Aprilia works rider Martin: “The ordeal began after the first few corners”

One might have expected Aprilia factory rider Jorge Martin to capitalise on his enviable starting position for the Dutch TT sprint to get the Assen weekend off to a flying start. But far from it: starting from pole position, the 2024 MotoGP World Champion never really got into his stride over the full 13 laps of the sprint. “The start was quite good. I managed to hold onto the lead. But after just a few corners, I realised this was going to be a difficult race.”

“It got worse with every lap. Towards the end of the race, I had to focus on keeping the Ducati riders behind me,” said Martin, criticising the performance of his RS-GP26. As it stood, his victory over the Ducati factory rider duo of Márquez and Bagnaia, and his fifth-place finish, were the only positives for the Madrid-born rider. That is, unless one counts the fact that he successfully held off his Aprilia team-mate Marco Bezzecchi for several laps.

“I’m not sure why we had such problems,” said Jorge Martin, at a loss after the sprint. “I had absolutely no feel for the rear tyre.” He explained that all manufacturers were simply striving to further develop their bikes throughout the season. And quite obviously, something had gone wrong for him this time. The 19-time GP winner was also unable to say for certain whether the intense heat had been his undoing. “It was just as hot yesterday and I had few problems then.”

The Aprilia rider isn’t particularly concerned about the ban on the front hole shot device. “Basically, I welcome it. You just have to expect more wheelies. But riding skills – in conjunction with the clutch and throttle – are once again more in demand,” said the rider, who will be a Yamaha works rider next year. “And what’s more, the risk of a crash in the first corner goes down,” says he, who should know, having not exactly covered himself in glory on this front this season. “But tomorrow, the podium is certainly within reach in the race,” says Martin. “I think there are at most three or four riders in contention for the win.”

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28.08.2026 - 08:55

Albeit only marginally – Martin lost one point to Marco Bezzecchi in the World Championship standings. Ahead of the GP, the ‘Martinator’ trails the leader by nine points. His lead over Fabio Di Giannantonio has narrowed to 13 points.

Willkommen zum Rennwochenende in Assen

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Fans

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Paddock

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Jorge Martin

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Fabio di Giannantonio

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Luca Marini

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Toprak Razgatlioglu

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Pedro Acosta & Brad Binder

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Enea Bastianini

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Der Start des Sprints

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Fabio Quartararo

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Ai Ogura

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Joan Mir

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Joan Mir

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Pedro Acosta

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Fans

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Diogo Moreira

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Cal Crutchlow

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Luca Marini

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Francesco Bagnaia

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Marc Márquez

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Alex Márquez

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Alex Rins

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Marco Bezzecchi

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Raúl Fernández

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Marc Márquez

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Maverick Viñales

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Jorge Martin

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Qualifying - Ai Ogura, Jorge Martin & Marco Bezzecchi

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Sprint - Ai Ogura, Raúl Fernández & Fabio di Giannantonio

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Willkommen zum Rennwochenende in Assen

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