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Is Marc Marquez retiring after horrific crash at Indonesia MotoGP? Fans say 'it's time to play safe'

Just before the completion of a 20-minute practice session at the Mandalika International Street Circuit, Marquez was thrown off his bike on turn seven

After a frightening warm-up crash, six-time world champion Marc Marquez was ruled out of the Indonesia MotoGP with an injury. Just before the completion of a 20-minute practice session at the Mandalika International Street Circuit, he was thrown off his bike on turn seven. The 29-year-old’s Honda cartwheeled end-over-end as it disintegrated and he appeared to land heavily on his left arm and hit his helmet on the ground at approximately 180km/h.

Marquez somersaulted up to 15 feet in the air before falling onto the track. Marquez stood up and walked away slowly before being brought to a local hospital for medical attention. "Marc Marquez has been declared unfit after examination in a local hospital and by the circuit staff and doctors," his Honda team subsequently said on social media.

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Marquez had already had a rough weekend, having crashed twice during qualifying rounds and been diagnosed with an injury after Sunday's (March 20) stunning collision. He had been due to start from 14th on the grid after being promoted one spot after a three-place grid penalty for Yamaha's Franco Morbidelli. The practice session was heavy rainstorm delayed the 3 pm start by at least 45 minutes with water pooling on the track and lightning bolts crashing down around the circuit.

Social media was quick to react. One person wrote, "Oh my word 😱😱😱 Marc Márquez was LAUNCHED from his bike during the warm-up session… One of the biggest high sides we've EVER seen!” “Possibly biggest crash I’ve ever seen. A wise head has to say to him “okay Marc we need to calm down now ”. How many more career-ending crashes can his body afford, not just to continue racing but for life after it. Feel for him. Hopefully 🇦🇷🇺🇸 goes better. Can’t go much worse,” another added. Yet another person remarked, “I can see him retiring from the sport. He looked completely out on his feet like a boxer before KO is called. Such a shame to see him struggling.” 

Marc himself tweeted the news saying: "I'm OK after the big crash I had this morning.For precaution, and to not take any more risks, we decided to not race at the #IndonesianGP. I want to thank all the MotoGP medical team and the Mataram Hospital for the treatment received.Thank you for all your support messages (3/3)." Many fans of the world champion rider requested him to careful and said," It's time to play safe."

Meanwhile, MotoGP has returned to Indonesia for the first time since 1997 and the organizers have announced that the MotoGP race would be reduced from 27 laps to 20 over tire safety fears caused by the extreme heat at the circuit. The new venue on the resort island of Lombok was partially resurfaced due to extreme heat concerns.  However, Honda and Suzuki riders, in particular, have complained about the tire's lack of rear grip, with Marquez looking to be the most affected. The last Moto2 race, which was similarly curtailed from 25 to 16 laps, saw track temperatures of 43 degrees Celsius. According to Autosport, the governing organization, FIM, issued a brief statement saying, "We've decided to reduce the distance on safety grounds as a result of the high temperatures."