Hervé Poncharal has passion deep within his body, a sincerity that radiates through his Tech3 team where the drivers often become better than they were before taking up residence in the French box. A character which is also felt in the approach to subjects linked to MotoGP. The tricolor remembers his comments made last July about the return of Marc Marquez on his motorcycle a week after fracturing his humerus in a violent fall. He was amazed and enthusiastic. We know today that it was an error on the part of the champion that no one around him contradicted. And as Hervé Poncharal is also honest and totally transparent, he looks back on this period…
Let's go back to July last year. When second race of Jerez, and while the MotoGP was coming out of confinement which had called into question even his survival, Marc Marquez returned to action four days after having a plate placed on his right humerus, fractured the previous Sunday, after a wild race, but ended with a fall.
A return that was striking in a paddock in disbelief to see the eight-time World Champion doing his push-ups in front of the doctors to be discharged. Two camps were formed, interpreting the facts in their own way. For some, it was pure unconsciousness, for others it was pure heroism. At the time, Hervé Poncharal entrusted to us exclusively : " since Sunday, I have been amazed by Marc Marquez. In the race, he showed an incredible desire to come back. Now he wants to ride anyway. In a sanitized world that prohibits more and more, he is the kind of rider who shows that MotoGP remains a spectacle and that its actors are real gladiators ».
On the doubts about the medical discharge, he raised: “ Marc Marquez did 40 push-ups in front of the doctors. And these doctors aren't crazy either. They established protocols knowing their subject and that of motorcycles perfectly. And as a general rule, the paddock is no longer run by crazy people or people under the influence. They know their responsibilities and they know what it takes to ride a motorcycle ».
« Marc is a very high level athlete, he undoubtedly has the best physical condition in the paddock. He only thinks about being efficient. If he made this decision to try to do the Grand Prix, it is certainly not on a whim. He felt that there was a possibility, that it wasn't so bad, that it was worth a try. He always wants to try, he doesn't want to have any regrets. Never. He wants to see if it's playable. If he thinks he can ride, he won't be a danger to himself or others. He's not crazy ».
The Frenchman ended our exchange with what he felt deep in his heart: “ Marc moves me, it's a real emotion, he shows his love for this competition, this desire to transcend himself. It's admirable. Absolutely no one would have blamed him for staying home. This is the beauty of this sport and of the man. These pilots go further than ordinary mortals. Perfection and courage are the meaning of their life. Marc Marquez gives us an admirable lesson, an incredible commitment to his sport and the extent of the love he has for it. Marc Marquez is part of the history of our sport ».
It was July of 2020 and the events that followed demonstrated that Marc Marquez made a big mistake in underestimating his injury. It was the role of his cohort of doctors to point out the risks to him, but the comments of the moment made far from the circle Marquez remain. Hervé Poncharal, on the eve of the first Grand Prix of the 2021 season at Qatar, wanted to return in all honesty to this episode.
Hervé Poncharal: “We now know that was his biggest mistake”
In an exchange with Motorsport-total, he says : " when Marc had an operation, did his push-ups and came back, we didn't know what to think about it ", remember Poncharal, who, in addition to his role as team principal at Tech3-KTM, is also president of the MotoGP teams association IRTA.
« Now that we've seen what happened, it's of course easy to say it was a mistake ", said Poncharal, referring to the month-long break during which Marquez underwent two more operations on his right arm. But Poncharal knows from his own experience with many pilots that “ every injury is different ". " Life is full of puzzles and surprises He says.
When asked how he now assesses the situation of Marc Marquez, he answers : " we now know that this was his biggest mistake. This has had a strong impact on his career so far. I can only hope he returns to full capacity as soon as possible ».
« Today we know that his return came too soon », declares again Hervé Poncharal regarding the second Jerez weekend of 2020, but notes, referring to his previous statements, that the anticipated return to MotoGP for Marquez “ could have been successful and then he would have been the greatest hero of all time ».
It will be recalled that the lesson also carried for Marc Marquez who followed the advice of his doctors who advised him not to participate in the first two Grands Prix of the year in Qatar.
