until Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League
The incredible eye-watering stats aside, the Circuit of the Americas is a special location in the Marc Marquez MotoGP story because of the beats it has played host to.
The semi-private pre-season test there ahead of the race’s debut on the calendar in 2013 was the first major ‘uh-oh’ realisation that Marquez would be an instant title threat, as he set the pace on each of the three days of running. A month later, his first MotoGP win followed at the circuit.
But it was also the sole blemish on his otherwise-perfect 2019 season, as he crashed out from a comfortable lead, and offered up crushing disappointment last year – an issue at the start robbing Marquez of what proved his best chance of salvaging a win from the season, though a charge from last to sixth reinforced that he was still mighty.
The ‘Marquez at COTA’ stat line won’t get a new entry in 2023 as he misses the race for the first time, the first metacarpal on his right hand having not healed sufficiently after his Portimao mistake. It has to go down as a big missed opportunity, too, given that the penalty hanging over him has been officially put on ice by the MotoGP Court of Appeal.
Yet, even in Marquez’s absence, we can get added context on just how dominant he, specifically as a rider, has been at COTA.
“Of course it’s open, it’s open for everybody,” said Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales of the prospects for the 2023 race given the absence of both Marquez and last year’s winner Enea Bastianini.
“But it would be better if Marc and Enea were here. Especially Marc, more than Enea, put the level really high on this track. If we are on his level, it means that we are really fast. It would’ve been more good if they are here, because you have a better idea of where you are. But of course it’s an opportunity for everybody.”
Vinales himself has been generally impressive at COTA – but in terms of track specialists, for COTA there is one on the grid who, while obviously not on Marquez’s level, has clearly repeatedly excelled in Texas.
“I think change of direction, both Suzukis were great [here], Alex [Rins] and [Joan] Mir,” added Vinales. “I don’t know. We’ll see with Honda. I’m very curious to see.
“Because Rins is great here. And he has a Honda now. So we’ll see where he’s at. We’ll see. I don’t know, maybe it was Marc or the bike, I don’t know. But we’ll see.”
Vinales’ jovial tone suggested he isn’t seriously claiming that Marquez owes his COTA dominance to the Honda bike – but there really is an opportunity to get a better read on the role the machinery has played.
Suzuki as a whole did clearly go quite well in Austin – it was, among other things, the site of Andrea Iannone’s first of four podiums for the brand – but Rins’ record in particular is very noticeable.
He was there to pick up the pieces in 2019, passing Valentino Rossi for the win after Marquez’s crash. But he also won at COTA in Moto3 – beating out Vinales specifically (pictured below) – and Moto2. And he was on the podium last year.
Rins is now on a Honda (as is Mir), and his start to the season has been relatively inauspicious but not totally unpromising. And the bike he’ll race on Sunday will not be massively different to the one that Marquez charged through the pack with last year.
“Thank you for the pressure!” Rins quipped when told of Vinales’ take. “Let’s see.
“Someone, before, some TV [journalists], I think Sky, they were asking me that the Honda is quite nice here, because Marc wins many times. I said, ‘OK, Marc wins. The other Honda riders don’t win’. So, I don’t know.”
Honda at COTA (excluding CRT/Open)
Race finishing positions + gaps to winner, average per lap
2013
1. Marc Marquez (Repsol)
2. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol), +0.073s
5. Stefan Bradl (LCR), +0.604s
8. Alvaro Bautista (Gresini), +1.088s
2014
1. Marc Marquez (Repsol)
2. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol), +0.196s
4. Stefan Bradl (LCR), +1.086s
DNF. Alvaro Bautista (Gresini), DNF
2015
1. Marc Marquez (Repsol)
7. Cal Crutchlow (LCR), +0.808s
11. Hiroshi Aoyama (Repsol), +2.248s
DNF. Scott Redding (Gresini)
2016
1. Marc Marquez (Repsol)
13. Tito Rabat (Marc VDS), +2.259s
16. Cal Crutchlow (LCR), +3.774s
DNF. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol)
2017
1. Marc Marquez (Repsol)
3. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol), +0.243s
4. Cal Crutchlow (LCR), +0.364s
10. Jack Miller (Marc VDS), +0.881s
13. Tito Rabat (Marc VDS), +1.431s
2018
1. Marc Marquez (Repsol)
7. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol), +0.910s
14. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR), +1.967s
18. Tom Luthi (Marc VDS), +2.556s
19. Cal Crutchlow (LCR), +2.950s
21. Franco Morbidelli (Marc VDS), +3.026s
2019
10. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR), +1.551s
DNF. Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol)
DNF. Marc Marquez (Repsol)
DNF. Cal Crutchlow (LCR)
2021
1. Marc Marquez (Repsol)
10. Pol Espargaro (Repsol), +1.013s
12. Alex Marquez (LCR), +1.237s
17. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR), +1.763s
2022
6. Marc Marquez (Repsol), +0.331s
13. Pol Espargaro (Repsol), +0.898s
14. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR), +0.939s
DNF. Alex Marquez (LCR)
The non-Marquez Honda results at COTA have been patchy. Dani Pedrosa, Stefan Bradl – who is back this weekend – and Cal Crutchlow showed frontrunning flashes in the early years but the general decline of the ‘other Hondas’ in the recent years has been clearly mirrored at COTA.
That doesn’t mean the layout is suddenly bad for the RC213V. Rins’ LCR team-mate Takaaki Nakagami said he believes it’s still favourable, but was worried about the bumps that change from year to year and can have unpredictable effects.
And, while his Honda adaptation goes on, Rins did not shy away from expressing his belief that COTA suits his riding style.
“I also like the long circuits,” he added. “This track is two minutes-something, the lap. So… this is quite good for me. I prefer this than a small track.
“I will try to give my best. I am really happy and really excited to be here and to start again, because this is a nice place for me, it’s a place where on the past I was quite fast.
“But you know, this year with everything more close, it will be more difficult, also with a new bike. For sure I will try to give my maximum, to finish on the top positions.”
Don’t rule out that happening, especially with the full-season field still-depleted.
But if Rins, or fellow Suzuki convert Mir, don’t quite find their groove this weekend, logically that would only add to the legend of Marquez’s COTA exploits.
