He was diagnosed Lactose Intolerant but went on to with the title 2yrs later. I think recent fatherhood, hated the media circus and being away from home had a lot to do with it, he had nothing else to prove so I don’t blame him. I read he suffers from ME now, don’t know if the onset of that started while he was still racing, or if maybe the lactose thing was misdiagnosed? I can imagine Honda are already looking at a strategy beyond MM? A lot seems to have changed/moved on during the 2 seasons he’s been injured?
And then jumped into off road riding and test riding IMHo he lost his desire after the cost of riding outweighed the cost to his family etc.
I would hope that MM comes to the correct decision on his own terms and not have it forced on him either by his team, organisers or injury.
Love him or hate him , he’s exciting to watch. Dorna know this only too well also. As much as there are a shed load of excellent riders in the paddock just now ,none really have that wow factor MM can produce at will. So would they do the right thing and revoke his license for his own protection or see consecutive seasons losing Rossi and MM too much change in a short time ?
Surely his personal health and safety must come before financial considerations? His father (family), doctors and/or personal manager (if he has one) must surely advise him as to what’s best for his future
Totally agree from a personal point of view ,and would hope those closest to him see him in self destruct mode the way he is going . Just hope Dorna and Honda do too. But we see it all too often these days , money is king unfortunately.
He’s Spanish, the series is run by Spanish, the sponsor is Spanish and he’s probably the biggest draw in MotoGP especially now Rossi has retired, they will be keen for him to keep racing, they’ll probably find doctors to pass him fit and if they won’t they will find one that will and leave it up to MM to decide (knowing full well he’ll want to race) then if it all goes pear shaped they can walk away with a clear conscience? When you look at the history of racing it takes the actions of many to bring about change (usually refusing to race), no individual has ever had much sway on safety? That said if he does pass fit you can bet the other teams will lodge complaints on safety grounds, it’s in their interest not to have him on the track (nothing to do with the safety of their riders?) maybe I’m just over cynical but when there’s huge amounts of money involved rationalism usually goes out the window?
The Repsol and Honda tie up in MotoGP currently runs until the end of this year (2022). If MM chooses (or is forced to retire), I wonder what that will do to negotiations moving forward ? Food for thought. Andy
They didn’t stop him going out with a broken arm to smash it up even more 2 years ago, I don’t see much chance of anyone stepping in now
He does have to be careful and i suspct at some point he will be advised by a doctor to stop racing. He could become permanently blind in the worst case scenario of his condition. There is no guaranteed fix for it.
I hope he gets well ASAP and beats everyone else. I don't know much about him personally, but I doubt he needs others to tell him what he should do, or what is best for him; I'm sure he can make up his own mind. Just like all of us.
From an article yesterday, which adds some more detailed information about the injury. https://www.gpone.com/en/2022/03/22...-vision-problems-new-episode-of-diplopia.html. Andy
I have enjoyed what MM has brought to the sport in recent years. No big but, but…to say there are not exciting riders or other fantastic talent out there who will attract crowds is completely wrong. 29 yrs of age in this sport is the new old. Look at Vinales, Dovi…they are nowhere. Rossi lost it imo after the the death of Marco, he really did string things out with his race-craft, add in a bad injury that made him realise he is not indestructible, no longer competitive. Times change. MM is more of a pushing the envelope rider and is not bouncing as well as he used to. Much like Rossi, people will not want to watch MM just ‘circulating’.
Im no fan, but wouldn't like to see him forced to retire. That said, I wouldn't piss around if my eyes were at stake. Especially after 8 titles, millions in bank and still youthful enough to get into something less dangerous.
They’ve been with Honda since 1995, so I don’t imagine it would have much bearing on what they decide to do going forwards. As long as they have at least one good Spanish rider I’m sure they will be fine
Repsol will continue, they may reduce their sponsorship in terms of $$$ but they'll continue. Marc is chasing that 9th, 10th heck even 11th title, but that will never happen now. He's lost 2 years through injury and bad advice (IMO), he's now hit with the same injury for a 3rd time!!!! So he'll miss a few more races before he'll return, so that's another title gone. I'd gamble as and when he returns he won't be aggressive for a few races because he doesn't trust the new bike also. All this time has produced 2 further world champions, possibly a 3rd this year or Fabio wins again. The world has moved on, there is now a pack of younger, fast riders coming through - Fabio, Mir, Pecco, Martin, Bastianini, Oliveira to name a few, then you have Gardner, Fernandez as rookies, plus Acosta waiting to be promoted. Marc's a big draw and Dorna know this and will be adamant to try and keep him in the paddock, he puts bums on seats as Rossi did, but I hope his family, management are also trying to make him realise all he has achieved and what he can continue to achieve while not doing 220mph.
Maybe Shoei will decide not to sponsor him next year, They are amazing helmets but you can imagine that a rider constantly in the press for head injuries might be something that they think twice about.
