Drivers and teams – Did the doctors misjudge the Marquez case? – Used HONDA

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Did the doctors misjudge the Marquez case? ?

Drivers and teams - Did the doctors misjudge the Marquez case? - Used HONDA

At rest forced at least until mid-October following his second operation, Marc Marquez must resolve to let the MotoGP title slip away without being able to defend himself … Bitter, the official Honda rider regrets a poor appreciation of the medical profession. Focus.

"It’s weird to be at home, without running, after eight years without missing a race: I now have to be patient and respect my body", philosopher Marc Marquez, absent from the 2020 MotoGP World Championship since his in Jerez (Spain)… 

  • MNC file:
  • MNC of August 4, 2020 : Marquez reoperated on the shoulder, package in sight in Brno

The impetuous Catalan was back in the saddle just six days after his right shoulder surgery, motivated by the hope of competing in the Andalusian GP on the same circuit. But the pain, too strong, had forced him to throw in the towel: second white result for the wearer of the crown !

But this incredible scenario doesn’t end there: the No.93 then damaged the titanium plate responsible for reducing its fracture of the humerus. On this subject, the versions differ: the plate could have given way in the face of too much stress exerted by the n ° 93, but his team claims that the opening of a single (!) Would be the cause….

  • MNC of August 6, 2020 : 

Either way, the results are the same: Marquez returned to the pool table to change the plate in question, which forced him to draw a line at the Grands Prix of the Czech Republic, Austria and Styria. … That is already five white results while the season shortened because of the Covid-19 has only 14 races !

"They were wrong", accuses Marquez

"The first operation went well," said Dr Xavier Mir, the MotoGP star surgeon. "But we weren’t expecting the plate laid to be insufficient: the stress exerted there resulted in some damage that required replacing it".

 Drivers and teams - Did the doctors misjudge the Marquez case? - Used HONDA

This explanation, however, leaves a bitter taste to Marc Marquez, because according to him the doctors had told him that the plate would withstand all the constraints necessary to return to his MotoGP of 280 horses. "They told us that the plate would not give way, but they were wrong", he accuses.

The Honda leader, who underwent intensive rehabilitation believing his injury would not get worse, admits to relying blindly on Mir (the doctor, not the Suzuki rider!): "If you have a leg and the doctor tells you you can walk without crutches and it doesn’t hurt, what are you going to do? You do, of course! "

"But the plate did not hold, it was a mistake", laments the eight-time world champion of the Grands Prix who does not however hold a grudge against the surgeon: "Doctor Mir operated on me a thousand times without incident, alone this intervention turned out badly: I will renew my confidence in him without problem ".

Return planned for mid-October, or even mid-November !

Insofar as a bone takes between six and eight weeks to heal, Marc Marquez was however aware of endangering its physical integrity. Even though his plate was supposed to take all his efforts, all the soft bodies (muscles) around his fracture were still "raw" when he rushed back..

 Drivers and teams - Did the doctors misjudge the Marquez case? - Used HONDA

On the other hand, it seems difficult to imagine that a doctor would authorize him to force without counting as soon as he left the operating room, especially given the risks inherent in high-level motorcycles. How to guarantee him anything when Marquez – not particularly a follower of half measures! – could at any time fall on his shoulder and therefore at least twist this plate ?

  • MNC Live : Marc Marquez back in two or three months ! 

In any event, assumed risk or medical error, n ° 93 is now on the sidelines for a long time: his return would not take place before "" so that this time he can recover "to 100%". warned the HRC in mid-August. Which brings us at least to the French Grand Prix on October 11, or even to the Aragon Grand Prix on October 18…

Marc Marquez would then accumulate between nine and ten "zeros" and would only have between four and five races to score points! In other words: the world champion will give up his crown without even defending it. "The season is lost", he admits fatalism, even if some rumors advance his return at the end of September…

"The season is lost" for Marquez … and Honda !

Because for the HRC, the hour is serious: in the absence of its prodigy, Honda knows its worst start to the season in the premier class since … 1981! After five races, no Honda rider has signed a pole position or a podium: Takaaki Nagakami, 6th in the provisional, is the best representative of the winged brand on his 2019 RCV. !

 Drivers and teams - Did the doctors misjudge the Marquez case? - Used HONDA

His teammate Cal Crutchlow, injured in the wrist in Jerez, is only a shadow of himself on his semi-official Honda: the Briton is in 21st place (!) With only 7 points against 70 for the leader Fabio Quartararo. The ratio is one to ten !

Crutchlow makes no secret of it: Honda’s decision to oust him next year to relocate Alex Marquez is affecting his motivation. The Englishman also claims that the HRC would give him less support, as if he had already left the walls … He now hopes to recover the Aprilia from Iannone, unless Dovizioso – leaving from Ducati – does not be preferred !

Drivers and teams - Did the doctors misjudge the Marquez case? - Used HONDA

As for Alex Marquez, his debut on the world champion motorcycle was catastrophic: the title holder Moto2 stagnated at the back of the pack, both in practice and in the race. Result: the Honda-Repsol team is currently in last place in the team classification with 15 points against 102 for Yamaha Petronas-SRT !

In the end, this episode does not only handicap the current best rider of the MotoGP field: it also brings to its knees the most powerful of the Japanese manufacturers, who finds himself brutally placed in front of the limits of his policy exclusively focused on his champion….

Who to succeed the king ?

It is now up to Marc Marquez’s rivals to take advantage of it, which is not yet fully assumed: the championship is clearly looking for a new leader. Fabio Quartararo, who started off with a bang with his two victories in Jerez, has more difficulty assuming this status, while Andrea Dovizioso, who follows him, works on the alternative: 11th in Brno then winner in Austria !

 Drivers and teams - Did the doctors misjudge the Marquez case? - Used HONDA

As for the official Yamaha riders, neither Viñales nor Rossi pose a serious threat at this stage: the Spaniard – very solid in Jerez – is now only in 5th place after missing the following three races, while the Italian is stuck in 7th position due to an obvious lack of speed. 

The two teammates are also faced with worrying mechanical problems on their M1 which handicaps their performance: Rossi had to retire on breakage during the opening round, Morbidelli imitated him in the next race and one of the five engines. de Viñales had to be returned to Japan. 

  • MNC special file : 
  • MotoGP Styrian Grand Prix : 

Yamaha therefore lowered the maximum revs of the M1s to avoid other incidents, thus limiting their chances of resisting the Ducati and KTM bikes. Orange motorcycles which have now reached maturity, as highlighted by their two victories in three races: Binder in the Czech Republic and Oliveira in Austria !

Provisional MotoGP classification 2020

  1. Fabio QUARTARARO Yamaha FRA (70 points)
  2. Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati ITA (67 points)
  3. Jack MILLER Ducati AUS (56 points)
  4. Brad BINDER KTM RSA (49 points)
  5. Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha SPA (48 points)
  6. Takaaki NAKAGAMI Honda JPN (46 points)
  7. Valentino ROSSI Yamaha ITA (45 points)
  8. Joan MIR Suzuki SPA (44 points)
  9. Miguel OLIVEIRA KTM POR (43 points)
  10. Pol ESPARGARO KTM SPA (35 points)
  11. Franco MORBIDELLI Yamaha ITA (32 points)
  12. Johann ZARCO Ducati FRA (30 points)
  13. Alex RINS Suzuki SPA (29 points)
  14. Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati ITA (25 points)
  15. Alex MARQUEZ Honda SPA (15 points)
  16. Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia SPA (15 points)
  17. Iker LECUONA KTM SPA (13 points)
  18. Francesco BAGNAIA Ducati ITA (9 points)
  19. Bradley SMITH Aprilia GBR (8 points)
  20. Tito RABAT Ducati SPA (7 points)
  21. Cal CRUTCHLOW Honda GBR (7 points)
  22. Michele PIRRO Ducati ITA (4 points)

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