Cycle News

VOLUME 63 ISSUE 21 MAY 27, 2026 P131 It also, undetected, dislodged a screw from a prior repair to the same joint. It had no dis- cernible effect until Marc began pushing his uniquely physical riding style to the limit on a MotoGP bike. Then it started to pinch the radial nerve. Marc was still blindingly fast and didn't let on, but he was struggling and lacked his usual overwhelming superiority. He had scheduled further surgery for after round six in Catalunya to correct the issue. Meanwhile, several crashes occurred, some of them spec - tacular. The first, in Thailand, came after he'd hit a curb so hard that his rear wheel disinte - grated. Nothing to do with the injury? In retrospect, not so sure. The next big one came in Spain, the day after a very lucky Sprint win in a crazy, rain-soaked race. Another uncharacteristic error by a rider operating below his usual capacity, another big high-side, and another lucky escape. Not so in round five in France. A massive crash broke a bone in his foot. Only now, in a tearful episode in the pits, did he admit to his team that he had been riding "with one-and-a-half arms." The privately scheduled surgery to fix the screw became public, with an operation on his foot added to the list, and an ab - sence of at least two races, pos- sibly more, making his already tricky title defense (now 85 points adrift) look even harder. The profile of the victims underlines the old adage: motor- cycle racing is dangerous. Extremely so, for Alex Mar- quez, who at round six in Catalu- nya narrowly missed hitting the trackside wall. This bit of furni- ture, just alongside his flailing body, instantly and completely disassembled his Ducati, hurling debris into the pursuing pack. Alex, at the time of writing, was still undergoing assess - ment for the effects of a neck fracture. A broken collarbone (amazingly, the only other frac - ture) was immediately plated, but the winner of the previ- ous day's Sprint and the likely Sunday winner will surely not be back in a hurry. Later the same day, Johann Zarco, a leading figure in Hon - da's comeback, had his own horror in one of the predictable first-corner tangles. Three bikes were involved, and the French- man's leg was caught in the rear wheel of Bagnaia's Ducati. It was a horrid crash, and he was lucky to escape with a minor leg fracture and more serious knee ligament damage, among other injuries, and to say he was "more scared than hurt." (There were calls yet again for the start line to be moved closer to turn one to avoid a repeat of this crash.) Also at Catalunya, Jorge Mar - tin had one crash after another, just a week after emerging as a major threat to oust Aprilia teammate Marco Bezzecchi with a double win in France. Two non- finishes were followed by an- other heavy tumble during tests the day after the race, bringing his Barcelona total to six in three days. According to the official stats, Martin has recorded 13 falls so far this season, by far the most (Alex Marquez is on nine, Pedro Acosta, Brad Binder and Bezzecchi eight apiece). As the points leader, Bezzec - chi has also been skating on the edge, crashing out of three of the six Sprints so far. Carry on like this, and he too risks miss - ing races. These are uncomfortable thoughts to carry into the next round at Mugello. Unlike Catalunya's Montmelo, it's not considered a particularly dan - gerous track, but it is very fast, the scene of Binder's 2023 top speed record of 227.5 mph. And of MotoGP's fastest-ever crash in 2013, when Marc Marquez lost it on the grass at the end of the awe-inspiring straight at 209.9 mph. (And walked away!) So what? Does it mean we shouldn't go to Mugello? Put chi - canes everywhere speeds rise above a certain level, say 100 mph? That MotoGP is too pre- cious for its own good? On the eve of the TT (home, say some die-hards, of real bike racing), perish the thought. Motocycle racing is life- threatening. Can't be helped. It's also life-affirming. Hold on to that. CN

• Cover