Fresh rumors have been slogged on the infamous day that Mark Marquez spent on Valentino Rossi’s ranch.
The most intense rivalry in MotoGP history came after 2014 when Marquez traveled to Tavria.
It is widely believed that their relationship changed forever after a day at Rossi’s ranch.
“It all started with dirt tracks,” Scott Reading explained to the Motorsports Repubblica Podcast.
“I’ve never been, but from what I’ve heard, Rossi has different bikes, different manufacturers in different conditions.
“Mark appears using HRC trucks and full crews! Full Factory! It confuses Valentino because it downplayed why it was there.
“That was the beginning of TIC, TAC, TIC, TAC…
“It kept boiling more and more, but Mark doesn’t give an inch.
“Which rider will pass through a brick wall? I say one or two, and one will be Marquez.
“He didn’t even think about it, he would commit to the cause.”
The story of what really happened on 2014 in Italy has been told many times.
Supercross rider Chad Reid told MCN at the time:
The rivalry between Marquez and Rossi remains relevant today as the Spaniards chase the Italians’ nine world championship records.
And he does it as a teammate of Pecco Bagnaia, the first VR46 Academy alumni to win the MotoGP title.
Serious business for Motocross Mark Marquez and Spanish riders
However, Redding, who shared the MotoGP track with Marquez and Rossi, tried to explain how seriously you can take a dirt track race in Spain.
He recalled his own story of attending motocross practice sessions while living in Spain, just to understand that other riders were taking it more seriously.
“It’s going to be my training day,” he explained. “I got the rulebook. It says, “Down the front fork, remove the front mudguard with 17-inch wheels, drill holes and lower the back.”
“It was very basic.
“I showed up and they had Ohlins suspension and traction control on the front and back!
“I thought: “What***!”
Marquez recently discovered training in motocross – at Honda.
It’s the only time I’ve seen Marquez riding a Honda machine on a CRF450R.
But with Ducati launching the DESMO450 MX, it could be an era of change. You’ll hope that Marquez will give it a try soon.
Dirt track riding is not a fun game for Marquez, it’s a game.
It’s where he experiments with the limitations of motorcycle control and practices the operations that may ultimately be seen on MotoGP trucks.