Moto GP: Marquez makes it eight at the Dutch TT

Marc Marquez has continued his perfect start to the 2014 Moto GP season by winning the Dutch TT race at Assen today, extending his streak of victories to eight.

The 21-year-old is perhaps the most dominant individual in motorsport at the moment, having not lost a race since November 2013. He became the youngest ever motorcycle world champion last year, and the first rookie to win the championship since Kenny Roberts in 1978.

In Assen, Marquez started in second place on the grid behind Aleix Espargaro, but took the lead at the start after making the right tire call. Wet conditions saw the riders choose between slicks and wets, with Valentino Rossi’s decision to start on the dry tire proving costly as he fell to the back of the field.

Conditions did improve during the race, allowing the riders to pit and switch to slick tires. Marquez lost the lead to Andrea Dovizioso after pitting, but moved back up into first place with ten laps remaining. From there, the Spaniard saw it out and finished six seconds ahead of Dovizioso. Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa finished a further four seconds back.

When crossing the line, Marquez made a swimming motion on his bike in honor of the wet conditions.

With eight straight wins, Marquez has a perfect score of 200 at the top of the standings, and is some 72 points clear of Rossi in second place. The next round in Germany could see him get to the halfway point of the season without losing a race, but he still faces a stiff challenge to win all eighteen rounds.

Mercedes’ dominance in Formula 1 may be impressive, but compared to Marquez’s efforts, it pales into insignificance.

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