The 2024 MotoGP season will have marked a turning point in the career of Marc Marquez. After several difficult years, the Spanish driver returned to victory on several occasions, thanks in particular to the support of his Gresini Racing team and its chief mechanic, Frankie Carchedi. The latter spoke about this exceptional season and lifted the veil on the secrets of Marquez's success.
The 2024 MotoGP season will go down in history as that of the strong return of Marc Marquez. After years of injuries and team changes, the Spaniard experienced a real “renaissance”, marked by three victories racing in Aragon, Misano and Phillip Island.
Frankie Carchedihis technical leader at
Gresini Racingrevealed behind the scenes of this exceptional year in an interview for the Crash.net podcast.
From the start of the season, Gresini Racing
knew the task would be difficult. Marquez
returned to a very competitive environment with a Ducati GP23, a formidable but demanding machine. For
Carchesthe media environment created more pressure than the technical aspects:
» The only time I really said 'wow' was in Valencia, during the November tests. There were literally around 200 people in front of our booth. But once you start working, all that goes away. No matter who the driver is, you always seek the same goal: finish as high as possible. »
The season had its ups and downs, but the team remained responsive: “ every weekend, we managed to offer Marc a motorcycle with which he felt comfortable. Even in the last race, although it was difficult, we managed to get something that worked for him. It would have been a shame to end the year with a problem that we couldn't solve.. »
« Marc Marquez's talent is at a level that very few people can reach, let alone replicate »
The improvement of Marquez was particularly evident in fast right-hand corners, its main weak point at the start of the season. » We lost three or four tenths in some fast corners at the start. But by the end of the year, Marc had made enormous progress. I would say he doesn't feel completely comfortable yet, but he is in a very good position for the future. »
Carches also spoke about the unique driving style of Marc Marquezdifficult to reproduce for its rivals: » what he does on the bike is incredible, especially on left turns. I jokingly told him that it took me a long time to figure out how he did it. NOW,
I know what it does and how it does it, but explaining it and having someone else be able to reproduce it is another story. »
The three victories of Marc Marquez not only validated the team's hard work, but also proved the rider's ability to get the most out of a satellite motorcycle. “ After Aragon and Misano, within the team we were sure we could be competitive. Marc had his own goals and we had ours. It's been more of a year of learning than fighting for the titlebut these victories showed how far he can go. »
While Marquez joins the official Ducati team in 2024, Carches
predicts even greater ambitions on crash.net: “ At Gresini the emphasis was on understanding all aspects of motorcycling. At official Ducati, I'm sure their goals will be very different. Marc is a born competitor, and now he will be able to challenge for the title. »
Pour Carcheswork with Marc
Marquez was a unique challenge: “ Marc is a unique pilot. Working with him is a constant learning process. But if I've learned anything this year, it's that his talent is at a level that very few people can reach, let alone replicate. »
Thus, the 2024 season will remain marked by the return to the top of one of the greatest champions in MotoGP history. The future promises to be even more exciting with Marquez
in the factory team
Ducatiready to aim for a new world title.
