Jorge Martin reveals whether he thought about retiring from MotoGP during Aprilia injury nightmare

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Jorge Martin hasn’t had much of a chance to put up a defence of his 2024 MotoGP title due to being sidelined because of injury for the majority of the season.

Martin’s woes began at a pre-season test in Sepang, where a violent high-side threw him from the bike and left him requiring surgery on his right hand and left foot. The Frenchman missed the first three rounds of the season while he was rehabilitating and made a return at the Qatar Grand Prix in April.

However, the comeback in Lusail was short-lived. Martin lost control of his Aprilia on lap 14 and was struck by Fabio Di Giannantonio’s bike on the way down, resulting in a punctured lung and several broken ribs.

He was ruled out for a further seven rounds of the season, finally making a proper comeback at the Czech Republic Grand Prix in July after backing down from a contract dispute with Aprilia.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Jorge Martin from net worth to girlfriend

Jorge Martin was worried about not being able to ride a motorcycle again, but ‘never’ considered retirement

In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Martin was asked if he ever considered retirement following his crash in Qatar that ruled him out for another seven race weekends.

“No, never,” Martin replied, definitively. “It was more the uncertainty of not knowing if I’d be able to ride a motorcycle again, not for myself, but because of my injuries.

“When I was in the hospital in the ICU with four IVs and twelve broken ribs, at that moment, you say, ‘Damn, I don’t know if I’ll be able to ride a motorcycle again.’

“This is what caused me fear. But little by little, I improved, week by week, until today I’m at 99% physical condition. Along with the bike, I still have a long way to go, but I feel great now.”

The reigning world champion put up his best results of the season at the most recent Hungarian Grand Prix. Martin finished fourth behind his Aprilia teammate Marco Bezzecchi, who took his third consecutive podium.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Aprilia from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy

Marco Bezzecchi has shown Jorge Martin that Aprilia can compete with Ducati at the front of the grid

Bezzecchi’s emergence as a regular on the podium is extremely encouraging for Martin, especially considering the Spaniard’s desire to break his contract with Aprilia earlier in the season and depart for another team.

Part of the reason that Martin decided to make a U-turn on his exit from Aprilia was down to the improved performance of the RS-GP25 that he experienced in a test at Misano ahead of his MotoGP comeback.

With plenty of race experience under his belt throughout the season, Bezzecchi has been able to translate that into a Grand Prix victory, a pole position and multiple podiums.

Upon his return from injury, Martin has been training relentlessly to try and get back to full fitness and return to his championship-winning form that we saw from him last year.

However, in a testament to Marc Marquez’s dominance in the current campaign, Martin admits that he couldn’t have put up a fight against his compatriot in the current campaign, even if it wasn’t as injury-ridden as it has been.