Weight is off Marc shoulders
MARC MARQUEZ revealed a dislocated shoulder has plagued his whole season moments after claiming the world championship.
The Spaniard was crowned MotoGP champion for the fifth time in Japan yesterday as his title rival Andrea Dovizioso crashed on the penultimate lap.
After crossing the line, a hug from Britain’s Scott Redding re-dislocated Marquez’s already damaged shoulder and he had to pop it back in trackside as he celebrated his victory.
He said: “One of my weak points this year was my shoulder.
“I dislocated it many times this year but I did not tell many people, only my team knew.
“After the race, Scott came and hugged me and dislocated it again.
“Fortunately my boys were there and they put it back again. It’s painful, but okay.”
After qualifying sixth with Dovizioso on pole, Marquez rocketed off the line and was up to second before the end of lap one.
Easy
Taking the lead with four laps to run, he needed to keep his Ducati rival behind him to clinch his fifth premier class crown.
But it was made easy when Dovizioso lost the front on the penultimate lap and crashed.
He added: “I’m just living a dream because every year we achieve our goal, we achieve our dream.
“I decided to try and win the title at my first chance, which was here in Japan. It was calculated, it was all under control.”
Cal Crutchlow took second on the LCR Honda Castrol ahead of Alex Rins, strengthening his lead in the Independent Team Championship.
He then took a swipe at Dovizioso’s pace tactics.
“I felt great for the first 12 laps but the pace was too slow because Dovi was slowing it down,” he said.
“We lost half a second each lap, which was frustrating.
“When Marc passed I decided to let them fight it out and hold off the guys behind. Well done to Marc, he’s done an incredible job again.”