Here is the reality of the MotoGP championship fight: Jorge Martín arrived at Phillip Island as the world championship leader last week, and he left it on Saturday in an ambulance headed to a Melbourne hospital. As Motorsport.com Italia reports, the Aprilia rider suffered an incomplete fracture at the base of the radius in his right arm, right near the wrist and dangerously close to the hand that controls the throttle, the front brake, and the immense forces of a MotoGP machine.
On Thursday at the Sepang paddock medical center, Dr. Angel Charte handed him a "fit to review" status. This clearance allows the Aprilia rider to head out for Friday morning's FP1, after which he and the medical staff will evaluate whether he can continue the weekend or pack his bags for home. The X-rays show a non-complete fracture in the lower part of the radius, meaning the bone did not shift—the crucial detail that allowed medical clearance, since any displacement would have demanded surgery.
Mentally I will just try to ride tomorrow (Friday). From there, we'll see. I'm not very optimistic about being able to race. But the human body is a mystery, and I improved a lot in the last few days,
"The only thing I know is that I have a broken wrist," the Aprilia rider stated, showing clear signs of strain. "If I wasn't fighting for the title, I'd be at home in a cast," he admitted, leaving no doubt about why he forced himself to travel to Sepang. That championship battle is brutal enough without a broken bone, especially with a top-tier, experienced rival holding a 10-point advantage after taking the lead in Australia: none other than Marc Marquez.
Time has not been on his side. With just four days to handle rehabilitation in Malaysia since last weekend, his recovery window has been brutally narrow, yet he is willing to push through. "Mentally I will just try to ride tomorrow (Friday). From there, we'll see. I'm not very optimistic about being able to race. But the human body is a mystery, and I improved a lot in the last few days," he explained, noting that two days prior, stepping onto a bike felt entirely impossible.
"We took the first step, which was trying to race," Jorge Martín explained during his initial media meeting following the Phillip Island accident. "Then we'll see how the weekend goes," he added. Despite the grim outlook against a fierce opponent, the Spaniard intends to find out just how far his body can carry him.
