#marcopolo

Pol had honestly lost track of how many times he had seen Dani awkwardly adjust his collar, trying to hide the hickeys lining his throat.

Or how many times he had hurriedly hidden his phone when Pol walked in.

Or how many times he had seen Dani slipping into a motorhome that wasn’t his own.

It was always the same motorhome too. The one only a few feet away from Dani’s.

David Alonso’s motorhome.

Another rising star, cherry picked by MotoGP legends to be a future MotoGP star. His future was set in stone, with both Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez’s eyes on him and the latter’s guidance helping to shape his career.

Everyone knew it was only a matter of time before he got the call up.

Meanwhile, Dani, despite his talent, was fighting for the same recognition. It was part of what had drawn Pol to the younger rider in the first place, as he had seen too much of himself within him.

Though as 2026 dawned, Dani was finally getting the attention he deserved.

Whether or not said attention came too late remained to be seen.

And yet despite that, the two Moto2 riders were oddly connected.

Pol figured that the relationship wasn’t all smooth sailing though. Pol knew how much David drove Dani wild.

After all, his protégé was not shy about complaining about the Aspar driver.

“It’s like he has everything handed to him because of his connections! He has the talent yes, but so do I!”

And yet, apparently, those complaints weren’t enough to stop the little rendezvouses between the new teammates.

The irony of the situation was not lost on Pol.

After all, this little relationship reminded him of his own days in Moto2.

Pol remembers how he himself used to storm into a certain someone’s motorhome, his blood boiling after yet another battle on the track.

And his rival would look up, a faux look of innocence on his face.

“Is something the matter Pol? You look upset.”

Pol hated him back then.

Hated that smug little grin he would send him, while he asked what could possibly be wrong with him.

Hated Marc’s talent and the giant ego that accompanied it.

Hated how he had so many people wrapped around his finger at the age of only 19.

Hated how he himself was one of the ones who had unwillingly fallen into Marc’s trap.

Because back then, no one could resist Marc Marquez. In 2012, Marc wasn’t the villain of the paddock, whose thirst for victory outweighed everything to him.

No, Marc Marquez was still Spain’s darling then. Their rising star, with the talent to rival so many others. The one who immediately got the call up to Honda without a Moto2 title to his name yet.

Though he later rectified that bit by the end of 2012.

Meanwhile Pol scrambled to find a team to take him, even with his older brother being a MotoGP rider at the time.

And yet, even as his annoyance and jealousy towards Marc Marquez coursed through his veins, Pol still sought out his company.

Marc was his addiction, a drug he couldn’t quite get rid of.

Even years later, Pol could remember those nights in Marc’s motorhome.

His back would sting the next morning with fresh scratches. And his neck would be covered in hickeys that Pol quickly learned to hide, before his older brother saw and teased him about sneaking out with a fling.

If he complained to Marc, the prick would only laugh in reply and “promise” to not do it again.

They both knew he was lying.

Surprisingly though, they managed to keep their little secret from the paddock.

In the public’s eye, they were just rivals, fighting each other tooth and nail for the Moto2 championship.

No one knew the truth. Even now.

Still, there was something nostalgic about watching Dani and David run around like no one was watching.

Pol wonders if he was the same all those years ago.

Was there someone watching him and Marc all those years ago? Did they shake their head too, thinking of their own rivals?

Pol asks Marc one day if he knew about their respective protégés’ interactions.

Marc only laughs in reply. His eyes are filled with that familiar look of mischief as he playfully jokes that, “What do you mean Pol? I don’t know what David does in his free time!”

But, the door to Marc’s motorhome is open that night.