Indonesian MotoGP: Marc Marquez on shocking crash - 'best decision' not to race

Marc Marquez's punishing Indonesian MotoGP weekend culminated in one of the biggest accidents of his career followed by a trip to hospital, forcing him to withdraw from the race due to concussion.
Marc Marquez, MotoGP, Indonesian MotoGP, 19 March 2022
Marc Marquez, MotoGP, Indonesian MotoGP, 19 March 2022
© Gold and Goose

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Like his fellow Honda riders, after a strong test at the new Mandalika circuit in February, Marquez struggled on the modified Michelin rear-tyre casing brought for the race💝 weekend and last used in 2018.

The Spaniard had already fallen three times in practice and qualifying, leaving him 14th on the grid, but the near 200km/h highside in morning warm-up w🧔as on another scale.

As Marquez enteꦓred the las💛t of the fast Turn 5-6-7 right-handers, the rear of his machine kicked out and then dug in, sending him somersaulting through the air before landing hard on the asphalt runoff.

Marquez's recent injury battles heightened the concerღn over his welfare, but the 29-yไear-old was eventually able to stand and stagger slowly out of the gravel.

Arriving back in the paddock on a scooter, the eight-time world champion was initially sent to the medical centre before being transf𝐆erred to a local hospital for further checks.

today

A testament to how good modern protective gear is🔴, we're incredibly happy to see and hear that he🎀's OK! See you in Argentina, Marc!

— MotoGP (@MotoGP)

“W♛hat can I say? It has not been our weekend, we have struggled and had problems from the start," said Marquez.

"It was a really big cra𝕴sh in warm-up this morning, maybe one of the biggest I have haꦬd.

"I went to the loꩵcal hospital and while there were no serious problems - it ꦑwas decided that I should not race.

"It’s of course a shame, but the best decision.”

While the concussion diagnosis ruled Marquez out of what became a delayed, wet race, further precauti﷽onary checks will be carried ou𓆉t when he arrives back in Spain.

"It was a big crash, a big concussion on the head, so normally this type of accident you need some time to recover," said tea🦹m manager Alberto Puig.

"It would not be a ve🔥ry safe idea to send him ꦅon the bike so we all decided that the best thing to do was to skip this Grand Prix and try to recover and see the evolution [of his physical condition] in the next 12-24 hours.

"No pain, but he had three strong crashes this weekend and the one today was massive. So it's not that he has something broken but it's not very comfortab👍le and when you hit your head you have to be more cautious than if yo෴u hit some bone."

Team-mate Pol Esparga😼ro went on to finish twelfth, in a race won by KTM's Miguel Oliveira.

The unpredictable podium line-up so far this season means that, despite the DNS and modest fifth place in Qatar, Marquez is still within 19 points o🃏f title leader Enea Bastianini, who has scored 30 out of a possible 50 points.

Round three takꦆes place at Termas de Rio Hondo, Argentina,🧜 on April 3.

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