NOBARTV NEWS – Ahead of the 2024 Emilia Romagna MotoGP to be held at the Misano Circuit, the old tension between the two MotoGP legends, Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi, has resurfaced. However, this time, Marquez showed a calm attitude and was not provoked by Rossi's controversial statement, which called him the dirtiest rider in MotoGP history.
Marc Marquez, who is currently in brilliant form after winning two consecutive races in Aragon and San Marino, was not provoked by Rossi's provocation. In a press conference ahead of the 2024 Emilia Romagna MotoGP, a journalist asked Marquez about Rossi's statement in a podcast with Andrea Migno. In the podcast, Rossi called Marquez the "dirtiest rider" ever in MotoGP, a statement that reminded the public of the tension between the two since the 2015 Malaysian MotoGP incident, known as the Sepang Clash.
Responding to the question, Marquez calmly said, "The answer is simple and clear: Right now I have more important things in my head to think about than wasting time with statements from other riders," quoted from *AS*. Marquez emphasized that his statement was not a strategy to distract him, but rather a reminder that he is more focused on the essential things in his career at this time.
Valentino Rossi, who retired from MotoGP at the end of 2021, seems to still have uncomfortable feelings towards Marquez. Rossi claimed that Marquez had blocked his path to becoming world champion in 2015, an accusation that made the rivalry between the two even more heated at that time. However, for Marquez, the comments did not have a significant impact on his current mentality.
"No, I did not interpret it as an attempt to distract me before the race. After all, nothing is achieved from such comments," Marquez said. He also added that he did not want to get involved in psychological games or *psywar* like this, because his main focus was on the competition, which he said was the most important thing in his career.
In preparation for the race in Emilia Romagna, Marquez revealed that his motivation remains the same, which is to always give 100 percent. "You have to be realistic about what can be achieved. As an active rider, the last thing I want is to be involved in this kind of drama," he added.
After a long injury that had stopped his career, Marquez managed to bounce back and achieve consecutive victories in Aragon and San Marino. This brought him back into the conversation as one of the strong candidates to win the 2024 MotoGP world title. Currently, Marquez is in third place in the standings with 259 points, only 53 points behind the leader, Jorge Martin. With only a few series left, The Baby Alien still has a great chance to win the 9th world title in his career.
Marquez's calm attitude in responding to Rossi's comments also received praise from various parties. Neil Hodgson, a former racer and now a commentator on TNT Sports, said that Rossi's attitude in continuing to discuss his feud with Marquez was actually not beneficial to his own reputation. "I don't understand why Rossi wants to rehash the old stuff and say bad things about current riders," Hodgson said, quoted from *Crash.net*. He also added that Rossi, with nine world championship titles, should focus more on his legacy rather than opening old wounds.
Hodgson also praised Marquez's return to peak form after a series of injuries that have plagued him over the past few seasons. "Marc has won the last two races after all the injuries he's had, and that's an incredible achievement," Hodgson said.
The feud between Rossi and Marquez may never truly end, but Marc Marquez has proven that he prefers to focus on what matters most: his career and his rivalry on the track. Determined to regain the world title, Marquez insists that he will not be swayed by past provocations.
The live broadcast of the 2024 Emilia Romagna MotoGP can be watched on Trans7 television station on Sunday, September 22, 2024, starting at 18.00 WIB. This race is expected to be a proving ground for Marquez that he remains one of the best racers in the modern MotoGP era, regardless of all the controversies that have occurred in the past.
