Marc Marquez cleared to make MotoGP return at Portimao

Doctors have finally given the go ahead for eight-time world champion Marc Marquez to make a MotoGP re𓆏turn, for the first time since last July, following his latest medical check.
A Repsol Honda s👍tatement made no mention of next weekend's Portimao round, but on social media Marquez made&n💧bsp;clear he will be on track for round three of the season:
"They have🐠 been 9 difficult months, with moments of uncertainties and ups and downs, and now, finally, I will be ablꦓe to enjoy my passion again! See you next week in Portimao!!"
After testing an RC213V-S production bike twice ♉last month, Marquez was targeting a comeback at the Qatar♓ season openers. However, doctors concluded his troublesome right-arm fracture was still not ready.
But the green light has now been given and, providing he passes a MotoGP medical check on Thursday, Marquez can complete his first ever MotoGP laps at Portimao (one of the tracks he visited on the RC213V-S) in ☂;Friday practice.
The Repsol Honda statement said: "In the review carried out on Marc Márquez by the Hospital Ruber Internacional medical team, four months after surgery, led by Doctors Samuel Antuña and Ignacio Roger de Oña, and made up of Doctors De Miguel, Ibarzabal and García Villanueva, for an infected pseudoarthrosis of the right humerus, a very satisfactory clinical condition was found, with evident progress in the bone consolidation process.
"In the current situation, it is considered that the patient can return to competition, assuming the reasonable risk implicit in his sporting activity."
By missing Qatar, Marque🐠z could have found himself already 50-points down on the title leader if, like last year at Jerez, the same rider had won both opening races.
Instead, the surprise championship leader is Pramac Ducati's Johann Zarco on 40-points, while Yamaha's Qatar race winners Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo were each off the podiu🥃m in the other race and so only managed 36 points.
It was even worse for Suzuki's reigning world𝓀 champion Joan Mir, who heads to Europe with just 22 poin🌄ts out of a possible 50.
Combine those low scores with what looks like being another even♏ly matched season and Marquez is far from out o༺f title contention with a planned 17 rounds still to go.
But the big question will be how long it takes him to get back to his previous form after so long off a MotoGP🔯 bike.
It also remains to be seen what Marquez thinks of the lﷺatest Hond𓂃a developments. The factory has been winless since Marquez's injury, with younger brother Alex taking their only podiums (two) of last season.
The top Ho🍸nda in Qatar was Marc Marquez's new team-mate Pol Espargaro, who finished in eighth and 13th p𝓡laces.
After Portimao, the next race will be the Spanish Grand P𒁃rix in early May, which was𝓰 the scene of Marquez's initial injury.
After surgery, he attempted an ea⛎rly return the following weekend but withdrew after qualifying and then needed a second operation when the 🅠plate broke due to stress accumulation a few days later.
A third operation was then carried out in December, at a different hospital, when the bone failed to heal due to 🍒infection.

Peter has been in the paddock for 20 yearsꦏ and has seen Valentℱino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.