MotoGP, Martin: “It’ll be hard for anyone to beat Quartararo”

He’s one of three MotoGP rookies and has already enjoyed the sweet taste of the podium but also the bitter flavour of an injury that saw him miss four rounds. We’re talking about Jorge Martin, who shone in Qatar to reach the third step of the rostrum, before suffering a serious accident at the next round of Portimao which meant he was only able to return to the track for the Catalunya GP, two months later.

“I don’t feel 100% yet”, the Spaniard told Marca newspaper. “I realise I’m lacking a little strength and we’re working to try and recover and get back to the same level of fitness as before as quickly as possible”.

 A violent crash

The accident was serious, the rider breaking seven bones, not an easy situation for the 23-year old: “I didn’t think about quitting, but it’s true that many things go through your head and it’s hard not to consider them. In that moment, you really show your strength, when you’re able to continue with the same hunger as before”.

He then considers the five races he has completed to date: “I made a great start, but the injury was serious and has meant that I’ve not had much time to understand the bike and gain experience, which is the most important thing. We need to be able to deal with mistakes and so I’m focusing solely on how I can continue to improve, as if we were starting over from scratch”.

 His prediction

As for the championship, the Pramac rider has few doubts about who might win this year’s title: “Fabio (Quartararo) is very, very strong, he has control of the bike and it’ll be tough for anyone to beat him… Anything can happen, and there are still many races to come, but he’s the only favourite”. As for the second part of the season, Martin concludes: “My aim is to keep on improving. My potential is very good and once I’m feeling 100% again I’ll be able to run some more great races”.

Translated by Heather Watson

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