Morbidelli: ‘I want to battle Vale!’
Marc Marquez has undergone successful surgery on his damaged left shoulder, with MotoGP medic Doctor Xavier Mir operating to fix the injury that plagued the world champion during the second half of the season. First sustaining damage to the joint back in 2013 when he crashed at the British Grand Prix, the injury has been exacerbated throughout this season to the point of needing surgery.
Things had become so bad that the shoulder could pop out at any time, most famously when Aprilia rider Scott Redding gave him a celebratory hug only seconds after Marquez had wrapped up his seventh world title at Motegi.
But, with an expected recovery
‘The shoulder famously popped out after a hug from Redding’
time of up to six weeks for the delicate operation that involved grafting in a small piece of bone, Marquez waited until the end of the season before going under the knife. Having the operation last Tuesday, he says that he’s confident that he’ll be back to full fitness by the time the first test of 2019 comes around in early February. Marquez isn’t the only MotoGP rider going under the knife now that the season is over, with Jorge Lorenzo and Aleix Espargaro among others planning minor operations to help clear up niggling injuries picked up during the year.
A more intense schedule than ever, with 19 races and no summer break, has meant that there’s a longer list than ever of riders needing time to heal up while the testing ban is in place.