Moto GP: Injured world champion Jorge Martin to miss first race of the season

No reigning world champion for the season opener. Jorge Martin will not be present this weekend in Thailand, due to several injuries caused by a fall, as announced on Monday by his Aprilia team. The 29-year-old Spaniard "suffered a complex fracture of the radius, of some bones of the left carpus" as well as at the level of the heel during a training session, indicated the Italian manufacturer in a press release. Operated on Tuesday in Barcelona, ​​Martin will therefore be "absent from the Grand Prix of Thailand".

It is a huge blow for the defending champion, who joined Aprilia in the off-season after winning his first MotoGP title last November, riding a Ducati from the satellite Pramac team. Having already crashed during the first pre-season tests in early February, Martin had to withdraw from the rest of the tests due to an injury to his right hand this time, which required surgery. He was nevertheless expected to compete in the opening round of the season.

To replace him, Aprilia will call on its test rider Lorenzo Savadori. The Italian will team up with his compatriot Marco Bezzecchi, a transfer from Ducati, who made his debut in the elite in 2022 under the colours of the VR46.