Today’s race in Jerez featured both overwhelming happiness for one rider (Ducati’s Jack Miller) and great disappointment for another (Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo). After taking the lead in the first few laps, Quartararo built a good gap to Miller in second place and appeared ready to cruise to his third victory of the year.
Instead, Quartararo began to experience severe arm pump in his right arm at the halfway point of the race. His pace quickly slowed and he slid all the way back to 13th position at the checkered flag. Miller took the win for Ducati ahead of his teammate Pecco Bagnaia in second and Franco Morbidelli (Yamaha) in third.
Here is a quote from Fabio Quartararo issued by Yamaha after the race: “The arm pump problem was clear today. For more or less 10 laps I could hold Jack Miller at bay by one second, but then I suddenly had no more feeling in my right arm. We were in a great position to win here. I could have even gone a bit faster. Our strong point of riding on the used tyre was finally not necessary, because I didn’t have any power left in my arm. I will take my time today to think over the situation and try to make the best decision about how to deal with arm pump as soon as possible. My home Grand Prix is coming up next, and I want to be fit there, that’s important to me. I know that the bike works well there and that I will perform well. I want to solve this problem as fast as possible, but in the best way.“
Marc Marquez (Honda) was allowed to ride and race today despite displaying concussion symptoms after his big crash yesterday in FP3. You can see a statement from Marquez in a GPOne article here. In part, Marquez said the following about his condition immediately following the crash: “I went to the circuit hospital, they checked everything and I felt okay at that moment. Then I went to my motorhome but when I arrived there and sat down for ten minutes, I started to lose my head and not know exactly where I was. Immediately I called the doctor and told him I had this feeling and he told me we had to check in the hospital.”
Obviously, Marquez was cleared to race and did race. He even walked away from another heavy crash in warm-up this morning. In the race, he came home in 9th position.
Bagnaia takes a two point lead over Quartararo in the championship after four races. The riders race next in France in two weeks. For full results of today’s race, take a look here. You can find additional details on the MotoGP site.
Whom else caught the pre-race chatter where they mentioned a race in which Mick Doohan won with an 18S gap while a recent MotoGP race ended with the top 19 riders in the same gap? When Fabio’s arm pump appeared he had a 1.5S gap, described as a yuge lead.
Can someone ‘splain how they released MM93 to race one day after entering the concussion protocol? That practice accident looked like Marc’s bike hit him; there’s no such thing as minor contact at speed with a 325# projectile. Who’s more nuts? MM93 for climbing right back on the horse or the medical staff for releasing him? That said, the guy’s a freak of nature! Finished 8th or 9th after what he’s been through in the past year! Insane! Balls’o titanium and anyone who denies it now is blind, crazy, or both.
My last MotoGP race attended was several years ago @ COTA. Moto3 is a novelty, then a big step up in speed to Moto2 (CBR600 motors at that time,) then the MotoGP grid fills; the jump from 2 to GP is like pit bulls to prehistoric raptors that haven’t eaten in days. The sound alone is just nuts. (You ain’t lived till you stood 50′ from the start line of MotoGP.)
I am dying to hear the actual measured-with-radar speed difference at the apex of any given turn between Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP. I presume even 20 feet past the apex the GP bike is eating the smaller bikes alive, but curious of the actual exact speed differences say from 20’ IFO the apex right to the apex.
Thanks for the abbreviation in the last sentence to reduce your word-age. Woulda been too long otherwise. 😉
😂😂😂
I feel so bad for Fabio.
A person’s body can literally just break down like that with arm pump. I liken it to the time I was running around the lake 15 years ago and suddenly I experienced this excruciating pain all up and down the outside of my right leg.
It hurt so bad that my leg didn’t want to bend. It was almost like my knee locked up. I limped home.
Found out from the doctor that I had IT Band syndrome, a common problem among runners. It can hit you out of nowhere and nearly paralyze you with pain. It was a long journey trying to overcome ITBS.
That’s the closest I can get to understanding how much Fabio suffered out there Sunday.
Praying for his speedy recovery. He’s fast and definitely deserves to get wins. He’s proven himself.
I wonder if ITBS is similar to shin splints. I had shin splints that lasted, somewhat off and on, for 2 to 3 years. Made me feel like an old man in my late 20s.
Shin splints are nasty. I got them in boot camp running all over the place in navy boondockers. It was two or three years for me too.
It’s kind of silly having people run around in those things.
Navy…. well, that explains a lot.
Good that it was Jack to fill in at first when Fabio had to pull back. Jack’s a hard worker. Now on to the championship. Fabio may return and ride away. Pecco has some good tracks coming up, Mir is still quiet and Maverick after testing says he is on again but too often is off again, maybe greedy old man Rossi will switch bikes and give Frankie a chance to earn something for his good work before he gets too old, hold that thought, and MM , well still the incredible one but injury is severe and he is 28 and this may be out in left field but after age 25? who in the modern era has won a championship. MM and Rossi. So age may be a factor. Fabio and Mir got time working for them and maybe the age idea is no longer a true statistic. Just a thought, and in time Acosta may be coming soon and Raul F and J Masia to name a few. We shall see. And while I am here let me say is it time for Dorna to change the script. The announcers make the same shop worn chatter over and over again with just a change in names or pitch as in who are they pitching for today and the park ferme interviews are unrelentingly similar as well. Simon does give some good insight once and a while and it is such a relief!
Who has won a championship in the modern era: Seem to have forgotten the 5th winningest rider in motogp history- J Lorenzo, and last year’s champion J Mir.
Apparently Aleix Espargaro also suffered from arm pump Sunday and both e and Fabio have returned home seeking medical treatment.
Read Fabio has now had successful arm pump surgery
I developed the habit of relaxing my grip/wiggling my fingers down front straights when I was a club racer, especially during 6 hour events. Helped a lot on the arm pump.
But those bikes were 100 HP down on the equipment these guys are riding, just plain makes it hard to hang on!
I tracked a couple of raw 180 HP bikes, it was all I could do to hang on to those bad boys when I had a good drive onto the straights! No time for “relaxation.”
Arm pump eh? Welcome to Jeremy McGrath’s world.
I get arm pump while riding over snow and ice (slippery!) on my dual sport. I get it from holding on too tight for long periods of time. He needs to relax a bit on the bike. Probably doesn’t happen for him in practice sessions. I hope he gets over it and remains a contender.
Sir, you’ll have to explain how to relax on a 300HP Moto GP bike.
😁
What I don’t understand about the arm pump issue…Fabio has ridden 3 races this year 2 at Qatar, and 1 at Portugal.. He has ridden 16 free practices. He has ridden 4 Q1 sessions. He has been on pole 3 times. He has (to the best of my knowledge) never complained about arm pump. What was it about Sunday that brought on the arm pump? Was it the track? The temperature? His diet? He had already put in probably 150 laps at the Spanish track between FP-1 thru 4, qualifying and 12 laps of the race before the issue surfaced. Strange. Is it just something that develops all of a sudden? Does it go away by itself or must he have surgery to relieve it?
When he started fading back I expected him to blame the tires which is what he did last year when he faded from front to back, the same thing Vinales claimed when he faded from front to back, the same thing Rossi blames for not being able to do well.
He had actually had arm pump surgery in 2019 after experiencing problems during his rookie year with Petronas.
Quite a few riders have had to deal with arm pump over the years, and many have had the surgery. FQ just had another one today. Miller’s had it, Nicky Hayden had it, Pedrosa, Sam Lowes, on and on. I don’t know if there’s a comprehensive list of victims, but you’d probably be surprised how prevalent it is. It’s a very real thing. I’m pretty sure nobody here has any solutions they haven’t already tried.
https://the-race.com/motogp/what-is-arm-pump-the-scourge-of-motogp-riders-explained/
https://the-race.com/motogp/my-arm-is-not-ok-quartararo-lost-after-jerez-heartbreak/
https://the-race.com/motogp/quartararo-undergoes-surgery-after-arm-pump-cost-him-win/
No comments about Marquez crashing?
Hey, Marquez crashed!
Very observant. 👍
we did talk about it in the Jerez qualifying report yesterday or day before
Well then, very observant of me. 😂
Betcha an elite world class athlete knows how to warm up.
When I raced MX, I would always get arm pump in practice, but it would somehow make my arms feel better the next time on the track.
Yeah MX sure taught me how to loosen up on the bike. My dirt riding days definitely gave me a good skill base for riding in general
My point with Fabio, he probably figured out what works best for him to warm up by this point in his career. Must have been pretty bad to hit him so quick in this race or he’s lying which I don’t think.
Nice to hear the old national anthem again! Its been a while. Jacks a hard worker, glad it paid off.
It’s a shame about Fabio’s arm pump. He’s definitely one of best, if not the best, riders in the class today. Jack seems to have a pleasant personality, and is talented, but his foul mouth keeps me from being a fan. Mir continues to be a top-5 rider, but that is unlikely to garner him a repeat championship. Marc and Pol both turned in solid performances, but we may still have to wait a bit before they are championship contenders. I believe that Pol will figure out the Honda, and that Marc will get his strength (and perhaps flexibility) back, but it looks like it may take several races for each of them to overcome their current challenges.
I’m liking Pecco’s championship prospects this year. Assuming Fabio can get his arm pump issues resolved, it seems reasonable to think that the title fight will go down to the wire between Fabio and Pecco. It’s still early, but nobody else seems to be both fast (for the group) and consistent.
I expect Marc to be in full contention for race wins by the end of the season, but am beginning to wonder/doubt whether he will be able to recover quickly enough for a title fight.
I wonder what sort of thing they are doing to try to prevent arm pump at the Yamaha camp.
When you ride an Enduro that was set up by wize old dirt bikers, they will toss you in the woods for fifteen or twenty minutes and then have a reset. This gives the riders long enough to work up a decent arm pump, if they are going to get it, and the reset will give them a few minutes to get sorted out. Then the toss you back into the woods for about an hour and a half before the next reset and most of the guys will be fine.
Given that, there is a cool little go cart track there at the raceway. Quartararo should grab a supermoto and hot lap that gocart track until he gets arm pump a few minutes before he has to line up. Then he should be good to go for the length of the race.
Why do I think of a Camargo body on a K5 Blazer chassis when I see Quartararo’s name?
“Given that, there is a cool little go cart track there at the raceway. Quartararo should grab a supermoto and hot lap that gocart track until he gets arm pump a few minutes before he has to line up. Then he should be good to go for the length of the race”.
You need to call Yamaha and apply to be his trainer.
I lived in Europe for five years and refused to go to any GP race. I will give DieselGP not one thin dime of my money or support. Bring back two strokes of equal displacement and I’m there.
I pity these fine racers for their fake bikes.
Everyone knows by now you took your toys and went home Mick.
LOL 300 bhp … fake … ok
Mick, please, grow up for God’s sake!
Does ANYONE understand what Mick’s problem with four-stroke MotoGP is? I assume if he actually rides a motorcycle, it’s a two-stroke? Each to their own of course, but we’ve heard this rant so many times before and it makes no sense.
Nick – I think it’s his way of thinking he is very manly and macho. He said above he was in the Navy, so probably just very insecure, I suppose.
I think he rides a 4 stroke Ducati Mutistrada 2 up but complained about the weight.
I think Mick’s issue is weight and complexity. He doesn’t think they build 4 strokes light enough and they are too hard to work on ..compared to 2 strokes.
Would someone explain ‘arm pump’. Is it related to carpal tunnel?
I don’t know the mechanics of it. But it’s a common problem for motorcycle racers, water skiers, and the like. It comes from being too aggressive and gripping something too hard for to long. Your forearms start to feel like Popeye’s forearms. They ache and you start to lose the ability to use your hands properly. You can be mindful and relax. But you have to catch them early. Sometimes to only way to treat them is to stop and take a break. But you can’t do that at a sprint race can you?
Quartararo said that he could have gone faster. Perhaps if he would have lurked near the front a while to get all his juices flowing and then attacked later on once he was fully on line and ready to answer all bells.
People who live in cold climates will tell you that their hands and/or feet get cold pretty quickly and then warm up. Once warmed up they will likely stay that way for the rest of the day. Arm pump works much the same way.
Eating bananas helps.
It’s interesting. You hear about arm pump in MX all the time (though most get a surgery that helps) but until Dani Pedrosa got the surgery, I had never heard of any professional road racer having it and even now I think I’ve only heard of it being a problem for another one or two guys.
I’ve read it hypothesized that the extreme braking forces in GP combined with the leg-out stopping style (requiring much more upper body and grip engagement to stay on the bike while dropping the hammer) have made arm pump more common in recent decades. From what I understand, though, it has been around just as long as it has in MX. There’s just a lot more holding on for dear life in MX/SX/Enduro I guess.
Pedrosa’s first surgery was back in 2006. That’s the first I remember, too, though lots of those guys have had it done. In fact, Fabio has already gone through arm pump surgery once before IIRC.
Next time I’m out icefishing, when it’s -20 F, and I’m cold as a frozen banana, the only way I’ve found to warm up is find heat. They told Fabio that he’d go blind but nobody said anything about arm pump.
haha 🙂
Go get one of those hand strengtheners with two pieces of plastic at an angle and a coil of spring between them. Now squeeze it as hard and and fast as you can until your forearm feels like it’s going to burst and you have no life left in your hand. That is arm pump.
Here is a pretty good read on it: https://truphys.com/handlebar-grip-arm-pump-forearm-fatigue/
Another year of different riders winning every week. Someone else is going to be a WC without dominating or winning many races. Guess that keeps thing interesting. Poor Yamaha cant figure out how to keep their factory stars from dominating one week and absolutely riding dismally the next.
I guess arm pump is the new chatter, ie if you dont win its chatter er …. arm pump…er tire wear…er How about ” yea, the other guys were faster than me today”
No, arm pump is real. It’s nothing like the mysterious front-end chatter excuse. Arm pump requires a very specific surgery, the positive effects of which are experienced immediately.
Fabio wins that race going away yesterday, were it not for losing the ability to use his right forearm and wrist halfway through the race. That one is not on Yamaha, the tires, or anything bike-related. It also isn’t on some mysterious failing of Fabio, and no, Jack was not faster than Fabio yesterday. Jack never wins that race if Fabio’s arm doesn’t give out on him.
Don’t confuse the two. Arm pump is not some catch-all excuse for an inexplicable lack of performance. Fabio’s performance was impeccable all weekend, including the race. He was untouchable.
Interesting that Jack just had arm pump surgery a few weeks ago, no?