On the face of it I’d venture to say they’d have been on-track equals - but Marquez’ immunity to the politics and social media ........ along with his being at ease with the demands for PR work would have given him the edge. All the the media circus nonsense seemed to defuse Stoner’s focus.
If you read his bio, you come away with the distinct impression of a very solitary, loner kind of kid, totally obsessive in the way he deconstructed the circuits he raced at, totally happy just to travel from race to race seeing and hanging out with just a few pals and having meals with mom and dad. On those occasions when he just walked away from the field, unlike some riders who will say they feel alone and disconnected from the action, you got the feeling he was happiest then, without the distraction of other riders, instead, just reading the track and beating his own best performances. It never seemed he was all that invested in beating his rivals, just the track, because; he was just that good, and he knew it.
