MotoGP: Marc Marquez Returns From Broken Leg
Cycle News Staff | March 20, 2014
MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez had his first outing on the Repsol Honda today since breaking his lower leg in a dirt track training accident some six weeks ago, and the Spaniard ended up 11th. More importantly, Marquez seemed at ease on the bike, though like the rest of the factory men he struggled with a lack of grip at the Losail Circuit in Qatar.
“I am fairly happy with how the first session went, because I haven’t been on the bike in a while,” Marquez said in a team release. “I didn’t think my foot would bother me so much – especially on the right hand corners – although at the end of the session I felt better and this gives me hope of improving tomorrow. We are going to try to follow the same working strategy as today. In terms of the times, we aren’t too far off Jorge [Lorenzo], Valentino [Rossi] and Dani [Pedrosa]- and it’s normal that the riders who were here for the test a fortnight ago are fast right from the get-go”
Marquez’s best lap was a 1:56.682 – 1.481 off the best time of the day set by Aleix Espargaro on the Forward NGM Yamaha.
Marquez finished third in last year’s Grand Prix of Qatar – the first MotoGP of his career.
