Marquez on horror highside: “Unconscious, we are human, didn’t want to ride"

The Repsol Honda rider endured one of the worst highsides in MotoGP history at Mandalika earlier this season.

It was his fourth (and worst) crash of the weekend and ruled him out of the race - later, he missed a chunk of the season to undergo another serious arm surgery.

Marquez has now told BT: “Some crashes, you remember everything. Everything!

“Indonesia? I remember just before the crash. When I started to fly - from that point until the end when I arrived in the box - I don’t remember anything.

“This is because I was unconscious.

“I remember I had a fresh tyre on the rear. I came into the corner with less front pressure but the same speed. I locked the rear. The rear was floating, and came back in a very aggressive way.

“Normally you can save the crash or avoid the crash, especially if you have a used tyre. With a used tyre or low grip you have a warning - you feel the front or rear slide, and you can play with your body on the bike.

“With a new tyre the grip is a lot so everything is more harsh, everything becomes more reactive. Normally when you lose the bike with a new tyre, you crash.

“After a crash like in Indonesia? We are human. You don’t want to ride again. Then it becomes your profession, not your passion.

“I had double-vision but my head was okay, body was okay.

"Then you feel protected. It gives you confidence to ride again and, step-by-step, to rebuild confidence with the bike.”

Marquez’s risk-taking style has earned him eight world championships but also contributed to a series of crashes in his career which means he now suffers with diplopia, a form of double-vision.

Combined with his arm injuries, he has paid a physical toll for his brilliance on the bike.

Marquez didn’t win a race in 2022 but showed signs of progress as the season closed, with a first pole position in three years in Japan then a podium finish in Australia.

Whether he can add to his six premier class championships will rely heavily on how Honda can develop his below-par bike - and on whether he avoids" more punishing crashes.