RideFast Feb 2020

PADDOCK NEWS
Brought to you by
SHOULDER
RECOVERY ‘MORE
COMPLICATED
THAN EXPECTED’
ADMITS MARQUEZ
LORENZO TO BECOME
MOTOGP LEGEND ALONGSIDE
BIAGGI AND ANDERSON
Jorge Lorenzo will become a MotoGP
Legend this season alongside four-time
world champions Max Biaggi and Hugh
Anderson.
It was decided on the day he announced
his retirement that Jorge Lorenzo would
become a MotoGP Legend this season,
and the Spaniard is the first of the three
riders who will be inducted in 2020.
Fittingly, the Circuito de Jerez-Angel
Nieto will play host – the venue at which
he made his grand prix debut on his 15th
birthday and where the final corner bears
his name.
Lorenzo is one of the most successful
riders of all time, taking his first win in
2003 and his 68th in 2018. He was backto-back
250cc champion in 2006 and
2007 before becoming MotoGP world
champion in 2010, 2012 and 2015.
“To be named a MotoGP Legend makes
me extremely happy,” said Lorenzo.
“When I began competing in this world,
what I really aspired to do was to get
into the world championship. To be
able to win races and then five world
championships is something that far
outweighs what I expected, and to be a
MotoGP Legend is something even more
difficult to achieve.
“To be named a Legend means, apart
from the titles, that you’ve left a mark on
the people and history of this sport. I’d
like to thank Dorna and the FIM for their
support all these years, and for having
included me in this special group of
select riders.”
Biaggi will become a MotoGP Legend at
the Mugello grand prix, while Anderson’s
venue of being inducted is still to be
determined.
Reigning MotoGP world champion Marc
Marquez admits his recovery from shoulder
surgery is more complicated than expected,
although he still intends to be back on the
bike at the Sepang test next month.
After experiencing some discomfort
with his right shoulder after crashing at
the Jerez test last November, the Repsol
Honda rider elected to have an operation
as a preventative measure after medical
consultation.
The operation was similar to the one
performed on his left shoulder at the end of
2018 but less aggressive in nature, however
the Spaniard says his recovery hasn’t been
easier or faster than what he anticipated.
“I would like the rehabilitation to proceed
better because it is more complicated than
expected,” Marquez commented. “Last year I
underwent surgery on my left shoulder and
the rehabilitation was different – this time it
seemed easier and faster, but it is not.
“I hope to succeed to get back in shape and
to be able to participate in the first test of the
season in Malaysia.”
The Sepang test in Malaysia is scheduled for
7-9 February, just three days after Repsol
Honda’s 2020 team launch in Jakarta.
10 RIDEFAST MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2020