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
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.
“He rides way beyond the limit and crashing is part of it. It’s what makes him so special.”
Why Jim Redman puts Marc Marquez above the rest
Now 94, Redman has seen nearly every rider who could lay claim to being the sport’s greatest, and he believes that title goes to Marquez.
According to Redman, the seven-time MotoGP champion changed how riders approach risk in the sport.
An eighth world championship this year would draw Marquez level with Giacomo Agostini and move him ahead of Valentino Rossi. However, after three rounds of the current season, he trails Marco Bezzecchi by 36 points.
“I spent my whole career thinking that greatness was about being on the edge, controlling the risk, surviving, but Marquez made me rethink everything. He didn’t stay on the edge, he didn’t survive it, he owned it.
“The other four riders are legends, each one changed this sport. But if you ask me at 94 years old who is the greatest I’ve ever seen, there’s only one answer: the guy who made the impossible routine.”
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