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MotoGP, Marquez: "If I hadn't tried, I would never have forgiven myself"

"It is the mind that rules in these cases. When I said to myself, I can't do it, the pain multiplied. Tonight I will sleep peacefully. The World Championship? It has the same value, but speaking for myself, I would like to have everyone on the track"

MotoGP: Marquez: "If I hadn't tried, I would never have forgiven myself"

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He might have come close to pulling it off, but certainly the one tried by Marc Marquez today was truly a mission impossible.

Riding, or rather racing, four days after an operation caused by a fracture of the right humerus, fixed with a titanium plate, was something beyond the pillars of Hercules. A journey into the unknown.

And this was his fear. Not crashing and risk hurting yourself, as some inexperienced psychologist had ventured, as much as, rather, not exploring the limits. He would not have slept at night; he would never have forgiven himself ... for not having tried.

Where have we already heard this? Remember: Valentino Rossi used it as a title for one of his books and it is the sum of the thoughts of every champion. Always try, never give up.

"I tried, when you have passion for something you have to try it, this is my mentalitysaid Marc immediately after throwing in the towel - After the operation I was realistic and I wanted to understand my body . Last Monday I didn't see any chance of trying this weekend, but once I was in Cervera, when I started to move my arm on Tuesday, I managed to put on the leathers and tried to do some push-ups, I talked to Honda: I will try, I told them. We made an agreement; let's try and then see. You know; I am always an optimist. Now I can sleep peacefully because I know I can't do it. If I hadn't tried, I would have remained with doubts. Speaking with Honda, we decided to go to the track only on Saturday, and when I saw that in FP3 I did 1’37.7 I said: we are there. Then in the afternoon I lapped in 1’38.5, without pushing hard, but on the second exit, perhaps because of the heat, I immediately felt that my arm was without strength. It had gotten a little swollen and maybe some nerves had compressed. It was then that I realized that it was dangerous and that I could not race. I want to thank everyone: the doctors, my physiotherapist and also the medical officer who was bad with me making me do 20 push-ups from the ground! I thought it was possible, but it wasn't. My goal was simply to understand my body. The goal of a sportsman is always to do more than one hundred percent. And then I'm always optimistic, for me the glass is always half full ... I tried to understand and see how the arm went. I had said to Honda, let's go to Jerez but I don't know if I will do it. So I tried, first in the morning and then in the afternoon: I tried, and now I can sleep peacefully because I know I can't race. Now I will try to make myself right for Brno, even if I will not be one hundred percent. That's the first goal. The second, of course, is the world championship and I will always be here as long as I have the chance to win it. "

So much for his sensations and emotions, there was also time for a quick word about his mistake…

"Remembering last Sunday's race I say that it seemed short, and when that happens it means it was going well and I was happy: I was having a lot of fun - he continued - I won 8 World Championships like this, but the crash came when I had settled for second. I saw Quartararo who was five seconds ahead and I knew that I would not be able to catch him. It is just when you relax that the error comes: the only difference with the previous lap is that I did not cut the curb but I only touched the white line and both wheels went away from me. Of course, it was a mistake, otherwise I wouldn't have crashed, but I learned this too, and it's all experience. Now the most important thing is for the arm to heal. "

After what Alberto Puig said, and what we ourselves also wrote, Marc was unable to avoid answering the most important question: has the value of this world championship in any way diminished since your injury?

The answer was the only one possible for a sportsman, but there was a ‘but’...

"The value of the world championship is the same. If one gets hurt, the value of the title is the same, whether you win it with regularity or speed. In the end, those who score the most points have won. Speaking for myself however, I would like to have all my opponents on the track. "

We don't wish to comment. We would have liked to ask Marc if the 50 points he has given away to his opponents will be enough to make them secure, but the Zoom-interviews are not democratic: you cannot look your interlocutor in the eye and ask him for an answer.

So we settle for one of his sentences…

"It is the mind that rules in these cases. When I said to myself, I can't do it, the pain multiplied. I am honest with myself. The mind can do a lot."

 

 

 

 

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