(http://media.crash.net/original/PA1623407.0008.jpg)
QuoteDouble MotoGP champion Marc Marquez's ability to throw his Repsol Honda around like a dirt bike amazes former 500cc star Daryl Beattie.
Beattie, runner-up to Mick Doohan in the 1995 World Championship, told Crash.net: "You can see Marquez's ability on dirt track especially. The amazing thing for me is that he rides his MotoGP bike like he rides the dirt bike. He gets the thing in weird angles, it's tucking and turning... His feel and ability to do that is unbelievable.
"So much has changed since the days of Barry Sheene, in terms of the tyres and electronics, but the guys now are certainly tucking and sliding a lot. Dirt track does an enormous amount for that..."
- Crash.net (http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/212871/1/amazing-marquez-rides-motogp-like-dirt-track.html)
He's (Beatie) just now noticing? I think that's a well established belief that in order to ride to that next level on the track, you need to be able to ride a bike to its limits on the dirt. In this case, dirt track.
I think modern electronics have a lot to contribute to that level of riding as well. Remember what happened to Pedrosa after his rear wheel speed sensor was knocked out by Marquez.
For sure. There would be a lot more crashes from overspinning the rear tire. But the similarities to the traction-control-less flat tracker bike riding styles, like how MM & VR seem to ride on a regular basis, is all too clear.
(http://www.mcnews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Day2_Marquez_10243.jpg)
(http://weridemotorsports.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/rossi-sepang-testing.jpg)
Between many of these great riders pitching the bikes back end out under braking to how they're able to slide the bike through many of the corners, it makes for a much more entertaining spectacle.
(http://cdn-0.motorsport.com/static/img/mgl/1600000/1690000/1693000/1693400/1693440/s8/motogp-spanish-gp-2014-valentino-rossi-yamaha-factory-racing.jpg)
(http://bikeportal.in/img/news/882/gallery/big/706f51ab42c26582c45442866e66f8f9.jpg)