Marc Marquez has dismissed speculation he will quit Honda at the end of what has been a wretched MotoGP experience so far this season.
Marquez has yet to finish a race this year on his Repsol Honda RC213V, with the six-time champion withdrawing from the last race at Sachsenring after crashing in the warm-up, his fifth incident of arguably the worst weekend of his illustrious career.
Over the last few days, rumours have been rife the Spanish rider will end his 11-year association with the Japanese manufacturer even though he is contracted through to the end of next year. Mick Doohan has suggested he should leave Honda.
Despite carrying injuries into this weekend’s Dutch round at Assen, Marquez will compete, and has seemingly laid to rest claims he will look to leave after the final race in Valencia in November.
Asked by motogp.com whether he will be with Honda next year, he replied: “If I’m here (in Assen), it’s because my commitment to Honda is maximum and I want to work with them to improve the future, to improve our project. I’m here to work with them.”
Pressed on next year specifically, he added: “At the moment I’m here to work with them, and as I say, to work with them for the future means next year’s project.
“This year will not change life a lot, so the commitment is maximum.”
After crashing into Miguel Oliveira in the opening race in Portugal, Marquez then missed the next three races in Argentina, the United States, and Spain through injury.
The 30-year-old then suffered further crashes in the races in France and Italy before his tortuous weekend in Germany where he collided with Johann Zarco during second practice, splitting the Frenchman’s Pramac Ducati in two.
Marquez has revealed he is carrying over a number of injuries from last weekend, insisting he is “ready” but at the “limit” of his endurance.
“I think that I will be ready to race,” added Marquez. “In Germany, when I crashed in the warm-up, the first hour (afterward) I felt ready to go.
“But then, as the hours passed, as the minutes passed, I felt more and more pain, especially on the ankle, the fracture in the thumb.
“Then I felt strange, and there was also a crack in the second rib. This will be the most painful during this weekend, but we will try to go step by step, and let’s see.”
Marquez felt it important to ride this weekend as Honda will be without two of its other injured rider in Joan Mir (hand) and Alex Rins (broken leg).
“We wish them the best,” said Marquez, who underlined his presence at Assen by adding: “Honda needs bikes on track to improve for the future.”
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