HRC Three legendary letters forever engraved in marble as well as on the MotoGP trophy. Honda is the largest manufacturer having graced the world championship circuits since 1949. Even today, a Repsol Honda Team handlebar is considered the Holy Grail for any rider. The majority of the greatest have officiated on winged machines. So why not try to rank the ten most representative drivers of the firm? Here is the fifth and final part of this episode after revealing the places 4 and 3 previously.
The selection criteria have been explained in detail in the
first part.
No. 2: Michael doohan (1965-)
Just a few years ago, a debate could have existed as to whether Mick was number 1 in this ranking. Quite honestly, he has the track record to claim it: Five times consecutive world champion from 1994 to 1998 (a performance that only Rossi managed to match from 2001 to 2005), 100% Honda career of ten seasons, 58 pole positions and 54 victories. Figures that make you dizzy.
Be careful to wet your neck before looking at your stats. In 1997, he won twelve of the fifteen championship races and took pole in twelve races… in a row.
Absolutely incredible.
For many years, the world championship enjoyed undivided domination by the army
Repsol–Honda, but more precisely from the Australian. However, this seemingly cold character should not allow us to overshadow a character with a big heart, a man for whom everything could have ended in a gravel trap, Assen in 1992.
This period of domination coincided with a decline in the spectacle on the track, as the NSR500, which was awarded the No. 1 title, was merciless. Only Álex Crivillé managed to take a crown from him in 1999,
thanks to the absence of his rival. A machine, a monster that comes in second place.
No. 1: Marc Márquez (1993-)
Photo: Michelin Motorosport
As if it were obvious. At the time of writing, Marc Márquez is already the greatest Honda driver in history. This may seem a little hasty, but the statistics as well as this extreme domination for seven years now say the opposite.
Arriving in MotoGP in 2013, Márquez won the title in his very first year in the premier category. This is a feat as the learning period is usually long. The little world of Grands Prix discovers a kind of alien, a prototype never seen before. He falls, but almost never gets hurt.
By doing this, he seeks his limits and those of the bike. Coupled with his spectacular driving style, this makes him almost invincible. From 2013, only the 2015 title slipped through his fingers in favor of Jorge Lorenzo, one of his rivals on the grid. The 2020 crown also looks set to go to someone else, with Marquez recovering from a heavy crash at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Dominate over several seasons by being a entertainer. This has not yet happened in motorsport, in all of history. The scariest part of it all: At 27, Mick Doohan did not yet have a world title and had nine 500cc victories. At 27 years old,
Márquez has 56, two more than the Australian has had in his entire career. These numbers are scary...
The Márquez UFO is not ready to stop hovering above the MotoGP grids. For these feats and his loyalty to Honda, he is logically first in this ranking.
A brand with a rich history, marked by drivers as brilliant as each other. Some stayed for eighteen years, others for just one race, but all deserve our applause. Still, the aura of the winged firm is far from being a myth.
Summary of the top 10:
10) Alex Barros
9) Nicky Hayden
8) Casey Stoner
7) Alex Crivillé
6) Freddie Spencer
5) Valentino Rossi
4) Wayne Gardner
3) Dani Pedrosa
2) Mick Doohan
1) Marc Marquez
Cover photo: Box Repsol.
