Honda’s Marc Marquez aggressive return tactics has left him with a bigger blow with another surgery due to stress which makes him doubtful for Czech MotoGP race.
Following his crash during the Spanish MotoGP race, Marquez underwent a surgery where titanium plates were put in to hold the broken bone. He pushed hard to return in the Andalucian GP but pulled out just before qualifying after about 30 laps in practice.
In a week break between Jerez and Brno events, Marquez posted photos and videos of workout as he pushed hard for his return for this weekend’s Czech MotoGP race. However, Marquez has had a setback and is now doubtful to compete.
The doctors found that stress led to damage on the titanium plates which required another surgery as Marquez will be kept in the hospital for at least 48 hours. The statement from Honda spoke about the surgery in Universitari Dexeus hospital.
“Marc Marquez underwent a second operation today, Monday August 3, after the titanium plate used to fix his right humerus was found to have suffered damage due to stress accumulation,” said the statement.
“Dr Xavier Mir and his team at the Hospital Universitari Dexeus successfully replaced the titanium plate and Marc Marquez will now stay in hospital for 48 hours before being discharged.” At the same time, Dr. Xavier Mir added:
“Marc Marquez underwent surgery 13 days ago and today he returned to the operating room. The first operation was successful, what was not expected was that the plate was insufficient. An accumulation of stress in the operated area has caused the plate to suffer some damage, so today the titanium plate has been removed and replaced by a new fixation.
“The rider has not felt pain during this period. He has always followed the medical advice given and the feeling from his body. Unfortunately, an over stress has caused this issue. Now we have to wait 48 hours to understand the recovery time.”
While Cal Crutchlow and Alex Rins were fine after return with LCR Honda and Suzuki respectively, this Marquez non-availability could be hard for his team and his MotoGP title aspirations for 2020, now that only 14 races is to happen.
UPDATE: A day after the news of the surgery, Honda confirmed Stefan Bradl as his replacement for this weekend’s Brno race. “First of all I want to wish Marc a speedy recovery, what he did in Jerez was incredible and he showed that he has the true spirit of a champion,” said the German.
“I am looking forward to riding the Honda RC213V again, due to the global pandemic we have not been able to test as we would normally so it will take some time to adjust to the bike and MotoGP again but I have ridden the superbike a few times so I know my fitness is good. It’s a challenge I’m looking forward to, competing with the Repsol Honda Team is always a great honour and I am pleased to help Honda. Let’s see how the weekend goes.”
Here’s MotoGP 2020 calendar update
