How Marquez became just another human at Austin

If you've ever seen the opening sequence of the Academy Award-acclaimed motion picture Dallas Buyers Club, you'll know just how intrinsic the sport of rodeo is interwoven into Texas culture. And while there are many elements to its show, wild horse or bull riding are its signature disciplines.

If you're a MotoGP fan, it's Marc Marquez and his wild Honda taming that's been the main event when Dorna brings its two-wheeled show to Austin.

Marquez even wore a special helmet with 'rodeo' (a Spanish word, which translates to 'round up') writ large across the back. Watching him shimmy along as his RC213V bucked and reared like a bronco along Austin's 200mph-plus back straight was little short of jaw-dropping.

And it also made one wince a little, when you take into account Marquez's major shoulder operation carried out just a few months ago.

"With the shaking, I feel it," he admitted of his still-recuperating shoulder being battered by the violent oscillation. "In Argentina [last time out] I was able to forget about it completely, but here I came back to using the ice and the physio."

Barely a conversation with MotoGP's riders could pass without mention of the bumps at the Circuit of the Americas. Usually, rider complaints are regarding the track surface in the braking zones, as those pesky Formula 1 cars tend to claw undulations into the asphalt with all their downforce.

But Austin's bumps are different - natural subsidence appears to be the real culprit. You only have to drive along the circuit's perimeter road - which runs parallel to the back straight - to clarify if your breakfast has settled adequately or not...

"It is different because here it is not a bump," surmised Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso. "It's like speed bumps everywhere! There are also some normal bumps, but compared to Silverstone, that is just damage on the ground."

"The bike is shaking like crazy at more than 300km/h. Come on, this is not motocross. This is too much. It is a matter of safety" Aleix Espargaro

LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow added: "It is not just bumps, it is huge weaves. I rode here in 2013 when it was like a millpond; the surface meant it was an amazing track to ride. Now it is getting stupid."

Asked which corners, in particular, were problematic he said: "[Turns] 2, 10, 11, the backstraight - the straight is mad - and then 15, 16 and 17. This is bumpier than Thruxton, way bumpier! It is not necessarily bumps, they are like jumps, proper weaves in the Tarmac.

"It adds fantastic character, some of the places where you have to manage a lot, and the bike is shaking and stuff like that, it makes riding a MotoGP bike thrilling. But it is dangerous as well, there are no two ways about it."

Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro was the most outspoken of the riders on Friday, probably because the bumps on the backstraight actually damaged his bike.

"I broke both of the steering lock[stops] - both the limits on the left and right!" he exclaimed. "The bike is shaking like crazy at more than 300km/h [186mph]. Come on, this is not motocross. This is too much. It is a matter of safety."

When there are such wild thrills on offer in MotoGP, Marquez often appears to the man who most embraces the challenge of the Austin joyride.

"This circuit is changing every year," he observed on Friday. "It's true it's a little bit bumpier in some areas, but of course you remember the biggest bumps. In FP1 it looks like the end of the world! But in FP2 and then on, it gets better and better."

Sunday spelt an end to Marquez's amazing winning streak at Austin, as his Honda's front wheel folded beneath him unexpectedly at the apex of one of the slower corners on the track.

It was hard to tell who was more surprised: Marquez, the watching crowd or the following Valentino Rossi. Marquez's record reads seven poles here, but now only six wins from the seven races held at Austin. Until that point, the five-time MotoGP champion looked well on course to win again.

His answer to an Autosport question on Friday after practice seemed almost prescient in hindsight. Marquez was asked if the bumps, and Honda's quest to conquer them with a more compliant bike, might lead to his opposition eating into his clear advantage at Austin.

"Every year the others are improving," he replied. "I can arrive in a new track and I can find the limit quite easily. But then the others they are improving a lot.

"We are trying to find a bike that is very consistent on all of the racetracks. That means we are losing on our strongest point, and we are gaining in our weakest point. At this track, we had many strong points in the past, but in the last [few] years, every time we have less and less.

"I know it will come someday that somebody will beat me. But I need to understand that it's normal. What is not normal is win, win, win every year."

Rossi spoke about Marquez having "secrets and tricks" at Austin. Jack Miller followed Marquez closely for a lap on Friday and revealed a few clues.

"There were some points where I was stronger than him," said the Pramac Ducati rider. "In particular, in the change of direction. I feel slow there but then when I got behind Marc I was actually catching him at that point - which is generally the Honda's strong point.

"Then there were a couple of points like [Turns] 7 and 8 when he was able to carry a little bit more corner speed than me. I just didn't quite have the front feeling - especially in 8, the uphill chicane before the 10 drop-off.

Sometimes I say 'OK, I was over the limit' but I was inside my limit here. I was riding smoothly, trying to save the front tyre. But we are human, mistakes are there" Marc Marquez

"He was braking late, not later than me, but it seemed like he was struggling to stop the bike a bit more.

"He ran wide a couple of times at the end of the back straight. In typical Marc fashion, it was sideways and he managed to keep it on track and do a pretty decent lap time as well."

Another to have his say was 'King' Kenny Roberts, the three-time 500cc world champion who was making a rare visit to Austin to launch a new boot with Alpinestars.

When asked which rider was most similar to him, he replied: "Marquez probably comes the closest to throwing the bike in and making it turn and exit even. Which is what I tried to do. I wasn't quite as good at it as he is!"

The final words must go to Marquez himself, whose pride took a beating on Sunday but fortunately without any additional injury.

"Of course it has been six amazing years here but I did a big mistake," he admitted. "But in another side, it's not the same kind of mistake in leading the race as it is fighting for fifth position, for example. So the level was there.

"We compared the data, it was very similar to the previous lap. But when you are riding at a very constant pace, when you feel strong, it can happen.

"It's a very long braking point and it's difficult to understand sometimes. The mistake is that I crashed, but I didn't do anything stupid. Sometimes I say 'OK, I was over the limit', but I was inside my limit.

"I was riding smoothly, trying to save the front tyre. But we are human, mistakes are there."

It's nice to be reminded that Marquez is human because sometimes it seems he is from another world. He finally fell to earth at Austin, but even the best rodeo riders hit the dirt sometimes.