Jorge Martin: In the Last Two Laps, I Couldn't Go Full Throttle on the Straights

Pulse Sports Team 08:00 - 03 October 2026

Jorge Martin spent virtually the entire Japanese GP sprint in second position and even crossed the line as runner-up, but was demoted to third following a penalty. The Aprilia rider received a one-place penalty for exceeding track limits on the final lap while under heavy pressure from Enea Bastianini and Diogo Moreira.

After the race, Martin explained that shortly after the halfway mark, he began losing grip on the left side of his soft rear tyre, which caused him to lose ground to Marc Marquez. Over the final two laps, the issue deteriorated to the point where 'The Martinator' could not go full throttle down the Motegi straights.

"I gave it my all, congratulations to Marc, his pace was great. After seven or eight laps, I started losing grip on the left side of the rear tyre. In the last two laps, I couldn't even go full throttle on the straights. I was losing a lot of time, and on the final lap, I did everything I could to keep Enea behind me. I managed that. "I don't know exactly where I went off track because I was so focused on not doing it, so it's a big mistake. I'll see what happened later because I don't think I went off, but I'll look at the footage. "A good race, good points. Aprilia's first podium at Motegi, so we are happy," said the Martinator.