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Martin will “definitely” race in MotoGP’s Thailand GP
Reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Martin is set to return to action in the Thailand Grand Prix after missing almost all of pre-season testing, Motorsport.com understands.
This Saturday marks one week since Aprilia’s new star rider was discharged by doctors following surgery on the right hand he broke at the start of the Sepang test.
Over the past week, the Spaniard has been resting at home, waiting for the fractures on his right hand and left foot (which did not require an operation) to heal.
Martin is expected to travel to Buriram later this month to contest the opening round of the season, scheduled on 28 February – 2 March.
“Jorge is doing well, progressing, and is planning to start training next week to be in better physical shape for Thailand,” said a person closer to the rider.
“He will definitely be at the first race, confirmed. Let’s see if he can prepare a little better physically before travelling. He has a medical appointment this [coming] week to check the progress of the fractures and determine if he can start training.”
Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing
© Autosport.com
Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Aprilia Racing
With less than two weeks remaining until the Thai race, and his medical check-up expected on Monday or Tuesday, Martin will have only six-seven days remaining to get physically ready for the new season.
Apart from his own progress, Martin is believed to be excited about Aprilia’s results in the Buriram test, where team-mate Marco Bezzecchi set the third-quickest time and also showed strong pace on long runs.
“The best thing about Jorge is that he wants to know everything. Obviously, he regrets not being able to attend the tests, but we’ve been in constant contact minute-by-minute,” said Pablo Bonora, Aprilia’s technical director.
“Most of all, he wants to know our feedback on the parts we’ve tested, and it’s very interesting to listen to him because he has incredible energy.
“What we’ve focused on most is making a more manageable bike, and a lot of the improvement comes from the new 2025 engine, which has given us great feedback.”
When asked whether Aprilia was closing in on Ducati, Bonora said: “No, no, I don’t talk about others. Let’s skip that question [laughs].”
In the absence of Martin, Aprilia turned to its test rider Lorenzo Savadori to grab valuable mileage it would have otherwise lost.
“We’re happy with the test; we were clearly working for Jorge, with whom we’ve been in constant contact,” explained Savadori. “He wants to know everything, he asks about everything, everything.
“We’ve been working on a set-up that will allow Jorge to quickly get on the bike when he’s back here, at this same Thai track.”
While Aprilia is pleased with Bezzecchi’s work in pre-season testing, it is eager for Martin to get back at work.
“We’re waiting for Jorge because we need his confirmation, that’s for sure. For the first races, we will give him the base set-up we found during the winter,” Bonora said.
“Right now, his medical recovery plan is completely under control, and his sensations are improving day by day, so we can’t wait to have him with us as soon as possible.
“We hope that in these first races, he’ll quickly find confidence with the bike.
“To be honest, we’ll consider the first four races (Thailand, Argentina, Austin, and Qatar) as a test for Jorge. He lost the opportunity to test in Sepang and Buriram, and in MotoGP, when you switch from one bike [Ducati] to another [Aprilia], you need to find confidence.
“It won’t be easy, but we’ll do everything we can to help him. We saw that Marco quickly found confidence in Buriram, and that gives us confidence that we can provide Jorge with a good bike.”
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