The 2022 MotoGP season just keeps getting worse for Joan Mir. The 2020 MotoGP champion has struggled for form throughout the year, crashing out of six races and failing to stand atop the podium even once.
Suzuki dealt the Spanish rider a psychological blow when they abruptly announced that the brand would cease Grand Prix operations following the 2022 season. Months later, fate would deliver Mir a physical blow when he high-sided at the first turn of the Austrian Grand Prix, sustaining a fractured right ankle as a result.
After nursing his wounds for several rounds, Mir returned to the MotoGP grid for the Australian Grand Prix. However, the Suzuki rider wasn’t anywhere near full strength, finishing in 18th place and more than 23 seconds off the race-winner. To add insult to Mir’s lingering injury, his teammate, Alex Rins, won the Australian round.
Things didn’t get any better at the Malaysian Grand Prix, where Mir finished nearly 42 seconds off the winning pace in 19th place. Still, the situation only worsens, as number 36 revealed that arm pump issues impeded his progress at the Sepang International Circuit.
"Well, looks like I had an episode of arm pump," Mir divulged. "In the previous years here is a track that normally you can have a little bit because it's quite demanding. But not like this. I couldn't understand the pressure I was [applying] and I lost all the strength on the right arm.”
Commonly referred to as “arm pump”, chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) occurs when increased blood flow causes pressure in highly exerted muscle tissues. The condition may recede after the muscles return to rest, but it quickly resurfaces when the rider goes back into action.
For this reason, many MotoGP riders have undergone arm pump surgery in the past few years. It looks like Mir may join those ranks soon.
"I want to see the doctor to avoid it happening again because I can't allow this to happen to me again. It can't be a reason to finish the weekend like this,” the 25-year-old rider conceded. “Yes, seriously I think [surgery] can be a good option.”
Mir has yet to confirm his participation in the final 2022 MotoGP round at the Valencia Grand Prix on November 6, 2022. Regardless of his race status for the finale, we hope the 2020 premier class champ can return to form (and fortune) in 2023.
