Marc Marquez Plans to Race at This Weekend's Andalusian GP

Marc Marquez is heading back to Jerez and will attempt to ride at this weekend’s Grand Prix of Andalusia at Jerez.

Despite breaking his arm during last Sunday’s race at the circuit, and having surgery to plate the arm on Tuesday, Marquez is determined to attempt to ride.

Marquez faces a number of hurdles before he is allowed to ride. He is already flying back to Jerez, but on arrival, he faces examination by the circuit doctors. He will have to prove he is capable of riding safely and controlling the motorcycle.

That means having the strength in his upper arm to manage braking and turning, which can place huge loads on the arms, especially, as the braking forces produced by the Brembo carbon brakes means that riders have to support more than their own bodyweight with their arms.

But a return to racing is also made more complicated by the COVID-19 protocols put in place by Dorna, and essential to operating the race at Jerez safely.

Marquez’ crew had already left the circuit, but anyone flying home and wanting to return to the paddock has to be tested for the disease once again.

As the test results take time to process, they are likely to only get into the paddock and start work on Thursday afternoon, putting them behind their normal schedule.

Marquez has clearly decided that in such a compressed and short season, he cannot afford to lose any more points, after his DNF after crashing out of the race on Sunday. In a tight and complicated championship, every point may well turn out to count at the end of 2020.

Below is the announcement on Twitter from the Repsol Honda team: