Marc Marquez believes that the end to his long-running feud with MotoGP rival Valentino Rossi is “important for motorcycle racing” after a truce was called on Sunday.
The two riders have been embroiled in a war of words for the past year after Rossi accused Honda’s Marquez of conspiring with Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo in the race for last year’s riders’ championship.
Rossi and Marquez enjoyed a close fight for victory at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Sunday at the end of an emotional weekend for motorcycle racing.
Moto2 rider Luis Salom died at the age of 24 on Friday after crashing in practice, leaving the entire MotoGP paddock in mourning.
“It has been a hard weekend for all the riders, but in the end I think that together we paid tribute to Luis Salom with the Sunday that he deserved,” Marquez said after the race, having finished second behind Rossi.
“It was a nice race with Valentino. I was suffering a little with the increase in temperature and was never completely comfortable, so I was unable to try overtaking at the right time.
“I had a couple of scares and started doing the math for the standings in my head, knowing that Jorge Lorenzo was out of the race, and I think that in the end, a podium finish is a very positive result for the championship.”
After the race, Marquez and Rossi shared a handshake on the podium before calling an end to their feud, something that the Spaniard believes to be an important step.
“Another thing that’s important for motorcycle racing is that Valentino and I shook hands,” Marquez said.
“It was probably the weekend and the right situation to do so.”