Valencia to decide who wins rookie of the year, Bastianini leads Martin by 3

This weekend’s Valencia MotoGP will decide who wins rookie of the year as Enea Bastianini leads Jorge Martin by three points.
Enea Bastianini, Algarve MotoGP, 5 November 2021
Enea Bastianini, Algarve MotoGP, 5 November 2021
© Gold and Goose

This weekend’s Valencia MotoGP will decide who comes out on top between Enea Bastianini and Jorge Martin in regards to rookie of the year. 

Despite missing several rounds following a crash at April’s Portimao MotoGP, Martin was the leading rookie for most of the campaign. 

A win and podium in back-to-back Austrian rounds only enhanced what looked like a clear advantage for Martin, however, Bastianini brought himself into contention with a string of top six results, so much so that last year’s Moto2 champion now leads by three points. 

Since the second Austrian race at the Red Bull Ring, Bastianini has managed to out-perform Martin in five out of six races, including two third places at Misano.

Martin, who lost his advantage at the second Misano Grand Prix, did manage to claw back two points over the Italian at Portimao last time out.  

"The final race is so important to be rookie of the year, but it’s not my first objective," said Bastianini. 

"My first objective is to continue progressing through the weekend and be fast all weekend. 

"Also, the tenth position in the championship is very close and we can arrive in this position. We will try to be more competitive in Valencia compared to here." 

While winning rookie of the year would be great, like Bastianini, Martin is not too worried about it and instead wants to focus on getting the best result possible - a track he’s enjoyed a considerable amount of success at compared to Bastianini.

Martin added: "It’s pretty close which is nice to have some challenges, but it’s not something that is so important for me because it’s just a number I think. 

"I’m having a really good year, always finishing in the top ten, really competitive in qualifying, so I’m doing a great performance. 

"Valencia is a track that I like a lot and I have always been fast - I won in Moto3, Moto2 and now we go there in MotoGP. 

"This race in Portimao was so difficult but I was still close to the podium, so let’s see in Valencia."

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