Marc Marquez finished eighth aboard his new Honda in the two days of testing at Sepang that he was not even considering doing just two weeks ago because of his diplopia. The doctors' discharge having been given late, it was urgent to get back into shape for the most grueling laps for a MotoGP rider, those which must be done in the Malaysian tropical torpor. And as always, the eight-time World Champion pushed himself to the limit to hold his place...
Marc Marquez started the year 2022 with all the who's who of MotoGP and it's been a while since that happened to him. As he hadn't been inhabited for a long time by the feeling of tackling a season in its entirety. Certainly, at any moment, the optic nerve can plunge him back into the throes of diplopia. But for now it's an official driver Honda who does what he loves most in the world: riding.
Still, all this has a price. And on this Sunday marking the second day of intensive testing, the bill was presented to him. He says thus: “ my body is affected by the long shutdown. Vision problems will always be my Achilles heel and motorcycling needs to be understood. But I can ride a motorcycle and I'm happy ". He specifies : " I'm happy because I was able to accumulate laps with the new bike, and I started to understand it better during this second day of testing. My best physical condition is still far away and I can't do everything I would like to do. Fortunately today it started to rain, because I was dead ».
Marc Marquez: “ I was about to ask the team to stop us«
« The shoulder and the eye do not cause problems » he repeated, “ but it is the physical form that is still lacking and it is normal that it is so after having been stopped for so long. Over the hours and the accumulation of fatigue I was getting slower and slower, to the point where I was about to ask the team to stop us, then the rain came. I will immediately get back to work to present myself in even better conditions in Indonesia, there we will have three more days of tests and they will be very important ».
« I think this Sepang test is the most complicated, it's a very physically demanding track, and it's also the first. Now we have four days to rest then return to action in Mandalika three days during which I will want to get back on the bike and keep riding. The good news is that the speed is there. This morning when I pushed the speed it was there, yesterday I made two small mistakes and today I said to myself 'ok, i don't want to make more mistakes“, so I slowed down and drove more calmly. I am happy ».
After speaking with disarming frankness about his body, Marc Marquez concludes more concisely on his state of mind: “ we are working to fight for the world championship, this year the objective from the first race will be to fight for the world championship. If I have in mind to match Rossi's nine titles? I don't care, like it's the first, it's my mentality ».
MotoGP Tests Sepang J2: times
Credit classification motogp.com
