PORTIMAO, Portugal (AP) — Six-time MotoGP champion Marc Márquez returned to the track for official practice on Friday for the first time since breaking his arm eight months ago.
Márquez fractured his upper right arm when he crashed during the Spanish Grand Prix in July, knocking him out of the competition. He needed three separate surgeries to finally heal the injury and be ready to race again at this weekend’s Portuguese Grand Prix.
The 28-year-old Spaniard set the third fastest time during the first of two practice sessions on Friday.
“Difficult to find a single word to describe my first session, but I feel very HAPPY!” Márquez wrote in Spanish on his Twitter account.
Márquez, who rides for Honda, had won the title for four consecutive seasons until he withdrew last year due to the injury. Joan Mir won last year’s title.
Sunday’s race is the third of the season. Johan Zarco leads the standings with 40 points.
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