How Aprilia staff are feeling after Jorge Martin’s dramatic accident on day one of MotoGP testing

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Jorge Martin’s first official test as an Aprilia rider ended abruptly after a huge accident on the first day of testing in Malaysia.

Heading into turn two, the defending champion suffered a violent highside, with his visor breaking on impact with the ground. Martin was able to walk after the accident but had suffered injuries.

The 26-year-old was taken to hospital for checks after complaining of pain in his left foot and right hand. It was the second crash Martin had suffered on the first day of testing at Sepang.

Teammate Marco Bezzecchi is not sure how Martin crashed in the Malaysia test which has seen several other riders have offs in the session.

The Italian joins Aprilia with Martin from Ducati this season. Bezzecchi had been racing with VR46 while the Spaniard won the title with Pramac.

‘Every single ounce’ of Aprilia’s optimism drained after Jorge Martin crash in Malaysia

Expectations and excitement were high about Martin’s move to Aprilia. The Spaniard will be a factory rider for the first time in his MotoGP career.

But according to Jack Appleyard, ‘every single ounce’ of that optimism has drained from Aprilia after Martin’s crash. The team had been hopeful going into 2025, but now they face a difficult challenge with the defending champion injured after the nasty incident.

“So much optimism, so much positivity, so much excitement. We were speaking to the Aprilia guys over the past couple of days since we’ve been here”, said Appleyard via Midday Live on the MotoGP YouTube channel.

“They were so ready to get going, feeling that this was their chance in 2025. Every single ounce of that drained out of the Aprilia now, because Jorge Martin [is] currently in hospital receiving checks.

“Right wrist, left foot, those are the areas of concern. Also a big, big knock to the head.

“I’ll be flabbergasted if we’re able to see the number one back on track for the remainder of this one”.

Jorge Martin and Raul Fernandez have been ruled out of the remainder of the Malaysia test

Following checks in hospital, it has now been confirmed that Martin will miss the remainder of the test in Malaysia – a devastating blow for Aprilia.

Matters are made even worse for the manufacturer as Raul Fernandez is also ruled out for the rest of testing. The 24-year-old broke his hand in an accident on day one and will require surgery.

Aprilia are now down from four riders to two for the next two days in Sepang. Factory rider Bezzecchi and rookie Ai Ogura will be left to gather data for the team for the remainder of the test.

It is a disastrous start to the season for Aprilia in a year they hope to bridge the gap to Ducati. They were the only other manufacturer besides their Bologna-based rivals to win a race in 2024.