The beast has been tamed! After a cautious return on Day 1, Jorge Martin shifted into a higher gear during Day 2 of the Buriram Test, sending a clear warning to the paddock: the 2024 World Champion is almost back to his lethal best.
While the timesheets show him in P8 (Combined) with a blistering 1:29.167, the real story lies in the “Martinator’s” right hand. After struggling with the Aprilia’s braking personality all last season, Martin revealed today that he has finally cracked the code of the RS-GP26.
Speaking at the media scrum, a visibly satisfied Martin explained that he’s no longer just “riding” the bike—he’s predicting it.
“Every lap, my mind gets the info. I know how the bike will react,” Martin said. “I feel those moments where I lose the bike, but it’s becoming natural again. I’m predicting the slides before they happen. Honestly, I’m happy with the test—the speed comes naturally now.”
Last year, Martin’s Achilles’ heel was the initial “bite” of the Aprilia’s brakes. Today, he confirmed that a mental shift and a few ergonomic tweaks have fixed the flow.
“This bike doesn’t like a strong first bite on the lever. I focused on that yesterday and straight away, I felt I could push more and more. This was what I was missing last year.”
Despite missing months of action, Martin’s “natural” style is yielding results. “We are okay with time attacks. I think we can easily be in that top 7 or top 8 range.”
Martin and Bezzecchi tested new air ducts designed to channel heat away from the rider’s legs—a lifesaver in the Thai furnace.
Martin didn’t just improve his time; he matched his personal record at the track, finishing just 0.499s off Marco Bezzecchi’s top time.
While other riders were gasping for air in the Buriram humidity, Martin looked remarkably fresh. After his “disaster” in India years ago, the Spaniard revealed he’s been training in saunas to turn himself into a heat-resistant machine.
“I feel okay. Do you remember India? There I was a disaster. But I worked on it. Now the heat is not a big issue, and the Aprilia has improved a lot—I don’t feel any heat coming from the bike anymore.”
Credit Photo : BRIC
