Massimo Rivola vows to ‘fight’ for one MotoGP rule change after Jorge Martin crash

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Jorge Martin is facing multiple months on the sidelines after suffering yet another injury in Qatar. The Aprilia rider has only just been granted permission to return to Europe, two weeks on from the accident.

Martin broke or fractured 11 ribs, in addition to a collapsed lung, after Fabio di Giannantonio hit him as he fell from his motorcycle at turn 12. He spent the next week at a local hospital and will soon receive a prognosis from doctors in his homeland.

It was the MotoGP world champion’s first appearance of the season after two accidents in February. The second was on a supermoto bike and was severe enough to rule him out for three races.

Martin was initially forecast to miss three months but was back within half that timeframe. There was no indication that he’d returned too soon, with the Spaniard pushing Aprilia teammate Marco Bezzecchi at the outset despite the mileage disparity.

Massimo Rivola says Aprilia will once again push for injured MotoGP riders to get a test

Aprilia’s concessions rank means that they can’t use full-time riders for private tests. Only Honda and Yamaha enjoy this privilege under the system, which is designed to promote close competition.

Lorenzo Savadori, who’s deputising for Martin for the fourth time this season at the Spanish Grand Prix, can test the RS-GP25 outside a race weekend. But the #1 rider doesn’t have access to the top-level machinery.

Massimo Rivola wanted this regulation loosened before he made his Qatar comeback, citing it as a safety measure. Aprilia’s rivals rejected their rule change proposal because the timing granted a clear sporting advantage.

Ducati pointed out that their former rider Enea Bastianini wasn’t granted any such exemption, but there appeared to be a consensus that the rule could come in for next year. Still, Rivola vowed to renew his quest in an interview with AS.

Asked if Martin could have avoided his injury if he was able to test the bike, he replied: “It’s a good point, one we’ll fight for. This is a rule for any rider.

“I think Miguel Oliveira, who has had very bad luck, has missed a couple of races, and putting him in a MotoGP class before he races again could certainly help.

“You can train as much as you want, but nothing is like getting on a MotoGP bike; it’s the only thing that can truly train you.”

Neil Hodgson suffered a similar injury to Jorge Martin – here’s how long he expects him to be out

Aprilia may be wishing that they had a deeper reserve roster. KTM, Yamaha and Honda all have three test riders, and the Noale outfit only have one.

And Savadori has been well off the pace in most sessions, strengthening the argument for the team to make a signing. It’s unclear what they’d do if another full-time rider went down.

Neil Hodgson reckons Martin could be back within two months, based on his own experience with similar injuries. That would mean an absence of just four races, which would have to be seen as a victory.

As Rivola alludes to, Miguel Oliveira is also out of action after picking up an injury in Argentina. Augusto Fernandez has been called up for Pramac at three straight weekends.