Championship leader Jorge Martin: “Being in the title race with Marc is a privilege”

When Jorge Martin (Aprilia) and Marc Marquez (Ducati) arrived at the Red Bull Ring level on points, everything pointed to a victory for Red Bull and ‘MM93’. But things turned out differently. Of all places, it was on the ‘Ducati track’ in Styria that the champion had to settle for a back-marker position. As a result, Jorge Martin built up a 12-point lead in the World Championship before the trip to Asia. He is now 42 points clear of third-placed Bezzecchi – his team-mate – which means it is clear that Bezzecchi cannot return to the top in Japan.

Unsurprisingly, the championship leader had to field questions about the standings. As long as the engines haven’t started yet, Martin responds with a cool head: “Everything is still up for grabs – even if we have a small lead at the moment. But there’s a long way to go; the focus remains on consistently scoring plenty of points. We know there are several riders in the running for the title. I also see it as a privilege that Marc is now my main rival.”

Alongside Martin, Japan’s MotoGP star Ai Ogura was also present at the opening press conference. The Spaniard has his brand-mate firmly in his sights. “Ai has shown all season that he’s among the best. The fact that he put in such a strong performance straight away after the break was astonishing and demonstrates his quality. He’s one of the riders who still has every chance – even this year.”

Jorge Martin ist zu 100 Prozent in Japan angekommen

Foto: instagram Jorge Martin

Martin emphasised once again that, overall, he does not see himself as the fastest rider: “Even though I’ve felt significant improvements, I’m still not at 100 per cent speed. I think Marc and Marco still have a bit more pace. I still need to get a bit more out of myself and the bike.” That statement, at least in light of the last Grand Prix, doesn’t quite hold true. In Austria, Martin recently secured pole position and, in both races, he set faster lap times than his two championship rivals.

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Jorge Martin puts it into perspective: “There are events with setbacks, like in Aragon, but then there are also very good ones, like recently in Austria, when I was able to fight back. In that respect, I was naturally very happy recently.”

The ‘Martinator’s’ unfortunate performance twelve months ago – in which Martin not only took himself out of the race but also knocked his team-mate Bezzecchi out of the sprint – was not discussed at the opening press conference for the Japanese Grand Prix at the Mobility Resort Motegi. The “Martinator” has fonder memories of 2023. Back then, the number 89 was on pole position, and Jorge Martin also took the sprint victory.