Marc Marquez will be the Repsol Honda team’s sole representative at this weekend’s German Grand Prix and one of only two riders on the Sachsenring grid, after further examination of Joan Mir’s injuries from Mugello last weekend means he joins LCR Honda rider Alex Rins as the latest name on the long list of MotoGP injury layoffs.
Mir crashed during FP2 at Mugello last weekend and was initially diagnosed with a broken bone in his right hand that meant he was unable to race on Saturday or Sunday.
But following further examination upon returning home, he will now also sit out this weekend’s Sachsenring round as he continues to recover from injuries more serious than initially suspected.
“Upon returning home, Joan Mir underwent an MRI at the Centre d’Imatge Diagnostica de la Dra Cuesta in Andorra,” Honda explained in a statement.
“It revealed a significant contusion on his right hand with synovial fluid and inflammation, limiting the strength and mobility of his right hand.
“Taking into consideration the results of the MRI, Mir will not participate in the German GP.
“He will travel to Palma to visit his trusted traumatologist, Dr Juan Garcias, to evaluate the best treatment and recovery plan of the injury to his right hand, in order to return as soon as possible. He will not be replaced for the German GP.”
That means that Marquez and LCR rider Taka Nakagami will be the only Honda representatives this weekend, as Rins continues what looks set to be a long rehabilitation of his own following the severe leg injuries he sustained during last Saturday’s Mugello sprint race.
Breaking both the tibia and fibula bones in his leg badly enough to require the surgical addition of an external fixator, his crash could well be severe enough for the Circuit of the Americas race winner to sit out an extended period of the season.
With teams required to field a replacement once a 10-day period has elapsed after a crash, it is not yet clear who Honda will call upon to replace Rins should test rider Stefan Bradl be required in Assen to step in for Mir.
But it could mark another return to the series for Honda’s World Superbike racer Iker Lecuona, who already deputised for Marquez earlier this season.
