MotoGP 2022. San Marino GP in Misano. Marc Marquez: “My future will depend on the test” – MotoGP
The Honda rider has passed the medical examination: on Tuesday he will be able to return to the saddle of the RC213V. Marquez appeared very determined, physically in much better shape than before. Here are the many statements in a crowded press conference
September 3, 2022
The end of the pain
“Pain is one thing, the annoyance is another. In one arm with four operations, there is annoyance; they can’t be done miracles. An arm that has been opened four times more than the shoulder operations … There is discomfort, but there is no pain that limits me. This is the most important thing. But it is also true that I don’t have the arm I want yet. There are still hours of work to do. But I see that there is an evolution and for this I am happy and positive. There is an evolution and the doctors reassure me that it will not be a week, or two, but another two or three months of constant evolution to work well during the winter and start well in 2023 “
Step by step
“I could say that I am already driving as before, but it wouldn’t be true. I am still driving with difficulty. Even with the CBR-NDR – a street bike – I still struggle. I have all the mobility, but I still have to re-educate the arm. How to make the right movements. The first day I tried the bike, it was difficult to feel the accelerator, the brake … The arm was not completely in place, but that was normal. It was getting better and betterbut there is still work to be done, that’s why I have confirmed my presence on Tuesday for the test. We’ll see how I get up on Wednesday and we’ll see whether I can continue to govern or not. From there on you will see. We are in a situation where we have to improvise and try to understand what will happen in the weeks. But logically if I came to the test it is because I want to compete as soon as possible.
My doctors told me that if the recovery was normal in three months the bone would be welded. They planned a rehabilitation based on bands and pulleys to have the muscle toning needed for when the bone would be welded. From that moment on I had to step up to the gym and I set the limits. If I can ride a bike, if I can do twenty, thirty push-ups or whatever. Doctors tell me: right now you are forcing. Nothing should happen in the bone, nor in the arm, but when you force your muscles, if you are fine, it can happen. Tendonitis can happen and, in that case, you have to slow down a bit. For this reason I leave everything a bit open, because I don’t know how my body will react next week ”.
Target of Tuesday’s test
“The purpose of the test is to to test myself. This is goal number one. If I challenge myself and manage to get decent lap times, then the priority will be to work for Honda. In the last two weeks I have pushed a little harder to be here, because I know it is very important for Honda and for the future ”.
Re-educate the arm
“There is a clear difference. First I wanted to take a position with the arm e that position was not there. There was one limited to the locked 34 ° rotation of the arm. Training in these two days at Motorland I saw that if I want to get to that natural position, I can do it. The problem is to keep it, to hold that position. At the moment I keep it for a short time, I keep it for a few laps. The arm is a bit addicted to the position I’ve been forced to take or the way I’ve had to work for the past year and a half. This is why the doctors insist that I have to re-educate and readjust my arm. And especially, mentallywork a lot on the position because in the end, when I have the strength, according to them it will work ”.
The Asian tour
“I can afford it? Employee from how you approach it. If you think about forcing and looking for results, no. If the approach is to accumulate kilometers and do the GPs avoiding the racing atmosphere, maybe yes. But for the moment, today, September 3rd, I have to answer no… In two weeks, I don’t know. That’s why what interests me most now is accumulating kilometers on motorcycles. That’s where I have to work because the specific muscles that are needed to ride. I accumulated more stiffness in two days on the bike than in a week of working out in the gym ”.
Regain competitiveness
“My main one is the physique, my person and go back to being a competitive driver. I believe I have never stopped being competitive because last year I won races, but I couldn’t make the difference I did before. I know my physique limited me in this regard and that’s why I have to keep working to get the physique I need. If you are a competitive rider you can work better in the Honda project, which is what I want to get back to the top ”.
The bike, an increasingly important factor
“To win a race you can do a miracle, but for fight for the championshipwhich is Honda’s goal, it takes constancy. And the consistency is given by the fact that the rider, the team and the bike work at their best and perfectly. I have the feeling that the bike is more and more important e that you depend more and more on the bike. Before it was the bike, now it’s aerodynamics, there are more and more factors. You depend more and more on the bike if you want to compete in a complete and constant championship ”.
The new format of MotoGP
“I’ve always said that i test I’m a breaking boxes and the rides are fun. The more races there are, the better it is for me. This is what I like. I underwent another operation on my arm to compete, not to go to train ”.
Return to the Aragon GP
“When I’ll be back, I’ll be back to run all the remaining races. I’m not going to do a GP and then stay home. But not so when it will be. It is true that in the last two weeks I have worked hard to be present at the test because it is important for me and for Honda, but more for me than for Honda. It is better to test the bike in a test without pressure than on a race weekend. After the test I will understand if it will be possible run to Aragon or less. You know me, if it is possible I will try, but if it is not possible, I will wait ”.
Joan Mir, new teammate
“For me Mir was one of the best drivers available. Mainly because it is able to adapt. It has the ability to adapt to different conditions and different types of motorcycles. You can see it motocross, dirt, karting, mixed conditions… It’s always there, it’s always fast; and it’s MotoGP world champion. I think we will have a very strong team. I think Mir and I can be there, but we have to work together, and when I say together I mean Honda, to reach the goal which is the championship and win races ”.
The end with Emilio Alzamora
“We broke up with Emilio, Yes. I am very grateful for what he has done during my career. We learned a lot together, we did a lot of things together, here we are help each other and we grew up together. This is the most important thing. It was a very long relationship, 18 yearsSometimes it wasn’t easy, but it’s normal. Emilio will always be in my heart for what he did when I was younger, when I arrived at the World Championship, when I arrived at MotoGP … He has always been dedicated full time to me doing his best. The career of an athlete is long and you don’t have the same mentality at 18 as at 30. Sometimes in the relations it’s important choose the right time to stop, to conclude positively. We sit at a table and share around everything. It is true that the last two or three years have already been difficult, but we agreed it was the best time to part our ways. The world is constantly changing. They are no longer the same, the paddock has changed, the bikes have changed, the people have changed. Sometimes you have to adapt, because if you don’t adapt, you can’t continue. The time had come to renew and start a new chapter in my career ”.