Marc Marquez says his recovery from shoulder surgery will take “all the winter” and faces a race against time to be fully fit for the Sepang shakedown﷽ te𝓰st in early February.

The reigning MotoGP world champion successfully underwent left shoulder🅺 surgery yesterday less than one week after completing the final post-season test in Jerez. The operation, performed by MotoGP’s Dr Mir, will aim to fix🦋 the Repsol Honda rider’s recurring shoulder dislocation injury.

Speaking before his operation at the Jerez test, Marquez predicted his recovery will take all winter, with Repsol Honda confirming a𓂃 six-week recovery timeframe post-operation, and remains uncertain if he’ll be “100%” fit for the opening 2019 test at Sepang on February 1-3.

“Recovery [will take] all the winter,” Marquez said. “Because it's a long recovery, and Iꦜ will not arrive at Malaysia෴ maybe 100%, it will be tight.

“So all the winter will be concentrated on my shoul♊der, and then I will have all of February and March to work about my physical condition.”

Marquez suffered two shoulder dislocations across the final rounds of the 2018 MotoGP campaign – during his title celebrations at Motegi being congratulated by Scott Redding and in his qualifying crash at Valencia – which made surgery🌼 a priority to avoid further injuries.