The Repsol Honda Team rider reappeared almost three months after the accident he suffered while training motocross and which caused an eye injury, the same one that in 2011 made him fear for his sports career, a situation that was once again on the table, according to Marc Márquez himself admitted this Friday at a press conference.
From his statements, in addition to the feeling of frustration due to the slow pace and long wait that recovery from diplopia (double vision) has meant, it follows that the Catalan rider has made the determination to complete a season ‘clean’ of injuries, without explaining if you plan to change your riding style or take fewer risks than those taken throughout your racing life.
”I’m happy, relieved but still tense. I still cannot say that we are fully recovered because there are some planned steps that the doctor and I need to be able to confirm that I am fully recovered”, said Marc after admitting that: “I have perfect vision and I do not need any surgery”.
However, before reaching this good news, Marc had to go through another ordeal, the umpteenth since he became a driver, with all options open.
”From the moment of the accident, with doctor Sánchez Dalmau we decided to use a conservative approach. It is clear that all the options were on the table, the conservative mode and letting time pass, the operation and also the option of not being able to get back on a motorcycle,” he confessed.
”The conservative option is bearing fruit, which is the time that is fixing everything. That nerve and that muscle are working well, especially in the last two weeks, in which I have had a great improvement”, he announced happily.
“Vision is something that either you see well or you don’t see well, and if you don’t see well you can’t ride a motorcycle.”
Despite the great news, Marc wanted to put a point of pause and calm before confirming that he will be in the pre-season tests, in Sepang, on February 5 and 6.
”Now I have to confirm and take the last step, to see that I can ride a bike as similar as possible to a MotoGP on a Grand Prix circuit, such as Montmeló, Valencia, Jerez or Portimao. Repsol Honda is considering different possibilities to be able to test, and if everything goes well during a whole day of training at 300 per hour, because it is important to check if fatigue can also affect it, then we will take the step of being able to be in the tests in Malaysia . For the time being, we are following the plan of not wanting to run more than necessary. We are going to follow in the doctor’s footsteps, which have gone well for me so far.”
“I say it with a small mouth, but I think that little by little we are going to get out of this too,” he stressed.
It should not be forgotten that Márquez suffered the eye injury on October 30, just with two races remaining in the 2021 season and when it seemed that he was coming out of the tunnel into which he had been forced by the arm injury, in July 2020.
“During this time I have focused more on the eye injury, but I have not forgotten about my arm, we have continued working on it. Now we are going to focus a lot on the shoulder, this year the priority is going to be my physique, I am going to try to take care of it as much as possible. I will try to surround myself with the best, the ones who give me the most confidence to take care of this arm, which is now in better shape than when I left it last season. But we have to prevent irritations and possible problems. We are going to draw up a plan to be the best we can be throughout the season,” he said.
Márquez broke his right arm, an injury that revived his shoulder problems, which had previously been operated on, becoming a real crossroads for the Catalan.
“The arm now I would dare to say is a little better because I have been able to work in the gym. We are trying to make a plan with the whole team and the doctors, because my priority this year is to keep my physique at 100%, I know that if I keep myself as good as possible physically it will help me. I’m going to do everything to keep myself physically fit all year long and be able to enjoy myself on the track”, he explained, without clarifying whether that purpose will entail a change in driving style or the way of approaching the grand prix.
