Jim Redman explains why Marc Marquez changed MotoGP forever

Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty Images

Jim Redman once questioned whether Marc Marquez could handle the risks of MotoGP, but it didn’t take long for him to see just how talented he was.

Back in 2011, while still racing in Moto2, Marquez suffered a crash at the Malaysian GP that resulted in double vision and forced him out of action for five months. Despite that setback, he went on to win the title in 2012 and moved up to MotoGP the following year.

Since then, he’s had 32 DNFs in 210 starts and missed 30 races between 2020 and 2023 due mostly to a serious arm injury. But even with those absences, his impact on the sport hasn’t faded.

Jim Redman on how Marc Marquez changed his view of crashing in MotoGP

Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty Images

Redman spoke with MARCA about how his early opinion of Marquez was shaped by a style that looked reckless but soon revealed something more. In time, he saw that the Spaniard’s control, especially at tracks like Sachsenring and COTA, set him apart.

Those two circuits have become strongholds for Marquez, who has collected 15 premier class wins between them. Even in races where the results didn’t go his way, like the 2024 Grand Prix of the Americas or the 2023 German Grand Prix, he still managed to leave an impact.

“I’ll tell you the truth: The first time I saw Marc Márquez, I thought he was a daredevil. He’d crash, crash again and crash again,” Redman said. “In my day someone who crashed that much was either dead or retired. There wasn’t a third option.”

Redman continued: “I sat and thought about every rider I’d ever seen. Márquez had it all. At the same time as the bike was trying to kill him, that’s when I understood: yes, he crashes more than anyone in history but that’s the point.