to be smart too and understand that the championship is the most important thing.
COTA is one of five tracks on the MotoGP calendar with more left-hand corners than rights. Your preference for and success at left-hand tracks is well-documented. How have you worked to become even better in right-handers?
This is something that is still a question mark in my head. For some reason, on left corners, I feel much better and I am much faster than in the right corners. When we compare the data with the other riders, on the right corners, we are very similar. But on the left corners, we are faster than them.
Why? The only thing is that I started in dirt track, and normally all the circuits are left-handed. This is maybe the main reason, but I try to work harder to improve in the right-hand corners. But it’s true that I have positive feelings on the lefts, and that’s where I can attack.
Dirt track was always left corners. Now as part of my training plan I ride a TT—lefts and rights—to try to understand if I can improve. There are no jumps; the TT is completely flat. Motocross is part of my training too, and that is what I enjoy most.
How has the factory Honda RC213V improved this season?
Honda’s philosophy—and especially direction, I think—is now correct. We have a competitive bike, and they are just trying to improve the bike we had last year. Maybe the step is not very big, but they are working very hard.
This year we have a better engine. It is very similar to last year. Three or four years ago, every year the bike was completely new. And then the first part of the season was very hard because it was so difficult to find the base and electronic setup. Now they are just improving step by step, making small but efficient modifications.
Where we have improved more is the top speed—high rpm. The top speed is now very, very close to the Ducati riders.
Last year, you arrived in Austin fifth in points, 18 down on championship leader Cal Crutchlow. You led all but one session, won the race, and returned to Spain second overall, one point behind Andrea Dovizioso, and won four of the next six races. Was COTA a turning point for you?
The first part of the season is really, really important. If you start in a good way, then it’s easier to stay there. If you start with some bad luck or some crashes, then it’s so difficult to come back. And that is what we are trying to do, trying to set a solid pace.
Of course, Austin will be important, but the most important races are the first two or three where we arrive in Europe—Jerez, Le Mans, and Mugello—because the circuits are different. That is one of the key points of the season.