As announced, MotoGP world champion Jorge Martin will tackle his comeback at the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic in Brno next weekend. Three months after his fall in Qatar, his injuries healed and his season begins at the twelfth season race.
“I can’t wait to get back on the motorcycle,” Martin is quoted in the Aprilia press release. “I am really happy that this moment has finally come. Together with Aprilia there is a lot of work ahead of us.”
“We have great potential to be successful. Now it is time to start building and strive for a strong rest of the season.” Martin still has to get the green light of the MotoGP doctors on Thursday. This is considered a pure formality.
Martin completed a private test day with the Aprilia RS-GP in Misano last week. A maximum of three tire sets are allowed for such a test. The Spaniard drove 64 laps. That corresponds to around 275 kilometers.
“Yes, he did a very good test in Misano,” Aprilia racing manager Paolo Bonora told “Motogp.com”. “It was the first contact with the latest version of the motorcycle, with the new cladding and the complete package that currently drive Savadori and Bezzecchi.”
MotoGP: Martin looks forward to comeback with a better Aprilia
“Jorge was very satisfied – and we too. The approach for the test was deliberately without expectations. The only goal was to understand his physical condition – and we were quite impressed by the result, because his feedback was particularly positive.”
“Above all, he said that the motorcycle improved compared to the last assignment in Qatar. He was positive and happy, because we reacted to all the points he had addressed. We worked in particular on stability, and he felt that immediately.”
In the past few weeks, Marco Bezzecchi has shown that the RS-GP is competitive. In Assen he finished second behind Marc Marquez. And he also led the sprint for a long time at the Sachsenring and was only overtaken in the last round of Marquez.
Bezzecchi plunged on a podium in the Grand Prix. “We have to thank Marco Bezzecchi and Lorenzo Savadori,” says Bonora. “You did a great job in the first six months.”
“And yes, Jorge gave exactly the same feedback in the few rounds he could drive in Misano as Marco and Lorenzo. This shows that the Aprilia plant worked a lot – and he feels that the motorcycle has improved.”
Nevertheless, Brno and the subsequent races will be practically a season preparation, such as winter tests. “If you drive against the driver who have 6,000 kilometers more experience, the first rounds are a test,” emphasizes Bonora.
“You have to find out in which direction you have to go. We are doing this very quietly, accompanying his recovery in a smart and careful way so that he can get into the right time. It is not easy. Every round helps to get back into the rhythm.”