Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1469337
IN THE WIND P58 Marc Marquez says another operation is needed on his arm so he can be competitive again. Marquez Says He Needs Another Operation M arc Marquez announced he will be stepping away from racing after the Italian GP to ad- dress the continued issues with his right arm. The eight-time champ has struggled to ride as he did be- fore the complications which arose from the right humerus fracture in July 2020, and cannot sit where he wants on the bike. "My problem now, what I feel on the bike, is that first of all I don't have the rotation," he said in a press conference called on Saturday afternoon. "So, on the straight, I have the arm more open than normal. Then in left corners, I'm with the elbow completely up, because I try to compensate the rotation. But in all the races I had arm pump. Then pain in the shoul- der arrived. I needed to ride really smooth. That's not my riding style." Marquez considered surgery last winter when sidelined with the diplopia issue that kept him out of the final two races of 2021. But the bone couldn't take further surgery after a total of three operations the previous year. That has changed. "The surgery can be done right now because the bone is ready," explained team boss Alberto Puig. "In the past it was not ready, it was soft, and not recommended. But now it is." Upon completing the Italian GP, Marquez will travel to the U.S. on Tuesday, May 31, for surgery overseen by Dr. Joaquin Sán- chez Sotelo at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Humeral osteotomy will be performed to improve rotation of the right shoul- der. Screws and plates in the shoulder will also be removed. "To fix the problem they will cre- ate a crack at the top of the humer- us, just to compensate the rotation," Marquez said. There is no date for a return but competing again this year could be tough. "It will be a long time, of course," he said. Neil Morrison