We really shouldn’t be talking about this.But you know how it goes: you’re in the middle of a conversation with a prospect, or potential sponsor and he goes “Who are the 10 top riders in MotoGP? When it comes to MotoGP advertising and marketing, I should sponsor one of the best, right?”.
At this point, as a professional consultant from a leading sports marketing agency, you should always stick with the right answer, which is “good sponsorship really does not care whether you win or lose”. Trust the project, not the podiumTouch be told, this answer never works.
The prospect nods, says this is understandable and the whole thing makes a lot of sense. Then he stares at you and goes, “Anyway, who are the best MotoGP riders? Or, even better, who are your top 10 riders in MotoGP?”Ok then. We really should not be talking about this, but here it goes. Our take on the best MotoGP racer in activity right now.
3 – Fabio Quartararo
If we’re honest, we must admit Fabio Quartararo‘s past few years has been a bit of a two-faced creature. After a glamorous World Championship won with Yamaha, with the Frenchman putting on a masterclass for the rest of the world to see, Quartararo failed to live up to the expectations mainly due to a non competitive motorcycle.
The boy’s a talent, no doubt about that. That’s why Yamaha retains him as a factory rider till 2024. Fabio in a top team with a good bike and the right people to support him to channell his talent in a right direction are an explosive combination.
With newfound consistency -and a faster ride- he’ll be fighting for podiums week in and week out and possibly become one of the greatest MotoGP rider of all times.
2 – Pecco Bagnaia
On paper, one of the men to beat. On track, the man to beat. The 2022 World Champion has everything it takes to be a strong contender for years to come.
He’s young, fast and riders the best bike of the pack.Yes, Ducati have given him a near perfect bike for the job. The Borgo Panigale machine is now a masterpiece of balance and rude power, breezing on the straights and dancing around the corners.
While Pecco has no doubt mastered his tricks, two things will be highly different in the future. On the one hand, the youngster knows he’s elite and the sky’s the limit: he’s won the world championship once and knows he can do it twice. On the other hand, the underdog days are over and everybody will be on the hunt. It’s open season.
1 – Marc Marquez
If you think 2020 was bad, Marc Marquez‘s 2020 was on another level of bad and 2021 was not better. The Spaniard not only fractured his humerus during the opening race of 2020 at Jerez and underwent surgery.
He also had a pretty bad infection, another surgery, and then another surgery to try and fix what was left of a *sigh* pretty incredible mess. Clinical report aside, Marc Marquez is quite possibly the greatest talent motorcycle racing has ever seen.
If the man is healthy, he’s going to win this thing again and again. Just think about the four-year period 2016,2019 in which Marc won 4 consecutive world championships. He was a dominant force in Grand Prix racing and be sure that the talent is still there.
As soon Marc regains his fitness you can bet that there will be more world titles to come his way.Like him or loathe him, we all should hope for a speedy recovery of Marc Marquez for a very simple reason: every rider on the grid knows very well that winning is not the same if Marc is not in the competition.
Quite possibly, he is the best motogp rider ever, or at the very least he is in that conversation with the likes of Rossi, Agostini, Stoner and a very selected few.