How can Joan Mir be MotoGP champion without getting a single victory?

• Chronicle.Joan Mir and the reliability of the champion: another podium and another step towards the title

His friendship with

, a four-time 500cc champion, was the motive the police established when they arrived at

burning house

and discovered that the fire started on purpose.

On March 23, 1981, Hailwood died in a traffic accident and, hours later, his battle partner, an already depressed O'Dell, decided to burn himself inside his home in an outcome that summed up his life.

Financial problems, serious injuries and even a statistic that tarnishes him: he was the only motorcycling champion who never won a race.

In his 10 years in racing, from 1970 to 1980, O'Dell held a title, the 1977 World Sidecar World Cup, but did not rise to the top of a podium.

He will forever be the winner without victories, a unique rider, although there were other champions who did not win in the year of his coronation, such as

in the 1989 80cc World Championship or

in the 1999 125cc World Championship.

Their cases are so exceptional that they have not been repeated in this century;

their cases are so exceptional that in 500cc / MotoGP nothing like this has ever happened.

In the previous 71 years of the top flight, no champion took the crown without triumphs and, in fact, no one did it with just one.

History called for at least two victories for a title, like

in 2006, and generally the tally used to exceed five.

Until now.

This strange 2020 already has a clear favorite and he has not won a race with only three tests left.

Joan Mir has everything to succeed Marc Márquez as a MotoGP benchmark except one success under his belt and this season there have been winners like

or

a.

How is that possible?

Another statistic explains it: Mir has six podium finishes and no other driver has more than three.

Neither

, runner-up for the last three years, nor

nor

have been regularly in the lead and, in fact, all three are in decline.

Doubts, doubts, doubts, the three doubt their motorcycles, their teams, the circuits and even themselves while Mir, only 23 years old, almost a rookie in MotoGP, enjoys the situation with the mettle of a veteran.

Settled in the little Suzuki, the most complete machine on the grid;

in tune with its mechanics;

and very confident in his driving - he only fell in Jerez and Brno at the beginning of the year - Mir has achieved balance.

This Sunday in Alcañiz he showed it.

and

escaped and he took it upon himself to climb from twelfth to third to increase his title lead and further discourage his opponents.

The differences are not yet final, in the two Cheste tests and the Portimao test everything will be decided, but there is already a solid candidate: Mir, even if he does not win.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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