The image posted by Marc Marquez on his Instagram profile is symbolic: this year 2020 is indeed a year for him to burn. It has consumed its season, leaving it with a taste of ashes. We hope to see him come back in 2021 all fired up with his incandescent style which always sparks. To better exorcise the bad fate that befalls him, let us recall here the major stages of his ordeal...
Because the wound of Jerez turned into a real ordeal for Marc Marquez, who in 2020 was unable to defend his crown, left to Joan mir. Doubts about his return remain, but his brother's latest outing Alex on the subject reassured.
No one would have ever imagined that Marc Marquez would have had to undergo such an ordeal. Everyone expected him to fight to win the ninth MotoGP title. Instead, he finds himself struggling to regain his ability to pilot.
The team driver Repsol Honda suffered a serious injury during the first race at Jerez which he animated by performing a crazy and impressive comeback. Mistakes were made trying to anticipate recovery times. He has undergone three operations and now there is no certainty about his presence at the first Grand Prix of 2021 at Qatar.
Here are the crucial dates of this is now last year, suffered by Marc Marquez, and recalled by the site automotorinews.it.
The injury: July 19, 2020
During the first MotoGP race of the 2020 championship, he was the protagonist of a bad fall while aiming for second place against Viñales after an incredible comeback. He is violently thrown from his Honda and falls heavily. It soon became clear that the injury was serious and the right humerus fracture was diagnosed at the medical center.
The first intervention: July 21, 2020
Dr Xavier Mir and his team operate on him at the Dexeus University Hospital in Barcelona. A plate is inserted to reduce the three humerus fractures. The radial nerve was not affected, fortunately. It is then thought that the pilot should return to Brno (August 7-8-9).
Marquez is back: July 25, 2020
The Cervera phenomenon surprises everyone. On Thursday July 23, he arrived in the Jerez paddock and, just four days after the operation, passed the medical fitness assessment. He can run the second Grand Prix scheduled on the Andalusian track. Honda does not let him race on Friday, Marc takes the track on Saturday in FP3 and FP4. He tries to compete in qualifying, but after one round he comes back into the box and decides not to continue the weekend.
The second intervention: August 6, 2020
13 days after the first operation, the Spaniard returned to the operating room to replace the titanium plate which was used to reduce the fracture of his right humerus. The reason for replacement is linked to the excessive stress accumulated and which damaged the plate installed during the first intervention. It is always Dr Mir who operates and recovery times are not specified.
Puig recounts the domestic accident: August 6, 2020
In the days following the operation, Alberto Puig, Repsol Honda team principal, revealed the reason for the second operation: “the plate broke while Marc was opening a window with his right arm. Excess stress probably made this possible. If this had happened on the track, the consequences would have been much more serious.”
Message from Marquez: August 24, 2020
It turns out that Marc will be absent for two months and the pilot in a video message shows his disappointment and admits that a mistake was made by the doctors: “after the first operation they gave me peace of mind to get on the motorcycle. I felt pain, being able to lead a normal life, being able to train at home. I thought the plaque would hold, they told me and my staff. It was a mistake, the facts have proven it.”
First training: September 15, 2020
On social networks, Marquez announced that he had returned to training: “six weeks have passed since the operation and I was able to complete my first training session, I managed to run 30 minutes”. Rumors are spreading about when he will be able to return, but Honda is not setting dates. Hypotheses are made about Aragon and Valencia, but nothing concrete.
Marquez abdicates, season ended: November 10, 2020
After weeks with numerous rumors about his return to the track, Marquez announces that he will only return to MotoGP in 2021: “this season I will no longer participate. Together with the doctors and the teams, we decided that the best option was to come back next year.”
The third operation: December 3, 2020
Rumors about the third operation are turning into something concrete. At the Ruber Internacional Hospital in Madrid, he was operated on for a pseudarthrosis of the right humerus: the operation lasted 8 hours and the previous plate was removed with the insertion of a new one "with the addition of an iliac crest bone graft with a free corticoperiosteal flap. The pilot must still remain in hospital. Approximately 5 to 6 months of interruption are expected.
The infection: December 5, 2020
Honda issues a statement announcing that a previous infection of the right humerus fracture has been identified in the fracture. Marc must follow antibiotic treatment for weeks.
Marquez leaves the hospital: December 13, 2020
The eight-time world champion returns home after spending days at Ruber Internacional Hospital in Madrid. Now he will have to follow the procedure indicated by the doctors and it will take him weeks to understand when he can actually return to racing in MotoGP…
Via his fan club's Twitter account, Marc Marquez presents his wishes as follows: “ shello everyone. We are finishing a year 2020 that we want to close. Especially because it was difficult for everyone because of the pandemic, but also for me who got injured in the first race and it was a very special year ».
In all these months he has had the maximum support of thousands of fans. “ I didn't want to end the year without thanking you once again for all the messages and videos I saw, especially in difficult times which gave me great strength. It was also a shame that we couldn't celebrate the fan club dinner, where we all got together to celebrate the titles or celebrate the year and dinner, a special evening. I want to wish you happy holidays, enjoy them with your family, especially with caution. And I'm sure 2021 will be a much better year for everyone ».
