MADRID, Nov 27 — Marc Marquez will have shoulder surgery today after the MotoGP world champion was second-quickest in season-ending testing at Jerez de la Frontera.

The Honda rider suffered a serious injury to his left shoulder last year and wants to prevent the current problem with his right shoulder from escalating.

"Tomorrow (Wednesday) I have a surgery to fix the problem (luxation) in the right shoulder, the same problem as last year in the left shoulder,” said Spaniard Marquez, who suffered numerous crashes on the way to a sixth top-class world title in 2019.

"As everyone knows, last winter was very tough for me with the operation on the left shoulder, which was very, very damaged.

"I want to avoid the situation where my right shoulder is in this condition in the future.”

The 26-year-old was second to Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales in the Jerez testing yesterday, while Marquez’s younger brother and new teammate Alex could only finish 17th fastest.

"This winter I would have liked to have a nice holiday and enjoy a bit of quiet time after a great 2019 but it is time to have surgery,” added Marc Marquez, who won this year’s world championship by 151 points from Italian Andrea Dovizioso.

The 2020 campaign gets underway on March 8 with the opening Grand Prix of the season in Qatar. — AFP