Jorge Martin had “no intention to ride, went to a shop to get a helmet”
Jorge Martin addresses injury absence and Aprilia exit
The smile was back on Jorge Martin’s face as he stood inside an Aprilia garage.
Earlier this week, the MotoGP champion was present at their promotional Aprilia All-Stars event.
For the manufacturer it came after Marco Bezzecchi’s brilliant Silverstone win, but also amid the drama of Martin’s desired exit.
Martin, still injured, jumped on an Aprilia to do some laps of Misano in unofficial leathers. The manufacturer explained it was because he wasn’t due to be on a bike.
“I am happy to be here,” Martin said.
“I came here with no intention to ride but when I saw the bikes…
“It was a nice day. I thought to try!
“We went to a shop to get leathers and a helmet.
“I went out, I enjoyed it a lot. It was a nice event.”
Jorge Martin 'recovery is going well'
His ability to jump on a bike - albeit a vastly different proposition to racing a MotoGP machine - hinted at a recovery from injury.
Martin damaged ribs and a lung by crashing at the Qatar MotoGP, his sole Sunday race since joining Aprilia after winning the championship with Ducati. He was previously sidelined with separate injuries.
Aprilia confirmed Martin would be reexamined by medics in a month, after undergoing tests this week in Barcelona, before a return date can be pencilled in.
“The recovery is going well,” Martin said.
“For sure, it is slow because it was a really big injury.
“I want, in the middle of June, to train with a motorbike.”
Martin is trying to get back to racing action while clarifying his plan to leave Aprilia at the end of 2025.
He made clear the existence of a contractual clause which would allow him to walk away a year early.
“I already said what I think,” Martin said.
“Let’s see, through these weeks, how it evolves.”
Martin had previously mentioned a ‘second chance’ for Aprilia - to give them time, after his return from injury, to prove their competitiveness.
But Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola described Bezzecchi’s win at Silverstone as all the proof that Martin needs.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
