Going for the W: Marvin Musquin
Thursday, August 11, 2011 | 1:30 PM
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Before the outdoor season started, there was a quiet buzz about the newest Red Bull KTM rider, Marvin Musquin. The Frenchman had come off two straight MX2 World Championships in Europe but had blown out his knee at the Bercy Supercross, preventing him from taking part in the supercross series.
But with a ton of rehab work after surgery, Musquin was getting ready to step into the motocross series and hopefully do some damage. The kid’s credentials were impeccable—he was very fast, and he had the titles to back it up. Preseason testing had gone well, and the guys at KTM were quietly optimistic that Musquin was going to run up front and maybe even win some races.
Musquin finished 14th overall in his return to racing at Washougal.
Photo: Andrew Fredrickson
Although there was no podium for Marvin at Hangtown, it was still a very good showing. Two come-from-the-back rides, good lap times, and a fifth overall on the day didn’t let anyone down. In the second moto, Musquin came from pretty much last to sixth. It was also his second race in six months (he rode the USGP at Glen Helen the week before) and he did about as well as could be expected.
At the next race in Texas, Marvin gated well and was second going into the third corner behind Justin Barcia. It seemed Musquin was set to get at least a podium, but then disaster struck. We all saw it on the SPEED broadcast: Barcia hit a kicker and went over the bars, his Honda shooting out sideways. The spinning rear wheel collided with Musquin’s head and body, resulting in a broken thumb.
Marvin’s season was once again on hold. After healing, he made his return at Washougal and his comeback began again. When he returned to a slick, tricky Washougal track, he only managed 10-18 moto scores; even though he qualified fifth, it wasn’t the triumphant return we’d all imagined.
American-based French journalist Stephen LeGrand knows Marvin well and went to the race to document his comeback to the scene for his website. He says Washougal is a tricky track for a first-timer, thanks to deep shadows and not much traction.
Can Musquin rebound at Unadilla?
Photo: Andrew Fredrickson
Certainly with Unadilla this weekend, on a track that has suited GP riders so many times in the past (Everts, Coppins, Desalle), we’ll see more of the rider we expected to see up front. Musquin should do much better at ’Dilla now that he’s had a couple weeks to get faster. The natural terrain, a little bit of elevation, plus the way the track naturally forms suits a GP rider a little better than Washougal.
Musquin’s season has been one of stops and starts, but there’s too much talent there to not eventually put him up at the front. His two World Championships demand our respect and his fluid riding style has to be seen. Without a doubt, 2012 should be much, much better for Musquin and the team.
But let’s not forget about 2011 just yet.
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you can explain me how the hell a brand who make bad bikes over 30 or 40 years didn't finish in bankrupt? and how the hell, after that, they have all the money to made so many good bikes today? are you telling me that KTM never copying (or copied?) the nippons? really? during they history KTM ingeniors are looking into the J-bikes more then one million gynecologists looking under the ladies skirts during all they lives! sorry for my bad English
look at Husqvarna, my favorite Euro brand, they made the best bikes in the 60's, they made good bikes in the seventies but not in the 80's, then in 1987 they sold their company (Husqvarna Motorcycle) at Cagiva, it's a logical process imo
I like Marvin, great style..... he was flying at Hangtown! Good luck
I think you will see the real Marvin this weekend, fast and smooth.
For sure Marvin will be back this weekend, and my guess is he'll split the green bikes for a podium finish. But the really real Marvin won't show up till september 18th in France. An even he'll come second to Mr Roczen (in the mx2 class of course, I ain't man enough to call Roczen for the whole event just yet lol).
If anyone can stop the PC win streak he is the one.
Indeed....Unadilla is a GP-ish style track that will suit MM well....I think its highly possible for MM to get on the podium for sure, perhaps even the overall....Should be some good racing...
MM as well as Roczen and Herlings would have made the 250 series so much more entertaining for the fans.
And the competition between Dungey, Reedy and Villo in the 450 class has been very good to watch ... so far.
what the name of your game? :) copy and paste the post of other?
I still cant figure out how he broke his thumb. Baricas bike went over the front of his bike above the bars. How he broke his thumb is beyond me. Anyway hope he is able to pull in the wins for ktm.
It will be nice to see something on the podium that isnt green.
@Why, if you want to see if KTM has ever copied the Jap bikes, look at the link in the new 2012 suspension. It almost an exact copy of Yamaha..
Sorry, but I don't see how anyone is going to match the speed or potential for results of Wilson, Rattray, or Baggett. If Musquin doesn't start in the top five with them, then he will not be able to reel them in. Nobody else has, so why assume that Musquin will magically have some hidden potential that has failed to emerge so far?
Man, all those places copy the hell out of each other but they also tear down the competition to see stuff they DONT want to copy as well. I was at PC and walked into an office room and on the floor was boxes full of FMF,Leo Vince, Akropovik, Yosh, Dubach, Big Gun, you name it. They had all the comps crap layed out and tore down. and I promise you all the others have PC's and the others doing the same thing. If say Honda or Zook or whoever produces a great bike with lots of really cool updates, you can bet that the rest buy that bike and tear it to pieces checking out what's what. Measuring frame geometry and wall thickness at every bend and turn. rake, wheel base, and ergonomics in general. "copy" what you like and can, and throw out the rest. Or if you have a KTM, just throw the entire bike in the dumpster and be done with it.
I noticed alot of people bash ktm on here...deoster is there now... a championship isn t far away imo....also ktm stepped up to help sponsor the outdoor series and are lookin to spend money in our sport when other oems are looking to get out (suzuki i heard is explorin this option) or already have and farming it out (yamaha)...also heard reed and dungey on new ktm team plus jdr for lites program and keep factory team...they are developing the 350 not afraid to try something different...they are puttin alot into the sport in a bad economy at least give them some credit for that...
I hope we get to see the real Starving Marvin before this series is over.He hasn't raced much in the last 9 months.Its going to take a while for him to get up to speed.Then throw in the heat and humidity.It'll take some time.
KTM was a good servant of the Soviet Union, NO? now their are good servant of European Union, whatever they have a strange history
.... "they are developing the 350 not afraid to try something different..."
it's easy when all the lobbies are behind you ....
you can make bad bikes for decades and still have all the money you need :)
a perfect follower has a facebook account, a twitter account, a youtube acount, the dvd collection of fast and furious, a statuette of the Eiffel Tower, a bottle of vodka, a bottle of french wine, a home cinema, an apple computer, a iphone, a lakers jersey of kobe bryant, and a KTM!!!
But don't listen to me I like watching dancing shows, drinks with umbrellas, and hairy men in speedos.
I hurt you? sorry :(, listen rihana; you probably feel better after that :)
What IS up with the KTM bashing on this site? They're making great bikes now and are the only manufacturer still committed to 2 strokes. Don't knock 'em till you try 'em guys!
We all are waiting for the real Marvin to show up. The 3 weeks off will probably help his thumb. Everyone said Washougal was "his kind of track" before the race. Now they are saying Unadilla is "his kind of track". He better bring it on Saturday.
I like the kid but to expect a W is too much to ask right now. May be a top 5. By the way KTM makes Husky's now. Whoever said Cagiva bought it, well not anymore. KTM makes Husqvana enduro bikes.
KTM doesn't make Husky, KTM makes Husaberg. Husqvarna was aqcuired by BMW after they decided to scrap the idea of making an Enduro bike, so they picked up an existing brand and made it better...
@playridr Hidden potential? Dude has 2 world championships, that don't seem that hidden to me..
Hi fans, Mavelous Marvin here. Glad to see that frog hater Mike has pissed off. He was getting me a bad reputation on here, bigging me up and all when it´s as plan as the nose on your face I´m the greatest. He even suggested I ran away from Europe becuase of that little German kid, but it´s not true. I´m gonna kick Rocky´s ass till he gets nose bleed come the MXDN, but in the mean time I thought I´d warm up over here where I get to race against the kids and Tyler Rattray. Tyler ain´t bad but he never was in my class over in the top series in the world, so I´m not surprised he´s getting a hard time from that Scotish kid and that american baby who´s name I´ve forgotten.
Just one question if I may. Do you think I should charge the kids for giving them a riding lesson this weekend, or should I give them a freebee? Tyler has already agreed to slip me his prize money if I let him win, but I said he should keep it this time around. I like Tyler. Maybe I´ll let him follow me around, you know, give the old fella a helping hand.
Well, that´s all fans. See ya on the top step of the podium come Saterday.
@ whycomeyouunscannable... Simple.. There were enough investors interested in keeping the brand alive... Who cares they went bankrupt several times... Now they are the nr#1 bike in terms of sales in europe... Motorcross and enduro of course. So they must have done something good down the road... (Unlike Maico, who has actually the record when it comes to the number of times, a company goes bankrupt and changed ownership)
As for them copying.. Their previous suspension was utter rubbish... And even though they had sticked by WP.. A lot have changed. If the japs, make good suspension.. Why not copy them and perfect it...
And lest not forget.... The japs did the exact thing as well by copying the existing brands back in the day...
Good thing about KTM... They have an excellent team of engineers and far better management than the japs... So all KTM has to do is pave their way into the remaining market, which is the US. (Just a matter of time before they will beat the japs.. )
Husqvarna is whole different story, who was just a small time brand (After the 90's decline).. And with thanks to BMW, they live on.
Am a huge Honda fan, and will no doubt always be, but I am very much impressed on how KTM have and is continue to do.. Plus, have ridden several time their bikes.. Their enduro bikes are just THE best.. And their motorcross bikes, i.e 350.. Makes me tempt to jump ship to the 4 stroke.
@Mavelous Marvin Musquin Saterday? lol tw@
I havent seen Marvin ride at his GP winning pace for about a year now. I think he is one of those riders (like so many Euros) who needs to build up his confidence, and for everthing to go just right for him to ride up front. Here's hoping!
@the truthisnotforeveryone.....U have a rite to your opinion ....if you were replying to my comment...no you didn t hurt me lol...thanks for the concern though lol..
Marvin did 4th in the first moto at Hangton in front of Tyla and with a bad start, he did 6th in the second with a crash at the start. In Freestone he was the faster in practice, the ones who saw him there in the waves know he is super fast ! I think he has already showed his speed...
After Washougal he was super frustrated and mad at himself for his poor result (same for Baggett in Freestone) and I will be surprise if we don't see him with the PC's boys at Unadilla. He needs to start with them and he will at least follow them.
Go Marvin, start the dream !
@soulvillemusic - It's just one moron bashing KTM, using different screen names. I have seen the exact same post in several other articles, always with a different name. The guy is just a dickless fool with nothing better to do.
KTM makes great bikes, and are keeping the 2-strokes alive and well. Dont know why any moron would bask a company that makes the very product we love. Its dumb. If they all go away, so does our sport.
@why and @bd200 You guys need to actually do your research on KTM they are nothing like any of the Jap bikes...They are the only ones that have chromoly frame which is more expensive and stronger...they are also the only bike that has hydraulic clutch stock...oh and don't forget the brumble brakes...plus no backward motor and no uni cams..and no ram air...I could go on and on but the most important point is NO OTHER COMPANY HAS A 350....So please explain to me how KTM copied ANY of Jap bikes....
btkknights... Valid points you have mentioned... But on other areas, KTM did abandon some of their stuff & looked what the japs were doing... Nothing wrong with that.. I recall reading some article where they explained how Honda copied some stuff from the Maico back in the early 80's... And suzuki copied a lot what Honda did...
At the end, what counts is who sells the most of bikes... Ha,ha
KTM´s rock big time. I got me a 350 this year and besides a gearbox bearing that needed to be replaced (on warranty) I´ve had nothing but trouble free riding, and I can hang with the 450´s, no probs. The only reason they weren´t popular in the states was due to their direct to S/A suspension system, but they now have a linkage that is better than the jap bikes.
Go orange or go home dude.
Myopia run rampant re the anti-KTM rhetoric. First, to all of you new to developments post-Bronze Age; always assume everyone examines everyone else's product. This is so routine it barely merits mention. Why you would not is the better question. Second, specific to MX, see Didierlotsyeng's comment above. When the Japanese tacked MX bikes, they bought everything out there and, at least initially, pretty much copied. Sometimes pretty blatantly. Third, given that European bikes pioneered MX and did the heavy lifting for most of their development, it's kind of odd to resent the re-entry (of a sort) of a European Manufacturer. Unless you own Suzuki stock(example), what could possibly be your beef? You that owned by their marketing department? It was VERY COOL once upon a time to have 7-8 Euro brands out there besides the Jap bikes. And they were truly diverse and had different characters. Not the 98% clones of today. How different? Back in the day, during track-walk, you could look at a corner and predict the Maico line (prob inside, but anywhere really), the Husky line (deep in, square at the berm, exit tight), the Bultaco line (ring the berm), etc. You could tell what bike was coming by engine sound. Easily. All that is gone now and believe me when I say it added a lot to the sport, on or off the bike.
yes all through thr years KTM had there ups & downs but back in the early days when the Yamaha & Honda were so short they would spit you off before you could blink KTM was a little longer and would track much better also a KTM could go most of the season whereas the Yamaha & Honds would need a new piston every other week yes the sacks engine was great but the trans was a poor shifter
I used to race a KTM 520,in the +AM classes.I holeshot every single race..Oh wait.... I did it on my 450 too.. I liked that it was different... and from europe,(where alot of us originally came from) KTM kicks Ass.. Electric bike development,..linkage now..Come on..!! SEE: More Championships in the very near future.... Baauuuuuuurrrrp..
that's why ktm never made a single podium on ama 450 sx? man, 40 years of AMA SX hystory and ZERO podium into the first class ??????????? man that brand sµck!
how many AMA&GP; titles for Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki, and how many for ktm?
WHAT? you don't like japs bikes? your first bike was a j-bike, the majority of the bike you buy are nippons, and you don't like J-bikes? yes, definitely you are europeans! totaly liars and hypocrits!
KTM is for GAY !!! "Do you see my orange bike?", "Oh, it's so cute" !!!!!
American's followers of Europeans, are just a bunch of losers !, bring back some John Wayne, Gary Cooper, and Jake Dempsey!
after the KGB/KTM/GAY TEAM, now you have the EU/KTM/GAY TEAM