Marc Marquez has an opportunity to lay down a marker in Indonesia this weekend

MotoGP hits new ground this weekend, as the series returns to Indonesia for the first time since 1997, with a trip to the new Mandalika Circuit, in an event that could be telling for one of the tournament’s old guard.

Admittedly, the fact that only five riders on this 24-man grid are older than Marc Marquez still feels something of a phenomenon, given his notoriety owes so much to being the youngest to achieve much of what he has done in the sport, not to mention his baby-faced assassin nature.

But after a 2020 season written off by injury, and a 2021 campaign focused largely on getting back to full fitness, this year feels like it is the one where it will become clear whether he can still compete with those contenders for his many crowns in the sport.

Given the circumstances that surround this race, a quick glance back into the history of Marquez in MotoGP, suggests that this trip to the far east could be a significant early indicator of the Honda man’s chances of doing just that.

Back in 2013, when Marquez was the man making his first strides into the premier class as a rookie in the Repsol Honda garage, the Spaniard was given an early chance to show just what he can do on a level playing field.

In just the second race of that 2013 season, MotoGP broke new ground – as it is doing in Indonesia this weekend – with a first-ever trip to the Circuit Of The Americas (COTA) in Texas.

With as much experience as anyone else on a MotoGP bike around that track – a handful of testing days – Marquez was in unbeatable form during the Championship’s first weekend at COTA.

By that Sunday night in America, Marquez had completed the hat-trick of pole position, fastest lap and race win, to become the youngest ever rider to stand on the