MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez has vowed to return even better than ever after suffering a spectacular crash in the first race of the season in Spain.
Marquez was struggling for grip from his front tire throughout the race at Jerez, and performed an incredible feat of recovery to somehow not crash the bike when he slid off the track and into the gravel at Turn 3 on just the fourth lap of the race.
The incident left Marquez dead last and seemingly out of contention, but the eight-time world champion performed one of the most remarkable comebacks seen in a MotoGP race to come storming back through the field to fourth place.
READ MORE: ‘I could see my house!’ Injured British Superbike racer shares footage of spectacular crash (VIDEO)
He then caught second- and third-placed riders Maverick Vinales and Jack Miller and was looking set for an incredible podium finish when disaster struck at Turn 3 again.
This time, rather than losing the front end of his bike, Marquez, perhaps over-compensating for his lack of grip at the front, applied the power a little too early on exiting the corner and spectacularly high-sided his bike, which threw him up into the air and painfully down onto the track as he bounced into the gravel trap.
The bike then struck Marquez's right arm, leaving him with a broken forearm.
MotoGP traumatology specialist Dr. Mir confirmed after the race that Marquez had, although the initial crash itself hadn't injured the world champion, the subsequent collision with his bike left the Spanish ace with a broken right arm.
"Marc Marquez has suffered an injury, it seems, from a direct impact of the tire to the right arm, resulting in a fracture to the shaft of the humerus, a complete fracture although it isn’t completely displaced, with some possible paralysis of the radial nerve, although we’re not certain," he explained.
"This injury has been immobilized here for when they decide to move him to Barcelona to carry out a definitive treatment."
That treatment has been confirmed as surgery to pin Marquez's arm back into place to aid with its rapid recovery.
Marquez, meanwhile, promised to bounce back better than ever once his arm had recovered, and vowed to return as swiftly as he could.
"Sometimes things don't go as you expect, but the most important thing is to get back up and move on," he posted to Instagram.
"I hope you enjoyed the comeback! Now I have to go to the operating room on Tuesday and fix the fracture of my right humerus.
"I promise you all that I will come back as soon as possible, and even stronger!"
Also on rt.com Rider hospitalized as bike erupts in flames in British MotoGP horror smash (VIDEO)