MotoGP: Marquez gets back on track after surgery

Marc Marquez has finally returned to track, jumping on a motorbike for the first time in nearly two months after extensive shoulder surgery in early December to repair a heavily damaged joint. Jumping on a minibike for the chance to get back into the groove after the longest absence of his career, he’ll return to action properly next week when he heads to Sepang for the first pre-season test of 2019.

The Repsol Honda rider told MCN last week at the team launch in Madrid that the shoulder operation had involved more work than originally forecast, upsetting his plans for winter training.

“The shoulder won’t be 100% in Sepang for the test, but my target has always been to be fit for the first race in Qatar. The operation was more aggressive and more difficult than I expected – I was in surgery for four hours because it was more complicated than the doctors had expected. The minimum they said would be three or four months, but I’m working hard and after a month and a half the project is going in a good way.

“How it’ll be in Sepang I don’t know. I have to wait and see, but every day I feel some improvement and it gets better and better. My physical condition might be the hardest thing after not training properly for so long, because Sepang is one of the most difficult tracks.”