Motorcycle World Cup | Márquez receives the OK from the doctors to race at Le Mans

Here, in Le Mans, between the sun and the clouds, between the heat and the rain, this weekend will take place not only the fifth race of the season MotoGPafter Portugal, Argentina, the USA and Jerez, but rather a historic grand prix since we are talking about the 1,000th since the championship began, on the Isle of Man (another unique and mythical place), in 1949, with the victory of the British Freddie Frith, At the controls of a British Velocette, yes.

It is curious that yesterday a thousand French fans gathered, who went to the French track to do several laps of the circuit accompanied, of course, by their two great current myths, Fabio Quartararo y Johann Zarcotwo of the animators of the World Cup of the highest category.

Marc, among the greats

And it is curious that here, today, he reappears, before the doctors who gave him the OK so that he can take part tomorrow in the first training sessions for the French GP and before the media, the Catalan Marc Márquez (Honda), the only active championat the age of 30, since the man from Cervera (Lleida) has a total of 6 world titles in the queen displacement and has 59 victories, to 7 titles for Valentino Rossi (89 wins) and 8 titles for Giacomo Agostini (68 victories).

Marquez, what he has missed the last three races after his spectacular accident, the result of a tremendous mistake of hisin the Portuguese GP, which opened the World Cup in Portimao, has already recovered from the fracture suffered in his right thumb, the most important finger for a MotoGP rider because with it he not only holds the handlebars firmly, not only You must speed up the braking, you must not only apply the gas and brake with the front brake lever, but you must even press, with that finger, the small lever that you have under the gas to activate the rear brake, because when they are fully folded in curves cannot use the foot lever.

Around 12 noon, Márquez, outlining his broad smile, happy to return to his favorite stage, went to the circuit clinic where the team led by Dr. Ángel Charte, the World Cup’s top medical officer, reviewed the medical reports in his presence. and all the x-rays of his right hand, giving him the ok so i can run tomorrow after extensive exploration.

three horrible years

Marquez, what has not stopped linking injuries, operations, rehabilitations since 2020, half of the 56 races that have been held in the last four years have been lost, as recently reported by motosport.com: 28 of 56 grand prix. It is clear that if he had not undergone two operations on his shoulders, two diplopia processes and four interventions on his right humerus, the last tremendously delicate one at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, USA), Márquez would undoubtedly have exceeded the marks of ‘ Doctor’ and ‘Ago’.

Márquez not only returns healthy but also returns having won, in the Court of Appeal of the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM), the appeal for the (fair) sanction, but lousy and erroneously worded, of the Portuguese GP stewards. Everything, everything, was so confusing that the lawyers for the Repsol Honda team appealed with skill and arguments so that the FIM ended the recognition that it was all a big botch and free the eight-time world champion to complete the slow double lap at Le Mans.

The great comeback

It is evident, although everyone is reluctant to say so given Márquez’s extremely complicated medical history, that the Honda leader has become the only rider who, if he has everything ready, can complicate the renewal of the title for the Italian ‘Pecco ‘ Bagnaia, who, on his impressive Ducati, dominates the races with ease. It is evident that one of the most striking aspects of this French GP is to know if the chassis manufactured by the German firm Kalex and tested by the German Stefan Bradl in Jerez, is the right one for the aggressive and determined driving of the MM93.

There is enough time and races left to complicate the World Cup for Bagnaia, who does not seem free of error. There are 16 weekends left, 592 points to be distributed (192 on Saturdays and 400 on Sunday) and the Catalan champion is in 19th place in the drivers’ standings, 80 points behind the leader and Italian champion.