MotoGP world champion Jorge Martin on the modern driving style, which sees not only the rider’s knee but also his shoulder very close to the asphalt in some corners.
The inside knee on the ground: This has been known in the motorcycle world championship for decades. In the modern MotoGP era, the image of the shoulder on the inside of the curve on the ground has become more and more established.
The founder of the new driving style was Marc Marquez. Since then, the eight-time motorcycle world champion has found many imitators when it comes to bringing not only the knee but also the shoulder as close as possible to the asphalt when in a fully inclined position.
However, the current MotoGP world champion Jorge Martin reveals that, at least in his case, the shoulder-focused riding style does not necessarily mean the search for more efficiency or a better lap time.
“To be honest: If I touch the ground with my shoulder, it’s basically just a show,” said Martin on the sidelines of the 2024 MotoGP season finale in Barcelona, where he secured the world title with third place in the Grand Prix on Sunday .
Martin switches to Aprilia
“If I drive perfectly and am fully concentrated, my shoulder comes very close to the ground. But I can only really touch the curb with this,” Martin points to his upper arm.
“If it really gets to the point where my shoulder touches the ground, it’s actually only because I’m playing around a bit,” admits the new MotoGP world champion, who will be competing for the Aprilia factory team from 2025.
On the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the phenomenon of a shoulder either “flying” very close to the asphalt or even a shoulder touching the asphalt can often be observed, especially in turn 5.
In this tight left-hand bend in the first sector of the route, Martin practiced his distinctive driving style not only on his Pramac Ducati (cover photo) on the 2024 final weekend, but also on the factory Aprilia during the subsequent test for 2025.