Paris (AFP)

Fabio Quartararo will try to repeat his feat on Sunday at the Jerez circuit, where he triumphed in the first Grand Prix of the MotoGP season, while Marc Marquez, who had just had surgery on his right arm, could finally race.

The young Frenchman won the first victory of his career in MotoGP last Sunday and at the same time took the lead in the world championship. The race was marked by the rise, then a fall, both spectacular, of the six-time world champion and title holder, the Spaniard Marc Marquez, who fractured his right humerus.

Operated on Tuesday with reduction of the fracture and installation of a titanium plate, he could nevertheless participate in the Grand Prix of Andalusia.

“Good for racing!” His Honda team announced on Twitter as the first practice is scheduled for Friday morning, qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday at 2pm (12pm GMT).

But Honda manager Alberto Puig then procrastinated a bit. "He will try on Saturday and depending on how he feels he will try to run but we asked him to see on Saturday first if he is able to go the distance," he said. "From last Sunday to today, things have been going very quickly and frankly we are surprised," he added.

Due to the upheavals linked to the coronavirus pandemic, the MotoGP season only started on July 19 and several races are organized on the same circuit. That of Jerez therefore welcomes that of Andalusia on Sunday after that of Spain a week earlier.

“The last weekend was fantastic. It was amazing to have pole position and to win the race, frankly we couldn't do better. I can't wait to be on Friday to try to improve even more our speed and do the same this weekend, "Quartararo said. At 21, he appears as one of Marquez's main rivals this year.

The Niçois also admitted Thursday, in a press conference, that his victory - the first of a Frenchman in the premier category for more than 20 years - helped to relieve the pressure on him.

- Injuries in shambles -

Before his crash, Marquez was faster than the Yamaha, who finally achieved the double at the Spanish GP thanks to his retirement.

Maverick Vinales, on the factory Yamaha, finished second behind Quartararo on the SRT satellite team machine. The Spaniard will be keen to set the record straight and get ahead of the one who will be his teammate next year to replace veteran Valentino Rossi.

There remains Ducati who finished third last Sunday thanks to an exceptional race by Andrea Dovizisio. The Italian is also recovering from a broken left collarbone suffered at the end of June while riding motocross.

Italian motorcycles are usually not very comfortable in Jerez but the result of "Dovi" on the factory machine and Jack Miller's 4th place on that of the Pramac satellite team shows their progress.

At Suzuki, top rider Alex Rins also crashed heavily in qualifying last Saturday (fracture and dislocation in his right shoulder) but he will also be on the track, as will Cal Crutchlow (Honda-LCR), 3rd rider in being injured last weekend.

In Moto2, the Italian Luca Marini will try to secure a new victory after his demonstration last Sunday. But the Japanese Tetsuta Nagashima, second in the Spanish GP and currently leading the world championship, has not said his last word.

Unlike the MotoGP premier class, Moto3 and Moto2 competed in Qatar in early March before the season was suspended by the coronavirus epidemic. The Andalusian GP will therefore be the third round of the championship.

In Moto3, the Spaniard Alberto Arenas is in contention for a third victory in as many races.

Like last weekend, electric motorcycles (MotoE) will also be there.

© 2020 AFP