Alex Marquez: Rabat talent key to Marc VDS Moto2 switch

The opportunity to learn off reigning Moto2 world champion Tito Rabat was a crucial factor in Alex Marquez opting to join the dominant Marc VDS Racing squad for the 2015 campaign.

The newly crowned Moto3 world champion will partner Rabat in Moto2 next season after agreeing a two-year deal to ride a Kalex bike for the Belgium-based Marc VDS Racing squad.

Marquez has confirmed to MCN that he did have the option to move to Moto2 in a one-rider project that would have been set up just for him by long-term mentor and manager Emilio Alzamora.

Former 125GP world champion Alzamora looked at the prospect of running Alex in a one-rider Moto2 squad, just as the Spaniard did for double MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez in the intermediate GP category in 2011 and ’12.

But Alex preferred to clinch a move to Marc VDS because he felt the chance to learn off close pal Rabat, who took this year’s Moto2 crown with seven wins, was the best way to accelerate the learning process and advance his career.

Marquez, who won this year’s Moto3 title by just two-points after a tense final round decider against Jack Miller in Valencia earlier this month, told MCN: “A one-rider team was an option that we spoke about a few times but immediately I said no because I want a teammate that I can learn off in the first year. It is easier if you have a fast rider as a teammate and Tito is the best option. The option was there to be on my own but I didn’t like it, so Emilio worked a lot to sort out of the Marc VDS option. I go to Marc VDS for a lot of things but also to be with Tito because he is a very good friend. We train a lot together with Marc and when I spoke to Emilio he said it is good to have a very fast teammate because then it is easier to learn the category and easier to compare the data. And I expect that with Tito I can learn a lot and improve faster than if I was in another team.”