Jorge Martin is determined to compete in the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend despite facing what he expects to be a deeply challenging and painful experience riding a MotoGP machine with a broken arm. The factory Aprilia rider underwent an intensive recovery program with his physiotherapist following a crash at the Australian Grand Prix that fractured the radius in his right arm.
Medical Clearance and Physical Challenges
Martin passed his initial physical assessment on Thursday, receiving clearance from MotoGP medical director Angel Charte to participate in the first practice session at the Sepang International Circuit. He must pass additional medical evaluations on Friday before securing final approval to race.
Arriving at the track wearing a brace on his right wrist, Martin acknowledged he is far from fully healed and noted that he cannot even use his right hand to brush his teeth. Nevertheless, as reported by Autosport.com, he emphasized that he must attempt to ride to maintain his championship battle against Ducati rival Marc Marquez.
“I feel good, for sure. I could be worse, I could be better,” Martin said, as quoted by Autosport.com. “Let’s see my condition, let’s see my feeling, and then we will decide what to do next, if we continue with the GP or not.”
Martin added, “The only thing I know is that my wrist is broken. I will try to ride with a broken wrist, so for sure it will be really difficult, it will be really painful. I will try for sure because I’m in the title fight. Otherwise I will be in my house with a cast for one month.”
He noted that the injury affects his right hand, which controls the throttle and front brake, on a circuit featuring many right-hand corners. Despite the physical limitations, he remains balanced in his expectations after undergoing constant therapy over five days.
Championship Standings and Phillip Island Crash
Martin stands as Aprilia’s primary contender for the riders’ championship, but his crash during the sprint race at Phillip Island left him 10 points behind Marquez in the standings. While further ground could be lost depending on his physical condition over the weekend, Martin stated he is taking the recovery process one step at a time.
“I just think about trying to ride. I don’t think about the championship, I don’t think about Sunday or Saturday,” he stated to Autosport.com.
Reflecting on the incident in Australia where the pair traded the lead before Martin crashed on the eighth lap, Marquez suggested that his compatriot was pushing too hard and “overriding” the machine. Martin firmly rejected that assessment.
“No, my bike was shaking a lot during the race. I don’t know why, but particularly already in the warm-up lap, I felt something was moving a lot. I tried to ride in that way,” Martin told Autosport.com. “I was enjoying the fight, and yeah it was a mistake because I was a bit more on the left and I crashed, but I don’t feel I was overriding.”
Martin will return to the track on Friday for further medical assessments and practice sessions to determine if he can complete the race weekend.
