Joan Mir after a difficult period: “I’m so glad to be back!”

Joan Mir had been struggling with a mysterious illness over the past few weeks. As a result, the Honda rider was sidelined and missed the Grands Prix in Austria, Japan, Indonesia and Australia. He and the team led by MotoGP chief medical officer Dr Angel Charte had decided that the Spaniard needed to take a break to get to the bottom of the cause of his illness.

On Thursday, the 2020 MotoGP World Champion was given the all-clear to make his comeback at the Malaysian Grand Prix. “I’m so glad to be back, as I’ve been at home for quite a while. It was a difficult time with a lot of uncertainty for me. I was forced to take a break – due to vision problems and extreme fatigue. It was a process that had been getting progressively worse during the final races of the first half of the season,” Mir explained. “I then sought treatment from Dr Charte, and we were gradually able to identify the problem. Step by step, I started to feel better.”

Does Mir now know what caused his illness? “I think the cause was linked to a problem I’d had with my eyesight in the past. That’s why the stress during the races kept getting worse. The tiredness was linked to that too,” said the Mallorcan. “Until we understood that, we carried out lots of tests to get to the bottom of it. I’d also like to thank Honda, Alberto (Puig) and the whole team, because they’ve been very respectful towards me in every way. They help me wherever I need support. When you’re injured, you really appreciate how people treat you.”

Joan Mir: “Mentally, it was tough”

It wasn’t easy for Mir and the medical team to estimate when he’d be able to get back on the MotoGP bike. “Mentally, it was tough, because it wasn’t like a broken bone, where you more or less know how long the recovery will take. When you’ve got vision problems and this tiredness, it’s very hard to estimate the timeframe,” explained Mir. “‘When?’ is the first question you ask yourself as an injured rider. In this case, it wasn’t like that, so it was more about time and patience and simply being 100 per cent sure that I’d be back. Tomorrow we’ll see how I feel. I still have a few doubts, but I feel good, and that’s the most important thing.”

Joan Mir now knows why he felt so unwell. The doubts in his mind have vanished. “I now have lots of answers to the things that happened. Ultimately, I’ll keep them to myself. I think that will be very important for the future,” assured the 29-year-old.

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