Marco Bezzecchi
MotoGP world champion Jorge Martin is out of the Sepang test after a dramatic accident on day one. Martin has sustained fractures in his right hand and left foot.
Martin suffered a violent highside on the exit of turn two. He broke his visor on landing, then complained of pain in his left foot and right hand.
After an initial visit to the medical centre, the Spaniard underwent checks at a nearby hospital. Doctors determined that he could take no further part in the three-day test.
There was a great deal of excitement around Martin’s move to Aprilia in the off-season. He left Ducati despite winning the title at Pramac.
But he only managed to complete 13 laps on Wednesday, just over half a full race distance at Sepang. He’d already crashed at turn one earlier in the session.
Martin wasn’t the only rider to have an accident on Aprilia machinery. Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez has already been ruled out of the rest of the test after a heavy impact.
Marco Bezzecchi isn’t sure why Jorge Martin crashed in MotoGP Malaysia test
Marco Bezzecchi is also switching from Ducati to Aprilia, having raced for VR46 last season. Bezzecchi completed nearly 70 laps on the first day.
He carried out his first debrief at lunchtime and reported low grip. Speaking to journalists, Bezzecchi said the soft rear tyre ‘is the only one that’s working’, but there aren’t enough in the allocation.
That could cause problems for the teams by the time it gets to day three. Of course, Aprilia’s main concern for now will be Martin’s recovery timeline.
Elsewhere, VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio and KTM’s Pedro Acosta also suffered accidents.
Bezzecchi said: “I only ride with the medium and the medium on the rear is very tricky, very difficult. The grip level is very low. I don’t know about the crashes from the other riders, but this is what I felt on my riding.”
Davide Tardozzi may be wrong about Jorge Martin and Aprilia
Aprilia’s Paolo Bonora says he’ll ‘never forget’ Martin’s first test in Barcelona last year. He said the ‘excitement’ of the day was truly unique.
But the memories of his maiden 2025 outing in Malaysia will be altogether different. Aprilia’s pre-season programme is at risk.
Davide Tardozzi called Martin Ducati’s ‘most dangerous’ rival this season. Aprilia were the only other manufacturer to win races last year.
But if Martin’s preparations are heavily disrupted, then he’ll be trying to make up lost ground at the start of the season. Massimo Rivola and co. will be anxiously awaiting further updates.
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