Marc Marquez Crash Data Analysis From Silverstone

Troy Siahaan
by Troy Siahaan

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!

Troy Siahaan
Troy Siahaan

Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.

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