The 3 Moto2017 season was marked by the coronation of Joan Mir who literally stunned the competition led by Romano Fenati. With both riders moving up to Moto2 this year, the way seems clear for those who faced them on the track last year. Among them, two names seem to stand out when it comes to talking about the favorites for the 2018 title: Jorge Martín the Spaniard on one side, Enea Bastianini the Italian on the other. A look back at the journey of these two drivers is necessary so that everyone can lean in favor of one or the other. Portraits in two parts.
Jorge Martin Almoguera was born on January 29, 1998 in Madrid. Like many other Spanish pilots, his vocation began at a very young age thanks to his father, an amateur pilot and true motorcycle enthusiast. This is how, at the age of seven, he received, like a certain Marc Márquez, his first pocket bike on Three Kings Day (a very important holiday in Spain during which children receive gifts, editor's note.) . From then on, his passion was born.
He started racing in the Madrid Minimoto Championship in 2006, a year later and finished eighth in his first year.
He won the Spanish championships until 2011 as well as the categories: Minimotos, Minimotard, 70cc, 80cc and 125 preGP, in which he won titles.
The young Martín arrived in the Red Bull Rookies Cup in 2012 and said at the time: “my goal is to be world champion and beat the records of my idol Valentino Rossi. » The tone is set ! He finished his first season in twelfth position, before finishing second in 2013 behind Karel Hanika, and winning the title in 2014.
He arrived in the world championship in 2015 as part of the Mapfre Mahindra Aspar team. He finished seventeenth in the championship with two top tens, then progressed the following year but still finished sixteenth due to numerous crashes. He nevertheless achieved the very first podium of his career in Brno and placed six times in the top ten.
The number 88 changed teams in 2017 to join the Gresini team and it was a revelation. A strong man in the championship, he achieved nine pole positions (a record for the category), finished eight times on the podium and three other times in the top ten. However, he was unable to translate his excellent qualifications into a race, and we had to wait until the last Grand Prix of the season in Valencia to see him finally win his first victory in Moto3.
Jorge Martín is an extremely fast driver who was able to demonstrate the full extent of his talent last year. His victory in Valencia having erased the doubts concerning his ability to win which had started to creep in during the second part of the season, he now has all the cards in hand to fight for the title in 2018.
To be continued : the portrait of Enea Bastianini.
