The Japanese Grand Prix sprint at Motegi turned into a nightmare for Aprilia. Its reigning world champion, Jorge Martin, made what CEO Massimo Rivola called a "serious error of judgment," causing a pileup at the first corner and jeopardizing the Italian manufacturer's ambitions.
Relegated to 17th place on the grid after a failed qualifying, George Martin took a risky gamble as soon as the lights went out to catch up with the pack. But as they attacked the first corner, everything went wrong:
The reigning champion lost control while braking, crashed, and hit his teammate Marco Bezzecchi, taking in its wake several other pilots disturbed by the incident.
Result: displaced fracture for Martin, who left Motegi for an operation in Spain on Monday. Bezzecchi, he got away with a big bruise on his leg, but no fracture.
A disastrous scenario for Aprilia, already under pressure in its fight for second place in the constructors' championship against KTM.
Massimo Rivola: “ We are lucky that only one runner was injured. »
Faced with this internal accident, the boss ofAprilia did not seek to minimize the event: " Jorge and especially Marco did not start from the starting positions they deserved. A serious error in judgment while braking by Jorge unfortunately caused a major accident for both drivers. ", said Massimo rivola.
« Looking back at what happened, we're lucky that only one rider was injured and that Marco ultimately didn't suffer any fractures. We're sorry to hear that Jorge will have to undergo surgery again after what has been a difficult season, to say the least. »
A clear message: Martin put the team in difficulty, and Aprilia believes it has escaped almost miraculously with only one pilot seriously injured.
This double abandonment has a direct impact on the battle of the constructors : Pedro Acosta (KTM) finished third in the sprint, allowing the Austrian brand to reduce the gap to just 18 points before Sunday's race. Aprilia could only count on Raul Fernandez (TrackHouse) as the best representative, with a modest 8th place.
This media release of Rivola is far from trivial. Aprilia remind Martin that he does not have carte blanche, even as world champion. The manufacturer is fighting to exist in the face of KTM et Ducati, and such a crash ruins valuable points.
Sunday Marco Bezzecchi will be alone to save the honor ofAprilia, despite a bruised leg. The brand will have to prove that it can react, but the Motegi accident will remain a warning signal for a manufacturer that still dreams of establishing itself at the top of MotoGP.
Sprint race MotoGP Japanese GP
MotoGP General Classification
