Marc Márquez completed a practically flawless 2019 MotoGP season, where he managed to become world champion for the eighth time. It seemed only a matter of time before the man from Lleida devoured all the records that lay ahead of him, but a crash in July 2020 in Jerez changed everything.
After nine months off, the #93 returned in April of this year and had to get back into shape throughout the season. At his best, after his third victory in Misano. The Honda rider suffered an eye injury in a fall in training.
His predecessor in the Repsol team, Casey Stoner, knows from experience what injuries are: “They are part of racing, but I think it was easy for me and Marc to take our thoughts away from it,” says the Australian, who gave way to Márquez in the official HRC team at the end of 2012.
Casey Stoner warns: Marquez can’t repeat mistakes
“We all make mistakes, we all attack too hard and crash. That’s part of racing. You try to get the most out of yourself and the bike. You have to learn from it and not always repeat these mistakes. That’s the most important thing.” Stoner stresses.
“When I had a crash in practice, nothing stopped me from going out again with the second bike. If the set-up was similar, I could usually go faster because I knew where I had made the mistake. I never worried. Of course I never wanted to crash , but my own mistakes didn’t bother me.”
The obstacles Marc Márquez has to overcome
“Marc’s situation is different,” Stoner notes. “He has a long recovery behind him with a lot of complications. Of course, that has an effect. It will take time for him to get back into shape physically and mentally. People always underestimate the time it takes to get back into shape.”
“Muscles break down very quickly if they’re not used,” explains Stoner, adding: “There’s nothing that emulates riding a MotoGP bike, no matter how hard you train. Not even a superbike comes close to what you experience on a motorcycle. MotoGP. If you don’t ride, specific muscles don’t develop. It takes time,” Stoner describes.
But the physical consequences are not the only problem: “Then there is the fear of injuring himself like that again. It is impossible to imagine what Marc must be going through,” Stoner insists.
(Click on this link or on the photo to see all of Marc Márquez’s victories)
