Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez is aiming to mount one of the greatest comebacks in MotoGP history, but Mat Oxley thinks his biggest rival isn’t being talked about enough.
Marquez has closed down what was a 101-point gap to the championship leader to just 18 points over the last two months.
After what was a dire start to the season, Marc Marquez now finds himself in the championship battle with all the momentum on his side.
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Even though some have suggested Marquez has benefited from mistakes made by other riders in this comeback, there is no denying just how impressive the Spaniard has been in the last few races.
But even with Jorge Martin being the championship leader, Mat Oxley believes Marquez faces a more dangerous rival in this championship race.
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Mat Oxley claims Marc Marquez’s ‘biggest rival’ in MotoGP title fight isn’t Jorge Martin
Speaking on the Oxley Bom podcast, Mat Oxley suggested that Marc Marquez has to be far more worried about Ai Ogura going forward, not Jorge Martin.
And Ogura’s recent run of form will force Marquez to watch back their races and see what weaknesses he can exploit in the second half of the season.
“Without a doubt, if he can keep it going like he has, and generally he does, then without a doubt, he is Marc’s biggest rival.
“And he will be watching a lot of races back, saying, ‘How can I beat this guy? Where are his weak points?’
“That won’t only be in races. He’ll be looking at qualifying, looking at media, because they’re going to be together in media scrums.”
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Oxley furthered this narrative by looking back at the German Grand Prix, and how Marquez refused to give Ogura any more information when asked about his performance.
“After Sachsenring, they have the pre-room for the podium (cooldown room), where there was Marc, Ogura, and Fernandez. Normally, it’s all Spanish and Italians on the podium so they speak in Spanish or Italian.
“Quite interesting that Marc always speaks in Italian if there are other Italians there… Ogura said, ‘Could you have gone even faster?’
“Marc just said, ‘I don’t know.’ These sorts of things, Marc will be studying, and will know how to sow seeds of doubt.”
Ogura has been arguably the best rider this season, even better than Marquez, as the Trackhouse star finds himself second in the championship standings as things stand.
Oxley isn’t the one to suggest a rivalry is brewing, as even Francesco Bagnaia suggested Ogura is faster than Marquez, and could have the beating of him.
If Marquez wants to win the world championship, he needs to make sure Ogura is in the rearview mirror long before he thinks about taking on Jorge Martin.
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