Marquez in doubt for Moto2 finale

Marquez was unable to ride in last Sunday's Malaysian Moto2 race due to problems with his vision, which came as a result of a heavy crash he suffered in the opening practice session. Upon his return from Malaysia on Monday, Márquez was transferred to the hospital in central Barcelona, where he was received by Doctors Xavier Mir and Ángel Charte. The Spanish rider underwent a series of exhaustive medical checks, and was then kept under observation.

Dr Charte, Head of the Department of Medicine, commented: "The rider suffered a crash which caused a concussion, had a brachial effect and resulted in various bruises. He also experienced visual blurring and image distortion when in Malaysia. Upon his arrival at the USP Institut Universitari Dexeus we subjected Marc to a series of diagnostic medical tests which revealed he had suffered swelling around the eyes, which caused double vision and rules out any other kind of injury. He's following a course of treatment to correct this and it is progressing favourably."

After two days under observation at the USP Institut Universitari Dexeus in Barcelona, the Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol rider received the all-clear to leave on Wednesday, October 26. A decision on his participation at the Valencia GP will be made in the coming days. The team confirmed in a press release that Márquez's participation in the final round of the season at Valencia (November 4th-6th) will be decided upon in the coming days, dependant on how his recovery progresses.

Marquez has been locked in a fight for the championship with Viessmann Kiefer rider, Stefan Bradl, for the latter half of the season. After a slow start, the Spaniard has been the star of the series, winning seven races and finishing on the podium every round after the Dutch TT. The super-quick Spaniard gained a lot of new fans after his incredible run at Phillip Island, where he finished third after starting from the back of the grid.

After the Australian round, Marquez was only three points behind Bradl in the championship, but the Spaniard's non-start at Sepang meant Bradl opened up the gap to 23 points. If he races at Valencia, Marquez needs to win, and Bradl needs to either DNF or not score any points to claim the championship.

images: JUST BIKES