Marc Marquez's victory a shot in the arm for MotoGP, says Freddie Spencer
Former champion Freddie Spencer hails young Spaniard who broke his record
Marc Marquez's maiden MotoGP world title at the age of only 20 is great news for the profile of the sport, according to Freddie Spencer, the man whose record the Spaniard broke to become the youngest ever champion on Sunday.
American Spencer, who won his first premier-class crown in 1983 at the age of 21, said he was delighted for Marquez and his former Honda team after the rookie from Catalonia held off compatriot and defending champion Jorge Lorenzo of Yamaha in the final race of the season to clinch the title.
Lorenzo won the race, with Marquez coasting home in third behind Spanish teammate Dani Pedrosa to pip Lorenzo by four points in the standings and delight the thousands of his fans thronging the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Cheste near Valencia.
"Marc is very young, very dynamic and a very likeable kid, a good kid," Spencer said from Santa Monica, California, where he watched the title showdown.
"He loves to ride and loves to race and that shows and I think that bodes well for MotoGP," added the 51-year-old, who woke up around 5am in California to catch the race. "It's very important for our sport to have personalities who love to show that and people are drawn to that."
He loves to ride and loves to race and that shows and I think that bodes well for MotoGP
Spencer said it was too early to compare Marquez to Italian great Valentino Rossi, a nine-time world champion in all classes who is now 34 and Lorenzo's teammate at Yamaha.