Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez recently claimed that Jorge Lorenzo was the biggest rival he has ever faced in MotoGP.
The Ant of Cervera has raced against some of the all-time greats of the sport. Marquez battled Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa for the title in his rookie season in 2013, where he would emerge victorious.
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Marquez had a tense rivalry with Valentino Rossi, and it is one that still lingers in the MotoGP paddock today. The events of the 2015 season live long in the memory of many fans, with Rossi accusing Marquez of helping Lorenzo to win the title.
That season is one of two instances where a fully fit Marquez was beaten, with Jorge Martin joining Lorenzo in 2024. With 47 wins and 114 podiums, the Spaniard stands as one of MotoGP’s fiercest competitors and one of Marquez’s closest rivals.
MotoGP fans agree that Jorge Lorenzo is Marc Marquez’s biggest rival
Lorenzo managed to beat the ‘Fantastic Five’ in MotoGP, consisting of Marquez, Rossi, Pedrosa and Casey Stoner, after winning three titles in 2010, 2012 and 2015.
Marquez beat all but one of them, as Stoner’s retirement in 2012 opened the door for him to join Honda in 2013. Of the riders he has faced, the 33-year-old named Lorenzo as his toughest, and fans could not argue with that statement on Reddit.
“Beat him at his prime by a fair margin in his last few days on the Ducati. Lorenzo in his element was on another planet,” said one fan. Another wrote: “Very few riders have beat Stoner, Rossi, Marc in their prime. Lorenzo has beaten all 3.”
A bold statement from Marc Marquez! 👀 Do you agree that Jorge Lorenzo was his biggest rival?
One user said: “Lorenzo is the only one who could dominate a weekend even with a prime Marquez around. Dovi would have last lap battles with Marc but Lorenzo could win by 5 seconds whether it was a Yamaha or Ducati.”
“A fully fit, prime Lorenzo could beat anyone so this totally makes sense. Jorge was a beast at his best,” said another.
One fan simply said: “Facts are facts.” Another was in agreement, as they said: “Can’t argue with that really.”
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Jorge Lorenzo says Marc Marquez was his toughest opponent in MotoGP
Marquez’s comments are reciprocated by his fellow countryman, as Lorenzo named Marquez as the toughest rider he has ever faced.
While he has battled the likes of Stoner, Rossi and Pedrosa, Lorenzo says Marquez was the ‘most complicated’ as he always wanted to beat him.
Lorenzo raced alongside the Ant of Cervera at Honda in 2019, but after his crash at Aragon in 2018, he could not recover his best form. He finished down in 19th and retired at the end of the season, while his teammate claimed his sixth premier class title.
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