‘One of our worst tracks’ - Jorge Martin’s surprising Aprilia Aragon MotoGP claim

Jorge Martin believes Aragon is “one of the worst tracks” for Aprilia but “I feel we are in a good position”, after Marco Bezzecchi smashed the MotoGP lap record on Friday.

The anticlockwise nature of the Aragon track was always expected to suit Marc Marquez on the Ducati, though the flowing layout was also thought to play into Aprilia’s hands.

Marco Bezzecchi set a new lap record in Practice on Friday at the Aragon Grand Prix, beating Alex and Marc Marquez in the process, to end the day fastest of all.

But Bezzecchi was the best Aprilia by a considerable margin, with sixth-placed Raul Fernandez 0.5s off the pace, while seventh-placed Jorge Martin was 0.572s slower.

“I don’t think so,” Martin replied when asked about Aprilia being expected to be strong at Aragon.

“I think this was one of the worst tracks for us and we are still fighting close to the Ducatis.

“So, I feel we are in a good position. For sure, the rest of the Ducatis are stronger here, but I think it is one of our worst tracks.”

“I’m still struggling a bit”

This marks Martin’s first visit to Aragon on the Aprilia, having missed last year’s event due to injury.

He says he is struggling to understand the change in asphalt from his last visit, while noting that he’s suffering a big drop-off in grip on the front tyre.

“I felt better than what I expected, but for sure we have work to do,” he said.

“I’m still struggling a bit at this track with this bike.

“The track changed a lot from the last time I was here with this asphalt.

“I’m just trying to adapt and improve on every run.

“So, basically I struggle a lot with the front.

“I feel that the drop of the tyre is quite big, after two laps.

“So, I need to understand how to stop better and arrive to the edge a bit slower to not override the front.

“But I think it’s something that used to happen with the Aprilia because of my riding style.

“So, if we improve this, I think we can improve the pace a lot.

“The rear is dropping for sure, but it’s easier to manage.

“But the front is [showing] a big drop after two laps, and then it’s quite constant. So, at least from my riding today, I couldn’t push a lot. So, I need to understand how to push a bit more.”