(Reuters) – MotoGP champion Marc Marquez will miss Sunday’s Czech Grand Prix after having a second operation on a broken arm, with test rider Stefan Bradl replacing him for the race, his Repsol Honda Team confirmed on Tuesday.
Spaniard Marquez had fresh surgery on Monday to replace a damaged titanium plate inserted after he broke his right arm in the July 19 season-opening race in Spain.
The team had said that the 27-year-old, who tried to return for the second race in Jerez but withdrew without qualifying, would stay in the hospital in Barcelona for 48 hours before being discharged.
“After a heroic return just four days after surgery in Jerez, Marc Marquez will miss the Brno race with Stefan Bradl joining the Repsol Honda Team alongside Alex Marquez,” the Repsol Honda Team said in a statement https://motogp.hondaracingcorporation.com/report/bradl-joins-alex-marquez-in-brno-while-marc-recovers.
“After undergoing a second operation… Marquez and HRC have decided the world champion will not ride in the Czech Republic in order for him to recover more.
“In his place, HRC test rider Stefan Bradl will mount the Honda RC213V.”
Bradl has claimed three top 10 finishes at Brno from his seven starts in the MotoGP class and only once missed out on points, the team added.
The Czech race is in Brno, with Petronas Yahama’s French rider Fabio Quartararo targeting a third victory in as many races this season.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
