EIGHT-TIME MotoGP champion Marc Marquez was sidelined from competition during the season-opening round of the 2023 MotoGP championship at Portimao. A miss-timed move on Miguel Olivera fractured a bone in Maquez’ hand, ruling him out of the Argentina, COTA, and Jerez rounds.
And it wasn’t a given that Marquez would be able to compete this weekend, as doctors and his team look to mitigate any further injuries to the always spectacular Spanish champion. Thankfully the MotoGP medical team have given Marquez the all-clear, and he'll line up on the grid at this week's French MotoGP round at the Le Mans Bugatti Circuit.
Long lap penalty 'annulled' by MotoGP Court of Appeal
More good news for Marquez and his team comes in the form of the annulment of his long lap penalty, something he was scheduled to serve at his next race. The MotoGP Court of Appeal though has quashed that penalty, making the #93s job just a little bit easier.
Speaking about the news, Marquez said:
“I am really happy to be back with the Repsol Honda Team, about to ride my bike again, "First of all I want to thank my medical team for their professionalism and advice over the past few weeks. Of course, as a rider you always want to be back as soon as possible, but with an injury like this it was really important to allow it to heal.
"Now I am here and fully focused on riding, I have no worries about the injury since it’s fully healed. Let’s see what the French GP brings and most importantly, work to our maximum.”
While news of his return to competitive racing will be welcomed by his fans, the mountain he has to climb for the remainder of the year remains steep. The Repsol rider trails championship leader Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia by some 80 points. There are though still more points available this season than in any previous year, that is of course assuming the Spaniard can remain fit for the duration of the championship.
