Jorge Martín is in the best moment of his sporting career. At 25 years old, the Madrid driver feels stronger than anyone and is stalking the lead of the world championship after achieving his third full victory of the season (pole, victory in the sprint and in the long race on Sunday) in this hectic Japanese GP . The race in Motegi presented the title contender with another major challenge under changing rainy conditions, and he overcame it again with flying colors to continue cutting points from the championship leader and number one in the category, the Italian Pecco Bagnaia. “I was obsessed with today, I knew it could be a good time,” he confessed, happily. The color note came from Marc Márquez, third in a weekend of meetings with Honda bosses and at Honda’s home, with whom only he knows if he will continue competing next year.
Martín’s victory came under curious circumstances. The race, which had been suspended due to the large amount of water on the track and its poor conditions, resumed after a few minutes. The pilots started the warm-up lap and couldn’t even get going again. Race direction showed the red flag again. Visibility on the runway was almost zero. And the downpour had turned the track into an ice rink. The Pramac pilot remained cool at all times, knowing how to manage the shock of falling and the pressure of feeling closer and closer to his life’s dream. The second red flag and the final suspension of the race after 13 laps played gave him a victory that places him just three points behind the lead in the championship.
“Today was a day where I had more to lose than gain, but we came out ahead. It is my first victory in water in MotoGP, they are conditions that were difficult for me and even so I have been able to make a difference,” celebrated the rider from San Sebastián de los Reyes. Bagnaia, still the leader, once again recognized the great moment of his former teammate in Moto3, but assured that he is satisfied to save the ballot with second place. “In these conditions I am not a magician, and being at the top gives me courage. It is true that he has reduced points from me, but I am happy and I like this battle,” commented the current world champion.
The rain that had spared the bikes throughout the weekend in Motegi arrived minutes before the start of the grand prix. She started out timid and sparkling, and the exit procedure was declared dry. With the slick tires, Martín started resolutely and avoided contacts from behind, which once again affected Marco Bezzecchi, the third Ducati involved in the fight for the title. The worst part went to Maverick Viñales, who ended up with his Aprilia in the gravel moments after expressing his disagreement with the stewards’ decision to declare the race dry. Up front, the man from Madrid purposely gave up his pre-eminent position and stood behind Bagnaia to copy his strategy when changing bikes. “They have been moments of great tension. I didn’t know what to do and I wanted to be behind Pecco to see if he would enter the pits,” noted the winner.
There was no other option. The track got soaked quickly and most of the drivers headed towards the pits. The candidates for the title and the contenders for victory entered to get on the second mount, already with tires and wet settings, and they came out compressed with hardly any space in the pit lane. Fabio Quartararo and four other drivers bet on taking a chance and staying on the track, but the bet was in vain. In parallel, Martín, Aleix Espargaró, who rose from ninth place to second in the first lap, and Marc Márquez, eager to catch a balmy victory under the downpour, went for the virtual leadership. The Honda mainstay, who managed to make the difference when the track became waterlogged, was able to celebrate his first podium of the year on a Sunday alongside the contenders for the crown, both riding a Ducati. “I had to get to the podium at Honda, with the bosses watching. “This is a romantic movie,” confessed the eight-time world champion. Even his grill mates tease him to find out once and for all what he will do with his future.
In the third lap, with the tires already scratched, Martín suffered a severe scare and fell from sixth to tenth place. He stepped on the paint but kept the bike upright to avoid the fall: “I went too far, but I felt good and I was able to overtake many riders.” In just two laps, the Madrid native overtook Bezzechi and when he saw that Bagnaia was going for Espargaró, ahead, he rushed to overtake Márquez as well. In an enviable moment, MartinatorHe took out the hammer and in the sixth lap he surpassed his great rival for the championship and then his great friend and neighbor in Andorra to take the lead.
Overwhelmed, Martín then continued with his usual script. Without visibility problems, he set a pace that was risky enough to get away from the number one Ducati, but cautious enough to avoid a fall and a dramatic coup in the championship. After his success in the German GP and the San Marino GP, again no one else managed to come close to him in a Japanese GP, which places him as the driver to beat with his satellite team Desmosedici. It is only the fourth victory of his career in the premier category, but in his third season his devilish pace and consistency have made him the alternative to champion Bagnaia.
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