He Jorge Martín from Madrid (Ducati), 26 years old, the big loser-winner of the day, of this exciting and vibrant championship finale, was very proud of what he had done and, before talking to journalists, he sent a tweet to the entire world: “World runner-up ! Head held high, smile big and thinking about 2024. I promise you that I will be World Champion… Because it is my dream, because it is my goal, because it is the dream of my life!! Up #89!! Today we start working!!”
“The truth is that anyone could say that it is a day of absolute sadness, anger, pain, everything, but I am not going to say it, no, it is happiness that I feel, after a hard season,” the MotoGO world runner-up began by saying. . “I have to think that I am in a wonderful place, with a unique team, surrounded by fantastic people, and, therefore, I believe that this is only the beginning and I have many years to continue fighting for the title.”
“This year,” the Madrid native continued explaining, “it was not among our plans to aspire to the title, we wanted to be top-3 and we have achieved it well above what was expected. We have brought the World Cup alive to the last day in Valencia and we have scored more than 100 points on the third place (specifically 99, on Marco Bezzecchi) and were able to win the title, yes. Now I just have to continue working hard to convert the cries of yes we can! “Of the 83,000 fans who have cheered us on today for the 2024 title.”
“Of course I’ll stay at Pramac! If, with everything I’ve done, I haven’t convinced Ducati to wear red, I’ll never succeed”
Prima Pramac Ducati team rider
Martín told what his strategy was. “I had planned, yes, to move on to ‘Pecco’ as soon as possible to get into the lead, slow down the pace and for us all to get together. But as soon as I got close to him, the turbulence unbalanced me and I had to go off the track. We have come to touch. And, from there, with an average of 30.0, I was in recovery mode, but I found myself, surprisingly for me, with a very feisty Viñales, when I thought (laughs) that he was on my team and, then, when I tried passing Marc (Márquez), who has released the brakes, I ate it. “I feel very bad for Marc.”
2024, the definitive year
“This is the beginning of my dream,” the new runner-up of the Prima Pramac team continued explaining, no longer breaking his voice, serene, self-assured. “The potential we have shown this year has been out of the ordinary. I trust a lot in myself, in Ducati and, of course, in my team. I must learn much more. This fight for the World Cup will make me better and stronger and I hope to achieve it for Spain again.”
It goes without saying that Martín will continue, for another year, in the Ducati satellite team, despite the fact that, if he had won the title, he had the possibility of making the jump to the official team of the Borgo Panigale firm, as a teammate. Bagnaia and substitute for Enea Bastianini. Despite that possibility existing, Martín showed his rejection of Ducati “well, if with everything I did last year and this year they don’t see me dressed in red, I don’t think I can go to that team ever again.” “I am in the best place of all and I will continue here,” said Martín.
“I thought Maverick (Viñales) was on my team and that’s why I didn’t understand so much resistance in wanting to overtake him”
Of course, he did not want to forget his rival all year and new two-time champion, ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia. “He is a great champion, sorry, two-time champion, because repeating the title is very difficult. ‘Pecco’ had a fabulous year and cemented the title in the first part of the season when he acquired a lead of 60 points which, in the end, was what gave him the title, with very mature driving and being, yes, very fast”.
Related news
Martín, who like the rest of the riders on the MotoGP grid, will be in the very important 2024 preseason test on Tuesday, is very cautious with the new Ducati. “We will have to go with great care and care. Our bike is already very good and, sometimes, as happened to us last preseason, you think that the new thing is better and it is not like that, no. “2024 is going to be as hard as 2023, because, on top of that, Márquez arrives with a Ducati.”
And Martín said goodbye to everyone, remembering that his best weekend was in Italy, in Misano, “because I managed to win both races at his house, at Ducati’s house, at ‘Pecco’, in his garden, where they water “The plants, those two moments were priceless.”