Battered Marc Marquez points out impact of gravel stones after Dutch MotoGP crashes

Marc Marquez suffered one of his toughest days from a physical perspective as a factory Ducati rider at the Dutch MotoGP on Friday, crashing twice at high-speed.

Marquez crashed in the opening minutes of FP1 at turn 15, high-siding as he decelerated into the fast left-hander before the final chicane.

He suffered pain in his left hand and elbow after that, but went back out to top the session by 0.313 seconds ahead of Maverick Vinales.

In Practice, the six-time MotoGP World Champion crashed again on his final time attack, low-siding at turn seven and sliding a long distance through the gravel.

After the second crash, Marquez was taken to the medical centre and was cleared to ride on Saturday with no major injuries.

“Of course, physically, about the two big crashes, it’s not an easy day for my body,” Marc Marquez told MotoGP.com after Friday practice in the Netherlands.

“But, apart from that, I’m lucky because it’s nothing important."

He described the physical damage: “Of course, some things yes, but it’s not something that will be a problem for the next days – I believe. Tomorrow I will check when I get up.”

Marquez added that the size of the gravel stones at Assen had contributed to the physical pain he felt after the crashes.

“The crash was okay, but both times when I arrived in the gravel it hits a lot – one time the elbow, especially here in the face, plus the finger,” he said.

“The rocks are super-big and when you arrive there with that high speed it hits your body; with the second one I had some problem on the parts and then I was breathing there in the gravel, because at the same time I was sliding on the gravel face down and that creates all these parts, the stomach plus other things, a bit damage.”

Marc Marquez explains Friday crashes at Dutch MotoGP

Explaining the cause of the crashes, Marquez said that he felt something strange from the moment he left the pits in FP1, while his Practice crash was a direct consequence of the first because he was using the front tyre he crashed with FP1 to save allocation.

“The first [crash] was a bit strange because I wasn’t really pushing; since I go out from the box I felt super-slippery and in fact I crashed there,” the Ducati Lenovo Team rider said.

“The second one was a consequence, it was a time attack, but I did a time attack with the front tyre that I crashed this morning because the quantity was not enough to keep the tyres for tomorrow.

“So, it was a mix of things, plus, especially in this race track, the gravel– the rocks are too big, for me, in my opinion, and this [means] that when you arrive in the gravel it’s quite painful.”

Despite the crashes, Marquez is through to Q2 for Saturday’s qualifying session and has shown decent pace on Friday.

“Apart from those two crashes, that I know the reason about both of them, I feel okay,” he said.

“I’m happy because the fact that we are here in Assen, fast, is a very good sign for us.”