Marc Marquez talks Misano test, Aragon, Doohan, 34 degrees rotation…

Marc Marquez’s healing right arm is at ‘an acceptable level’ to make a MotoGP return at Misano on Tuesday. But with the bone previously 34 degrees out of line, for a year and half, there is still ‘a long way to go’ in terms of rehabilitation.

Peter McLaren

03 Sep 2022

Marquez had the troubled bone re-aligned during an operation in the USA in early June. It was the fourth, and Marquez says final, surgery on his right humerus since the original fracture in July 2020.

The earlier extent of twisting had left Marquez suffering a lack of mobility and pain, including overstressing other muscles to try and compensate.

Marquez still managed to win three races, in between episodes of diplopia in his right eye, before the ongoing misery caused by the arm injury prompted the eight-time world champion to undergo yet another operation.

A successful comeback on a CBR600 at Aragon earlier this week cleared the way for Marquez to attend the Misano MotoGP test. But it also highlighted just how far he still has to go in terms of muscle rehabilitation and re-adapting to his ‘new’ bone.

As such, Marquez isn’t yet sure if he’ll be fit to ride on Wednesday’s second day of testing.

‘I will test on Tuesday. Wednesday, I don't know’

“The rehabilitation is going in a good way, but on the other hand the timing is the timing,” Marquez said. “Two weeks ago, I was still working with elastics, then I started to increase quite a lot the work in the gym.

“But the muscles and everything need time. I was riding and living for one year and a half with an arm that was 34 degrees rotated [out of position]! Now I need to re-adapt some movements, in a normal life but also when riding.

“The doctor said to me that maybe in the winter you will make the last step [in the rehabilitation]. But the important thing is that I’ve now reached an acceptable level to start to ride a bike, but not in a way that I want. Still I have a long way to go.”

The 29-year-old added: “I will test on Tuesday. Wednesday, I don't know, it depends on how I [feel when] I get up.

“The doctors said to me that it is 100% safe and the bone is completely fixed. It's only about time and kilometres and hours and hours in the gym, to grow again the muscles.

“But during that progression, that transition, sometimes when you start to push more you create another pain in a muscle, in a tendon. For that reason I cannot say now ‘I will do the test and I will race next [week]’. I don't know.

“I need to understand because when I rode the bike [at Aragon] I got up on the second day and I said ‘OK, impossible’. But then I rode the bike again on the third day and it was OK.

“So I did only two days on the bike. What I need to understand here is where I am with the MotoGP bike. “

Aragon? ‘If it's possible, I will try…’

But Marquez was clear that won’t dip in and out of the remaining six rounds, for example by skipping some of the back-to-backs.

“When I will return, it's because I want to race all the [remaining] races. I mean, not one race and then stay at home [for the next],” he said.

“After this test I will understand how is my level and how is the reaction of my arm and I will understand if it's possible to race in Aragon or not. But you know me, if it's possible, I will try. But if it's not possible I will wait.”

‘I speak a lot with Mick’

Marquez’s struggles with the arm injury have naturally drawn comparisons with another legendary Repsol Honda rider; Mick Doohan, who overcame horrific right leg damage, which forced him to use a thumb brake, to win five 500cc titles.

“Yeah, of course I speak a lot with Mick - and I will speak again - and he explained to me all about his situation with the leg,” Marquez said, before explaining how he had already been forced to change his riding style:

“It’s what I did for the last year and a half with the one arm at 34 degrees rotation. I tried to adapt and spoke many times about ‘a new style, smoother’. I won three races and this year I'm still the top Honda.

“So still the level is there and I will try to adapt [further] but I didn’t make the [latest] surgery thinking about riding style, it’s more thinking about my life. Because to have pain every day was not normal. You could see it in my face. I was serious. If you feel pain, your character changes.”

While not yet back to his ‘old’ style, the artificial arm position of the past has been improved.

“Now I can use the [more normal arm] position, but not for a long time because still the muscles are not working in a good way or are not strong enough,” he said.

“I need time and the way to understand which muscles [to build] is riding a bike. So for that reason also when I share with the doctors my intentions [to test], they were completely agreed.

“But they say to me, it's on the table that maybe you start, then you need to stop again and start again, because you don't know in a rehabilitation.”

Pol Espargaro, MotoGP, San Marino MotoGP, 2 September

Honda riders ‘tired of repeating the same thing’

Arriving at Misano this morning, Marquez went on to witness another punishing day for the Honda riders.

Repsol team-mate Pol Espargaro and LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami both suffered accidents on a day when Marc’ younger brother Alex went on to qualifier as the top RCV rider, in 16th.

“I was in Austria, I'm here and we [Honda] are in a difficult situation,” he said. “I mean, even the riders, it’s normal when you have always the same problems, same problems, same problems. In the end you get tired of repeating the same thing.

“So we need the test of Tuesday and Wednesday. And we need also a refresh in the team. That means for 2023 start with a new mentality, new bike and new project, because now you can feel like everybody is like stuck in one mode and we need to find the motivation.

“The motivation is easy, it’s the podium. If we start to be on the podium then everything will change.”

Marquez and Joan Mir ‘very strong team’ for 2023

It’s now been officially confirmed that Suzuki’s 2020 world champion Joan Mir will replace Espargaro as Marquez’s team-mate for the next two seasons.

“Mir is one of the best riders that were available in the market. Especially because he's able to adapt. He has his ability that you need to adapt in different conditions, in a different kind of bikes,” Marquez said.

“You can see him riding a motocross bike, flat track, in karting, mixed conditions, he's always there. He's fast. And he’s a world champion of MotoGP.

“So I think we will have a very strong team. The riders, Mir and myself, I think we can be there, but it's true that we need to work together. When I say together is with Honda to achieve the main goal, that is the championship or fighting for all the races.”