Trash-talking normally doesn’t happen in MotoGP->ke2192, at least not to the extent that NASCAR does it. But MotoGP is still a popular sport with a global audience and the media plays its part in drumming up interest leading up to a race.

Even riders, whether consciously or not, contribute to the increasing media mileage by saying things that can be misconstrued as trash-talking. Take for example reigning MotoGP Champion Marc Marquez’s recent comments about which team he thinks is a real threat and which team he thinks is more of a pretender than anything else.

Speaking to MotoGP.com, Marquez busted out some bulletin board material by calling Yamaha->ke301 as Honda's biggest rival to the title and dropping the mike on Ducati->ke622 as a “non-threat” to the championship, despite the team’s impressive showing in pre-season test sessions.

Apparently, the two-time defending champ isn’t ready to consider Ducati a real rival, telling the series’ official website that the Italian racing team essentially has a habit of shooting itself in the foot at crucial times in the season. Whether you agree with his statement or not is a whole different topic for another day but it does remind you of two words commonly said when a comment like this hits the wire.

Shots fired!

His words won’t sit well with the folks over at Ducati, that much I can tell you. The opening round of the 2015 MotoGP season will begin this weekend as Marquez begins his campaign to win the title for a third consecutive year at the Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar.

For now, though, let the trash-talking begin.

Continue reading to read more about Marc Marquez's comments about who he thinks is his real competition .

Why it matters

Am I the only one who's legitimately getting all geeked up at the start of the 2015 MotoGP season. A lot of the testing sessions have concluded and as the clock ticks and the calendars continue to flip pages, my excitement is probably reaching code red status at this point.

The season starts in six days so that's going to be five nights of little to no sleep for me. That's ok, because I've been waiting for this weekend to come since the teams began their winter testing sessions.

There's a lot to talk about this season, too. Obviously, everyone will have their eyes fixed on Marc Marquez's bid to win three MotoGP titles in a row. But let's not forget that he still has to win over a field that includes some hellacious competitors, none bigger and more important than Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi. It's the battle between the legend and the rising star, part 3! Awesome stuff!

One other thing that I'm personally excited to see is Suzuki's return to MotoGP for the first time since 2011. I've written about the team's preparations ahead of the season-opening race this weekend and it's interesting that of all the teams that are competing this season, Suzuki Ecstar, as they've come to be known, is the one that has a lot of questions surrounding it. How good will it be? Can its riders handle the pressure of racing for a team that hasn't competed in MotoGP in four years? But most importantly, can they insert themselves into the title picture in their first year back?

So many questions, so few answers! Fortunately, my sanity will be spared when the 2015 MotoGP season begins this weekend in Qatar. Finally!