Remember when Marc Marquez tipped into an outrageous 66-degree lean angle
MotoGP 'alien' Marc Marquez defies the laws of physics again by beating his own lean angle record at the Italian MotoGP in Mugello
What a difference a couple of years can make...
The last time MotoGP ventured into the verdant reaches of east Germany's Saxony region in 2019, COVID-19 was a word that had never been uttered, the thought of Valentino Rossi retiring was a problem for next year and there was seemingly nothing that could stop Marc Marquez on the Repsol Honda.
Naturally, we don't need to tell you where we are today by contrast but that doesn't mean we cannot marvel at days gone by, not least when he did have to wonder at times in 2019 when Marc Marquez was in fact human.
After all, the MotoGP greats were once jokingly referred to as ‘the aliens’ but watching Marquez at times in 2019 did makes us think whether someone should alert Area 51 just in case.
Of course, things have been very different since he suffered his arm injury at the start of the 2020 season, though his current lack of pace appears to have as much to do with. his temperamental Honda than anything else.
Still, this weekend sees MotoGP return to the ultimate Marquez circuit, where the swoops and sweeps, crests and troughs are perfect for a rider who can famously get the Honda RC213V down lower than what many believed was humanely possible. Which is why we have dusted off this article from 2019 that revealed Marquez hitting some extraordinary lean angles and yet that no rider has been able to replicate since.
FP2 - P.1
66 degree angle on turn 3#GermanGP pic.twitter.com/qROlV9ynKH— Marc Márquez (@marcmarquez93) July 5, 2019
We could spend all day wondering why the general laws of physics don't seem to apply to Marquez, but whatever and however, we could watch this all day…
Disclaimer: We know he hasn’t actuallydefied the laws of physics, but credit where credit due…
Whether you are a MotoGP fan or not, just the still is a pure work of art…
FP3 - P.3#ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/RMqhilm4mV
— Marc Márquez (@marcmarquez93) June 1, 2019
Bringing things right up to date, Marquez is looking more like his 'old self' in Germany this weekend having topped FP1, though he is on the cusp of an automatic Q2 spot coming into Fp3 after slipping back to 12th after FP2. He did say ahead of the weekend though that he should be racing without any injury concerns.
“After the test day in Barcelona, the week between races went very well to recover. In this test we worked a lot and now we come to the Sachsenring where I have always enjoyed riding in the past. This year of course we arrive in a different position, but hopefully the layout should allow us to be more competitive from the physical side. Let’s see what the weekend brings.”
