‘I lost all strength’ - Joan Mir considers winter surgery

The 2020 world champion, who will join Repsol Honda alongside Marc Marquez next year due to Suzuki’s withdraw, was in the thick of the action after jumping from eleventh to sixth on the opening lap.

But by half distance he was starting to lose strength and feeling in his right arm, causing his decline down the order to eleventh.

“I had an episode of arm pump. This is a track that you can have it a little bit, because it's quite demanding. But not like this,” Mir said.

“I couldn't understand the [brake] pressure that I was doing and I lost all the strength in the right arm."

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“It's a shame because the team made a great job, and the bike was strong. I was able to be strong. And then during the race, I didn't feel any big drop on the rear tyre. So for one part, I'm happy, because we showed important potential at the beginning of the race and middle, but then, these things that you can't control.”

The issue became so bad that Mir eventually ran off track under braking for Turn 1 with three laps to go, leaving him in last place. Under the circumstances, the Spaniard considered retiring from the race but opted to reach the flag, in 19th.

“I was not able to touch the front brake and to put pressure on it,” he said of the turn one incident. “There was a moment that I almost decided to stop, because it doesn't make a lot of sense to ride like this. But I wanted to finish.”

Mir, who unlike most MotoGP riders has never under arm pump surgery before, will now seek medical advice.

“What makes me sad is that I didn't see it coming. Because normally, talking with the physio, I always complain about a bit the back or the neck, but I never complain about the arm,” he said.

“I want to see the doctor because I can't allow that this happens to me again. It can't be a reason to finish the weekend like this.”

Asked if he was now considering surgery, Mir replied: “Yes. Seriously. I think that it can be a good option.”

However, having never suffered the issue as badly before, Mir suspects missing four races after ankle injuries in Austria and a change of front brake lever could also be potential factors.

“Honestly, if you put everything together, we changed a front lever at the beginning of the weekend, because I suggested it. Then also, I had some stomach problems that... can make it a bit worse. Maybe a little bit of everything is what caused this big problem.

“Normally, during the season I also do a lot of motocross, dirt track. I am able to train with a lot of bikes. In recent months, I was not able to train even with the motorbike [due to the ankle injuries]. This for sure maybe creates a bit the problem.”

Mir will make his Repsol Honda debut in the Tuesday post-race test after next weekend’s Valencia finale.

After that, the next official MotoGP action will be at the Sepang test in February 2023, allowing plenty of time for recovery should he opt for an operation.

“It's a shame because the team made a great job, and the bike was strong. I was able to be strong. And then during the race, I didn't feel any big drop on the rear tyre. So for one part, I'm happy, because we showed important potential at the beginning of the race and middle, but then, these things that you can't control.”

The issue became so bad that Mir eventually ran off track under braking for Turn 1 with three laps to go, leaving him in last place. Under the circumstances, the Spaniard considered retiring, but rode to the flag in 19th.

“I was not able to touch the front brake and to put pressure on it,” Mir said of the Turn 1 incident. “There was a moment that I almost decided to stop, because it doesn't make a lot of sense to ride like this. But I wanted to finish.”

Mir, who unlike most MotoGP riders has never undergone arm pump surgery before, will now seek medical advice.

“What makes me sad is that I didn't see it coming. Because normally, talking with the physio, I always complain a bit about the back or the neck, but I never complain about the arm,” he said.

“I want to see the doctor because I can't allow this to happen to me again. It can't be a reason to finish the weekend like this.”

Asked specifically if he was now considering surgery over the winter, Mir replied: “Yes. Seriously. I think that it can be a good option.”

However, having never suffered the issue as badly before, Mir suspects missing four races after ankle injuries in Austria and a change of front brake lever could also be among the potential factors.

“Honestly, if you put everything together, we changed a front lever at the beginning of the weekend, because I suggested it. Then also, I had some stomach problems that... can make it a bit worse. Maybe a little bit of everything is what caused this big problem.

“Normally, during the season I also do a lot of motocross, dirt track. I am able to train with a lot of bikes. In recent months, I was not able to train even with the motorbike [due to the ankle injuries]. This for sure maybe creates a bit the problem.”

"We’ll try to help him find a solution, although arm pump can be tough to fix. Sepang is a very physical track, and Valencia a bit less so, so let’s hope for a strong finish for Joan there," said Suzuki team manager Livio Suppo.

Mir will make his Repsol Honda debut in the Tuesday post-race test after next weekend’s Valencia finale.

The next official MotoGP action will then be at the Sepang test in February 2023, allowing plenty of time for recovery should he opt for an operation.

Team-mate Alex Rins finished fifth.