MARQUEZ ADDS GRID PUSH-UPS TO PRE-RACE ROUTINE

Marc Marquez added an unusual step to his pre-race preparation at the Japanese MotoGP Sprint: push-ups on the starting grid. The Ducati Lenovo rider said the exercise was his own idea, intended to get his muscles ready and improve his performance at the start of a race.

The change appeared to pay off. Marquez took the holeshot, led every lap and won the Sprint. Asked about the push-ups by MotoGP.com, he explained: “Because I keep working. I’m trying to adapt, trying to understand what my body needs to perform in the best way from the beginning.”

He said he was still experimenting, despite the encouraging result: “From the results, it looks like everything is fine, but I’m still working and trying different things.”

Marquez said the routine was not suggested by his physiotherapists or other members of his support team. He values their input, but believes his own experience is central to understanding what he needs. “Of course I have a very good team around me and [they] can suggest many good things,” he said. “But in the end, after many years suffering, the best one to understand my body is me. So, I try to feel what I need every moment and try to do it.”

The reigning champion will start the Japanese Grand Prix from second on the grid. After the Sprint, he had reduced his deficit to Jorge Martin to seven points. Marquez has won three premier-class races at Motegi, though his most recent victory there came in 2019.