Injured Martin targets Qatar return as MotoGP season moves forward
Defending MotoGP world champion Jorge Martin hopes to make his return at the fourth round of the season in Qatar after missing the opening races due to injury.
The Spaniard has already ruled himself out of the upcoming Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, on March 29-30, but is targeting a comeback at Lusail on April 12-13.
“I expect to be in Qatar, but only if it doesn’t pose any risks,” Martin told Gazzetta dello Sport on Thursday. “These are the timelines, and it would be a mistake to rush them, which would risk making everything take even longer.”
The Aprilia rider has endured a tough start to 2024, missing almost all pre-season testing after breaking his right hand and foot in a crash on the opening day in Malaysia. He then suffered a second setback while training on a supermoto bike, sustaining multiple fractures in his left wrist and foot, as well as muscular injuries in his ribs.
Martin now trails six-time world champion Marc Marquez, who has won both races and sprints this season, by 74 points.
Meanwhile, Yamaha-Pramac confirmed on Thursday that Portuguese rider Miguel Oliveira will also miss the Austin round after suffering a sternoclavicular dislocation in Argentina. Spaniard Augusto Fernandez, the 2022 Moto2 World Champion, will take his place.
Despite his struggles, Martin remains optimistic. “It was a difficult time, but now I start to see the light,” he said on social media.
(Source: AFP)
