He’s back, he’s fast, and he hasn’t forgotten a thing! After three long months away from the saddle, Jorge Martin silenced the doubters at the Chang International Circuit. Despite finishing Day 1 of the Buriram Test in P13, the headline isn’t the position—it’s the sheer defiance of a champion returning from injury, clocking a blistering 1:29.813.
Clocking in just +0.551s off the top spot, the “Martinator” proved that his internal hardware is fully recalibrated for the Aprilia RS-GP26.
Speaking at the Broadcaster Set after a grueling day in the Thai heat, Martin was all smiles, looking more like a man who just won a race than one who just finished a rehab stint.
“Today was a day to understand how my body would react, and it was much better than I expected,” Martin admitted. “The hand is really good, the shoulder too. I feel the strength to push. I’m just happy I didn’t forget how to ride a MotoGP bike!”
While he acknowledged some struggle with long-run endurance—natural after a layoff—his raw explosive speed was evident from the green flag.
How the new Aprilia is curing Martin’s old headaches. Last season, the Spaniard struggled with stopping the beast, but the 2026 package seems to have found the “magic button.”
Martin confirmed the new bike helps him significantly in the braking zones—his Achilles’ heel in 2025.
He heaped praise on teammate Marco Bezzecchi and the testing crew for the groundwork laid in Malaysia. “The package is already working well. Not big changes needed, just building rhythm.”
While he sat out the “glory runs” today, Martin warned that a Time Attack is coming tomorrow. With a revised riding style and a more stable bike, he expects the “huge step” to show on the monitors.
Beyond data sheets and sector splits, Day 1 delivered something more valuable: reassurance.
“It’s not just being fast,” Martin concluded. “It’s having a good feeling straight away after two or three months without a MotoGP. That’s really, really good.”
With rivals already pushing hard and margins razor-thin, Martin knows the work continues. But if Day 1 is any indication, Aprilia’s new spearhead is not just back — he’s building momentum.
Credit Photo : MotoGP
