Marc Marquez underwent his fourth operation on June 2 on his right arm, injured in July 2020. Just three months later he was riding a road bike, before returning to the saddle of a MotoGP in last week’s Misano tests.
Ten days later, without missing a moment, the Honda rider will be back in action this Friday at the Aragon Grand Prix, in what will be his fourth comeback after the Jerez crash. “I hope it’s my last, it’s my last chance,” said the Honda rider, portraying it as a situation we could define now or never.
“Hopefully, the last return for me had to be the definitive one too, but then things got complicated. It seems that, from the beginning of the operation, everything went well with a favorable evolution. But now there could be complications on the bike, not at the bone level, but perhaps at the muscular level, something that forces us to stop. I want to ride the bike to recover, but also to prepare for the Honda 2023 project “.
Marc wanted to clarify, in any case, that every step was done in agreement with the doctors who are treating him.
“The doctors’ recommendation was: ‘go, but take it easy’, but obviously this is a race weekend. For them it is a good option for me to stay on the bike, but combined with the gym to work all the muscles, for activate them a little at a time “.
The expectations and excitement that Marc’s return generates among the people are colossal.
“I understand that people are excited about my return, but the most excited is me, and I hope it is the final one because in the end it is almost the last cartridge for this arm. I can’t wait, like when I decided to have an operation ( at the end of May)”.
“I have already won, because I have enjoyed myself in normal life, on a daily basis, now I have to see if I can also win in my professional life, on the bike, that’s where we have to continue working. But there is still a long way to go. do to get important results, because for me and for Honda it is a difficult moment. We have to work together to get out of it, both of us “, explained Marquez on Thursday at MotorLand.
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team
Photo by: MotoGP
Expectations for Marquez’s return are so high that, knowing the character, no one excludes the possibility of seeing him on the podium.
“No, no, no! The expectations I have already heard are too high, they are not mine and they are not real. My physical condition is not ideal, I am here, but to continue to recover: this is what doctors believe and Honda. We analyzed everything and thought this was an ideal circuit to continue the recovery process. I’m here to compete, but not in attack mode, “he said.
“The intention if I go back to racing, it is to do it for the rest of the year. If I am here, it is to do all the races that remain. It was clear to me that if I did not manage to be in Aragón, the next option was the Thailand or Malaysia “.
“Motegi is very demanding on the arm and I didn’t feel like going to Phillip Island after such a long absence, you have to get there with a good race plan. Now we have a triple appointment (Aragon, Japan and Thailand) and we will see how I am. I’ll get away with it. I’m here with the intention of completing the weekend and the entire race, as far forward as possible of course, but without going crazy. “
Another hypothesis circulated in recent days is that Marquez could become the “judge” of the fight for the title in these last few races.
“I’m very far from them, I think they are at their best. When you fight for the championship you get more from what you have, you drive very well. I’m not at that level now, we’ll see if in the last two or three races we can be closer. , but at the moment I’m very far away, “he said.
The Catalan, before the last six races of the season, does not set sporting goals.
“I do not expect anything from myself and above all I want to thank Honda that does not expect and does not expect anything from me. What I hope is to have a good evolution of the arm, which every time makes me think less and less about the arm and more about driving. . We will continue to work with Honda, we must have constant evolution together, because the main objective is to prepare for 2023 “.
One of Honda’s developments consists in being open to new features, such as the new swingarm commissioned from an external company, Kalex, which Marc tested at Misano and will use this weekend to confirm its operation on a different circuit. “It’s ready and available. I don’t think we’ll use it on Friday, because it’s too early for me, we’ll see for the rest of the weekend,” said the Cervera rider.
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