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Puig: Marquez Still On "Another Level" R epsol Honda's Alberto Puig has heaped praise on his rider Marc Marquez following his incredible charge through the field from dead last at turn one to sixth at the flag. There followed a miraculous fight back in which Marquez dis- posed of all but Enea Bastianini, Alex Rins, Jack Miller, Joan Mir and Francesco Bagnaia. "Today, he was able to show his level, which is the same as usual," said Puig. "Marc is clearly a rider who is a step above. He is on another level." As for the champi- onship, Puig says that despite the bad start to the year, Marquez still has every chance of taking a ninth world title as the series heads back to more familiar ground in Europe. "Marc is only 40 points behind the leader, despite losing two races, and this is the longest season we've ever had," Puig said. "There are still more than 300 points on offer, and we have already seen a lot of things can happen in 2022." CN The championship is long, and Alberto Puig says Marc Marquez still has a chance at the title. PHOTO: GOLD & GOOSE IN THE WIND P28 "Technical Problem" Leads To Marquez Comeback, He Explains A s stunning as Enea Bastianini's victory was at the Grand Prix of the Americas, Marc Marquez was arguably the star of Sunday's race, as he mounted a stirring comeback to sixth place after entering the first corner in last. At first glance, it appeared that he fluffed his start. He later revealed that a technical problem prevented the bike from reaching full power off the line. A warn- ing light showed on his dashboard before the start and throughout the race, as he passed and repassed 18 riders. "We had a technical problem, but Hon- da is investigating it," said Marquez. "I thought 'did I put the pit limiter on?' But no. It was one mistake, the alarm was [on] for all the race but luckily for us in the first corner when the holeshot disengaged, the bike worked more or less. Not perfect because there was something still wrong, but it worked in a good way. "Since that point, another race started, a sprint race for me. I said to myself, 'I will give everything.' I knew riding at 100 percent, it would be impossible to finish in a good way, but I gave everything and then with five or six laps left, my body said, 'That's it' and I just tried to finish." Neil Morrison Marc Marquez, pictured trailing the pack, put on a comeback in the race that made some of the very best riders in the world look decidedly second rate. PHOTO: GOLD & GOOSE