MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez has picked up a fracture in his accident at the MotoGP Indonesian Grand Prix.
The factory Ducati rider was taken out by sprint race winner Marco Bezzecchi at high speed on the opening lap of the race, and landed awkwardly on his right arm, which has a long history of injury.
MotoGP medical director Dr Angel Charte told DAZN: “Marquez is fine, with slight pain. He has trauma to his right shoulder. The X-ray we took shows a small fracture.”
But he added that only when Marc returns to Europe will the full extent of the injury be established.
“There is also some confusion, as it is the arm that was operated on [previously]. There are issues that could obscure the diagnosis. A CT scan needs to be done to see if surgery is necessary or not, which will be in Madrid.”
A Ducati statement thereafter confirmed the confusion, referencing a collarbone injury rather than a shoulder.
“As a result of today’s crash in Mandalika, Marc Marquez has suffered an injury to his right collarbone. The Spanish rider will travel tonight to Madrid (Spain) for further medical tests and to decide on the treatment to follow.”
It is possible that additional confusion lies in a translation issue, in the usual breakneck hurry to get news to the world.
Ducati’s team manager Davide Tardozzi confirmed the news to Dorna during the race, mentioning only the shoulder.
“There is an evidence of a break on the right shoulder but we need at CT scan to investigate deeper and understand if it’s necessary to do an operation or not.”
The incident and the injury rounded off a miserable weekend for Marquez, who wrapped up the world title a week ago in Japan.
It also meant that Marquez, who was seen with his arm in a sling after the race, has yet to finish a grand prix in four starts at the Mandalika track.
Speaking to DAZN, Marquez added: “I can’t say I’m doing very well, but considering how bad it could have been, I got off lightly. It looks like the ligaments in my collarbone are torn, but that’s just a preliminary assessment.
“I’m flying to Madrid tonight, and I’ll get a thorough checkup to see what’s going on.”
“These things happen in racing. I always say that one day it happens to you, and another day it happens to someone else. Bezzecchi hit my rear wheel, but these things happen. He came to apologize to me. Now, whatever the doctors say, that’s how long we’ll be recovering.”
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