When GI met Marc Marquez

As a full-time freelance journalist, I (Gary Inman, Sideburn's editor) have a very varied life. A deadline every day too. The job has taken me all over the world and Sideburn fits in around this day job and family life (though Sideburn muscles into every single day). 

Last August I was sent an email from Italy asking me to interview Marc Marquez in London. Then it was cancelled. A few weeks later it was back on, but in Italy. All a bit last minute, but I could fit it in, so I drove to London for the flight to Milan. I was picked up in a minibus by a big crew and driven to Rimini on the far coast of Italy. We pulled into the car park of the Grand Hotel Rimini at nearly midnight. 

It wasn't long since I'd watched the brilliant Grand Hotel Budapest and there were a lot of visual comparisons. No lift boys though.

The next morning, after breakfast on my own, I went to a pair of adjoining suites where the photoshoot was underway. The room was crowded with: 

• The husband and wife photography team - VanMossevelde+N
• Their two assistants
• The wardrobe man and his assistant
• The magazine's art director
• Hairdresser
• Marquez's agent (above in 93 shirt)
• Marc Marquez (through the crowd in the suit and tie)

Ten people in total, plus me. I sat and waited my turn.

 About a third of the clothing options the magazine brought.

 Marquez hair trimmings. I should've collected them for eBay...

I interviewed the world champion, on the cusp of securing his second world title, for nearly an hour, a good slot. At the end, having run out questions, I asked him the old cliche - what was better, winning races or sex? He said, winning races leads to more sex with a laugh.
The assignment was for Icon in Italy, but their Spanish version picked up the interview and photos. Then the national paper, El Pais (who own the Spanish version of Icon), took the quote and made it a front page headline, in this quite traditional and Catholic country. Obviously to try sell more magazines.
When I saw Marquez's manager at the Superprestigio he gave me the dead eye and told me about the El Pais situation, that I didn't know about until that time. Whoops.
Marquez is a nice young fella, I hope I didn't cause problems for him. I doubt it.
I was told, the week before the Superprestigio, the rider was on TV crying because he'd caught a lot of very public grief for moving from Spain to Andorra to avoid paying Spanish tax. The Spaniards, in the depths of a very rough recession, didn't like this super-rich young sportsman avoiding tax so publicly. As I understand it, he made a U-turn and moved back to Spain, or decided not to move to Andorra at all.

Sideburn - the choice of world champions.

 This is the coverage in Italy's Icon. I write for them regularly if any Italians out there are bothered. G