Marc Marquez Crash Data Analysis From Silverstone

During warm-up for last weekend’s Silverstone MotoGP race, Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez crashed between turns seven and eight, losing the front while on the brakes. The fall caused the MotoGP rookie’s shoulder to pop out of its socket, and Alpinestars has released the data from Marquez’ Tech-Air-equipped suit for us to further examine.

Looking at the graph below, you’ll see the impact was focused on Marquez’ left shoulder. The trace looks relatively calm at first, but a sudden and dramatic spike indicates the initial moments of the crash, 0.065 seconds before the airbags deploy and 0.168 seconds before the rider’s shoulder touches the ground. Full inflation was recorded at 0.048 seconds after deployment, meaning full protection was in place 0.055 seconds before impact.

From there, the graph shows a peak energy impact of 22.55g focused mostly on the left shoulder. You’ll notice the traces for the right shoulder and upper back have calmed significantly while the trace for the left shoulder is still active. Despite the airbag remaining inflated for the duration of the crash, Marquez still suffered a dislocated shoulder. Miraculously, the medical team popped it back into place, gave him some pain killers, and a few hours later he was battling Jorge Lorenzo for the victory!

By Troy Siahaan