Marco Bezzecchi
Jorge Martin is out of MotoGP’s Sepang Test after a serious accident on the first day. Martin has fractures in his right hand and left foot after a violent highside on the exit of turn two.
The Aprilia rider is returning to Europe for surgery on his injuries. His recovery timeline is currently unknown.
After the three-day affair in Malaysia, there will be a further two days of testing in Buriram, Thailand. That venue will then play host to the season-opening Grand Prix at the end of the month.
As it stands, there’s a possibility that the world champion could be absent from the grid for the start of the campaign. Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez and VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio have also suffered test-ending injuries.
The cause of Martin’s accident is unclear. Aprilia haven’t called it a rider error, nor have they attributed it to a bike problem.
That has naturally put MotoGP tyre suppliers Michelin under scrutiny. Martin’s teammate Marco Bezzecchi has questioned the tyre allocation, suggesting there aren’t enough of the grippy softs available for the event.
Michelin boss Piero Taramasso says Jorge Martin was outpacing rivals before crash
Speaking to Sky Italy on Thursday, Michelin’s MotoGP manager Piero Taramasso denied that the tyres were to blame for Martin’s accident. He insists that the compound in question ‘had all the qualities to be high-performance’.
Having looked at Martin’s data, Taramasso also pointed out that he was quicker than ‘many riders’ before his crash. This suggests there wasn’t a specific issue with his rubber.
Martin was near the foot of the timings after his 13 laps of running, more than three seconds off the pace. The lap times aren’t necessarily indicative, however, because every team is experimenting with different parts, fuel loads and programmes.
It was the Spaniard’s second off in quick succession, though the first – at turn one – was comparatively minor.
Taramasso said: “We have no problems: as far as traceability is concerned, the tyre was manufactured last year, it was never heated and it had all the qualities to be high-performance. The tyre worked well and in the laps before the crashes, Jorge was faster than many riders.”
Marc Marquez breaks down Jorge Martin’s crash at MotoGP Sepang Test
Martin’s fellow riders immediately offered their reaction on Wednesday evening. They all started, of course, by expressing sympathy and wishing him a quick recovery.
Honda’s Luca Marini says Martin was ‘at the limit’, just like his competitors. They were wary of looking like a ‘nobody’ if they only lapped in the 1:59s.
Francesco Bagnaia called Martin’s crash ‘insane’ but appeared to question the approach of his former title rival. He suggested it would have been wise to ‘sacrifice a little bit’ in the interests of keeping the bike in one piece.
Finally, Marc Marquez was confused by Martin’s accident, revealing that he enjoyed plenty of grip. The track had been rubbered in thanks to three days of Shakedown running last week, though only Yamaha and Honda were able to use their full-time riders for that event.
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