Marc Marquez Qualifying at CoTA: A Thing of Beauty

The photo above and clip below is why Marc Marquez is a two-time MotoGP World Champion.

By now you've probably already watched, read, or heard about the Spaniard's final qualifying lap at Circuit of The Americas, where he was forced to ditch his A bike on the front straight after it sent a warning light, then run down pit lane and jump on his B bike with three minutes remaining in the session. The B bike didn't have the right setup or tires, yet the lap that ensued put jaws on the floor. It was described by commentators as one of the best laps in MotoGP qualifying history.

Marquez's lap wasn't perfect though; he almost came off the bike in turn 10 after running up and over the outside curb. Then coming off the back straight, into turn 12, the two-time MotoGP World Champion basically skipped the rear wheel past every brake marker before throwing his RC213-V into the tight left-hander and going on to set the fastest ever time on two-wheels around CoTA, a 2:02.135. It was in these moments we realized we'd be be lucky to posses a single ounce of the bike control skills that Marquez does.

If by some chance you missed the lap or need a reminder of just how good Marquez really is, here is a clip of him getting into turn 10 during that Q2 lap.

And in case you were wondering, 340 km/h (Marquez trap speed, shown on screen) equates to right around 211 mph. That's why the Spaniard is a two-time MotoGP World Champion.