Jorge Martin did something ‘very clever’ Massimo Rivola loved on his return to action at Aprilia event

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Jorge Martin enjoyed a successful return to two-wheeled action after riding at Aprilia’s All-Stars event at Misano over the weekend.

The reigning MotoGP champion has been out of action for over six weeks since suffering a pneumothorax and 11 broken ribs in a horrific accident at the Grand Prix of Qatar.

His official Aprilia return is still weeks away, but he finally appears to be on the road to recovery and looks set to compete again at some stage this season. It even looked likely that he might not return to any form of racing in 2025 at one stage.

Martin’s relationship with his current team has taken a hit over the last few weeks since it was revealed that he would like to activate an exit clause in his deal before the end of the season. Martin’s first Aprilia appearance was ‘not expected’ as he failed to resist the allure of stepping back onto a motorcycle (albeit some slower ones than he is used to) at Misano on June 1.

Aprilia’s ‘priority number one’ amid Martin’s potential exit is to continue to develop a faster bike and ensure that they remain competitive for the rest of the year. That alone gives them the best chance of retaining the reigning champion beyond 2025.

READ MORE: Jorge Martin now feels ‘deceived’ by what Aprilia are saying as statement issued to ‘leave no doubt’

Massimo Rivola loved Jorge Martin’s approach to his Aprilia return at Misano

Martin’s agreement with Aprilia is ‘not common’, and it’s fairly unusual for MotoGP riders to have exit clauses in their deals. It usually only ever arises when there are serious concerns regarding performance in the future.

After winning the British Grand Prix last time out, Aprilia sent Martin a clear ‘message’ and showed that there should be no worries about the state of their bike. It’s fast on its day and needs his help to develop it to a standard where they can be close to Ducati.

According to the Spanish edition of Motorsport.com, team boss Massimo Rivola was pleased to see Martin progress to a faster bike at Misano over the weekend.

“On the one hand, I’d say it was a great moment for Aprilia, because even a MotoGP rider sees an Aprilia and can’t resist,” he said. “On the other hand, it kept me anxious, I’d say, because you’re there with the fear that [Jorge] might get hurt, because he’s still far from perfect fitness.

“But Jorge was very clever, because he went out on track with the RS660, then switched to the RSV4 with some customers, to train at the Pro Experience, which was a very nice event. In the end, I was happy.”

READ MORE: Aprilia are in trouble as vital detail about Jorge Martin’s exit clause emerges amid contract dispute

When will Jorge Martin return to Aprilia during the 2025 MotoGP season?

While no definite date has been confirmed for the return of Martin to action, it’s expected that he might be on track at some stage before the summer break.

At least that’s what he’s aiming for, after admitting that he wants to at least test a MotoGP bike before the end of July to assess whether he’s fit enough for a proper return to full-time action.

Aprilia have a legal ‘problem’ with Martin’s replacement and cannot sign anyone until their ties with him are completely severed. They don’t want to be the ones to end the partnership though, and will wait, but it could end up costing them in the long run if riders they would target now are snapped up.

After sitting down to talk, Aprilia told Martin one thing in difficult negotiations and reminded him that he was meant to be the one driving their bikes forward. Without him, they haven’t made much progress, and need him to give them a chance before deciding what to do for 2026 and beyond.