Just two days after a titanium plate and screws repaired a broken upper arm (humerus) on defending MotoGP champ Marc Marquez, he has returned to the Jerez circuit and passed a physical exam. He is declared fit to race this weekend!
Based on comments made by Repsol Team Manager Alberto Puig just yesterday, even Honda is shocked that Marquez desires to race this Sunday. Apparently, skipping Friday practice was a “compromise” reached between Marquez and Honda … Marquez wants to ride tomorrow.
There is some precedent in this sport in that Jorge Lorenzo broke his collarbone during Thursday practice at Assen in 2013, had surgery the next day, and raced that very Saturday to 5th place. For Marquez, the key finding during the surgery was the lack of damage to the radial nerve that passes through that part of the arm.
Two other riders who were injured last weekend, Alex Rins (Suzuki) and Cal Crutchlow (Honda) have also been declared fit to participate this weekend at Jerez.
Well he tried riding FP 4. Too much pain, so he withdrew from the race. He still put in a lap to e faster than 4 or 5 others, including A Marquez.
Looks to be a Yamaha weekend 4 of top 6 on grid. Others are Bagnia Ducati and Oliveria KTM
I can’t root for MM, but I sure as hell have to respect him and the other two racers.
Another crash, even a minor one, and it could end his career. You could argue that any crash could end a career, but the odds go up significantly if there’s a fragile body part after a recent injury. I admire his toughness, but this is not the intelligent choice.
Amazing grit from all three. On with the show!
And we thought the last group of amazing racers were “the aliens.”
I guess he absolutely trusts his doctors as much as his tires. And I’m assuming some local anesthetic.
“We’re only immortal for a limited time.”
– Rush
Me thinks there was a secret injection of Gorilla Glue along with the tit metal plate & screws.
LOL that would explain it. That stuff is amazing!
They are not super-human, and they are definitely not gods. They are racers, men who have taken God-given talent and ability, and combined it with amazing amounts of determination and work.
These sort of people show up in all sorts of fields – sports, military, business, etc. Sometimes we notice, most of the times we don’t.
It reminds me of an exchange on Fibber McGee & Molly years ago. “You could have been rich like him if you were willing to do the things he did to get his money!” “Really? Just what did he do?” “He worked for it.”
Hoping they all recover quickly and completely.
Take out the god-given ability part and I’m with you.
Work? Bwhahaha. Apparently you haven’t heard of Robbinhood!
Impressive, to be sure, but, like mickey noted earlier, Rins and Crutchlow also broke bones that same day and are returning this weekend. For that matter, Dovi broke his collarbone only a couple of weeks ago.
Of all the injuries, I expect Crutchlow’s and Rins’s to prove the most troublesome. Scaphoid injuries are particularly brutal for a motorcycle racer, especially under heavy braking, and Rins’s wrist injury will be no picnic either. By comparison, Marc’s long, smooth, plated-up humerus bone isn’t as likely to prove problematic. It was a very good thing for Marc that he suffered no nerve damage, which was the original concern.
Regardless, these guys are all certifiable. Recall Miguel DuHamel’s Daytona Weekend, Lorenzo’s Rainy Day Adventure, Rossi’s Broken Misano, etc.
Crazy people. Bonkers.
I wonder if Maq’s arm isn’t a bigger hazard risk?. If he goes down again, could he do a lot more damage? Genuinely asking, I don’t know the nature of this kind of repair.
Nerve damage was the question. Fractures to long, smooth bones are generally not a major risk. They heal well. He suffered no nerve damage, so his long-term risk factor from this fracture isn’t high at all.
if MM races on Sunday, he’s superhuman. If he wins, he’s a god. personally , I don’t think of him as either. I hope he proves me wrong. MM is driven by desire/ego. He wants to win. He loves to win . He needs to win. If he pulls this off and does win, he may go down as the best of the best. Not a fan but I’m rooting for him. As a side note; How do I get ahold of “the doctors” who found him fit to race. I’ve had employees who stubbed their toe and were off for 6 weeks plus 2 months of physical therapy. Sorry, if there’s superhumans then there must be sub humans. my apologizes in advance.
LOL.
These guys certainly aren’t baseball players
Well, do you pay your workers the same as what Marquez gets?
Amazing isn’t it? These guys are super human athletes.
Crutchlow and Rins both cleared to race as well.
And I thought I was a badass!
ROFL
I can’t help but think that they must administer some pretty potent pain killers, in order for him to feel no distractions from the pain. I agree with Dave, this IS madness.
Wait. What? For “picture worth a thousand words,” please post the one atop this article. Tell me again why MM doesn’t quit racing in a few years, then join a rugby team and win several trophies in that sport.
Someone is unhappy to admit he would have lost a $500 bet on this point if given a chance. He thanks God no such chance arose.
I am absolutely dumb founded, and obviously very much the word after “absolutely.” Not a yuge MM fan, but this magnitude of chutzpuh (sp?) makes it easier to root for him, at least this race.
One can imagine a puzzled expression on the faces of the rest of the field in hearing this news, as in, “Wait. What?”
They should break his arm at the start of every year to make it fair .
This is madness.
I agree. I know that he could probably pick up some points with one arm, but it just doesn’t seem worth the risk. I’d take a potentially blown season to a potentially blown career 10 times out of 10.
You, me, and most readers. Another one of the millions of readers we’re not MM.
Must be a helluva bonus payout for the championship win.
Boy he sure isn’t a European soccer player !!!!
Pro footballers pretend to be hurt to stop the game.
Pro cyclists and motorcycle races pretend they’re ok to get back in the game.
🙂
Atta boy Mark, an extra day to sleep in oughta make that wing heal right up.