(Reuters) – MotoGP champion Marc Marquez could be back in action next month after his Repsol Honda team reported successful surgery to his right arm on Tuesday.
Marquez suffered the injury when he crashed four laps from the end of the season-opening Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez on Sunday.
The six times MotoGP champion had surgery in Barcelona, with the radial nerve not affected – a boost for the rider’s hopes of an early return, although he is sure to miss the second round at the same southern circuit this weekend.
Honda said the Spaniard, who had a titanium plate fixed internally to his right humerus, would remain in hospital for up to 48 hours.
“His aim is to return to the 2020 World Championship as soon as possible with an expected date becoming clearer soon,” the team added.
That could be the third round of the season in the Czech Republic on Aug. 9.
“Our goal, in principle, would be to see if he can be fit to be in Brno,” surgeon Xavier Mir told Catalunya Radio before the operation.
Repsol Honda boss Alberto Puig indicated the team would not replace Marquez for race two at Jerez, with the focus on the Spaniard’s younger brother and team mate Alex.
“Marc will take some time to recover but we are happy with how it all went,” Puig told marca.com.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
