Although he's 65 points behind the leader in the race for the season championship, Spain's Marc Marquez has the top MotoGP riders worried. Here, Marquez celebrates winning the MotoGP race July 12 at the Sachsenring circuit in Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Germany.(Photo: Jens Meyer / AP)
Marc Marquez remains the boyish-looking Spaniard causing headaches for international motorcycle racing's elite.
That was again on display Thursday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as Valentino Rossi, the Michael Schumacher of MotoGP, and his two-time-champion teammate, Jorge Lorenzo, spoke reverently of the 22-year-old rider sitting to their right.
Marquez, quiet through the early part of the MotoGP season, all of a sudden has the Yamaha duo concerned.
"We didn't put him away," Lorenzo said Thursday. "If he wins a lot of races like he did last year ... he can recover."
Understand the dynamics involved here. Rossi, at age 36, has won more top-level races than any rider in history – 85 leading to seven season championships – and yet he seems more taken with the youngster than Lorenzo, who is his biggest challenger.
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Last SlideNext SlideLorenzo, who trails Rossi by 13 points, has won four races in succession this season, pushing his career win total to 37, fifth-most on the sport's all-time list. And like Rossi, Lorenzo answered more questions about Marquez on the eve of the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix.
This is newsworthy given Marquez's deficit – 65 points. Even winning the next three races won't guarantee him the series lead. It shows the respect he's earned.
As a rookie in 2013, Marquez won one of every three races, then won the first 10 races of last year, including the IMS race. In just 45 starts, Marquez has won 21 times, already 14th on the big chart.
Marquez and his new Honda didn't agree early in the year, particularly as the rear tire slid through fast corners. So, he switched back to the 2014 chassis and has finished second and first.
Confidence restored, Marquez seems primed for a run at a third consecutive championship — or so Rossi and Lorenzo fear.
"He can recover a lot of points or we can make mistakes," Lorenzo said. "So for sure, he is one of the favorites for the championship."
As Marquez beamed Thursday about the chance to race again in the U.S., where he's undefeated in MotoGP (six wins), Rossi sang a pessimistic tune.
"This track is not one of my favorites," he said.
Later, Rossi acknowledged how the IMS circuit has been dominated by Honda. Marquez smiled.
"Always when I come here I feel great," he said. "I like the surface (here), too, because it's slippery, and I enjoy that a lot."
IndyCar notes
•Mikhail Aleshin, the Russian driver seriously injured in last season's final event at Auto Club Speedway, is returning to Schmidt Peterson Motorsports at Sonoma Raceway. He will test Aug. 13 and race Aug. 30.
•IndyCar's Aug. 13 test at Sonoma will feature at least seven drivers from the Mazda Road to Indy program: Jack Harvey with SPM, Ed Jones with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Spencer Pigot and Nelson Piquet Jr. with Team Penske, Matthew Brabham with Andretti Autosport, Sean Rayhall with Ganassi Racing and Ryan Phinny with KVSH. By testing these drivers, teams get an equal number of laps for their regular drivers.
•Dan Andersen, who owns the three divisions comprising the Mazda Road to Indy, including Indy Lights, said Thursday he won't be a candidate to replace Derrick Walker as IndyCar president. "My plate is full," he said.
>IndyCar's ratings on NBCSN eclipsed 500,000 viewers for the fourth consecutive race. As a tape-delayed program following NASCAR's Sprint Cup race at Pocono, Mid-Ohio drew 666,000, the most for a cable channel since Sonoma in 2008 (685,000 on ESPN2). IndyCar averaged another 172,000 for the live Mid-Ohio broadcast on CNBC.
>Joe George, the half brother of Tony George and his sisters, died earlier this week at 66. The Avon resident and son of former driver Elmer George was manager of accounting at IMS.
Follow Star reporter Curt Cavin on Facebook and on Twitter: @curtcavin.
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