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Mar 27

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: Aprillia, Martin, MotoGP

Martin long injury recovery “killing me”

Jorge Martin’s recovery process is taking longer than he anticipated, delaying his 2025 race debut. Aprilia Racing rider Jorge Martin has given fans details behind his ongoing recovery from his injuries sustained ahead of the 2025 MotoGP season. The reigning champion suffered from a horrific crash during testing in Sepang, injuring his right hand and left foot. After undergoing surgery, he returned to the bike, aiming to make the season-opening race in Thailand. However, a further crash left him needing further surgery to his left wrist, which has since seen him out of the 2025 season so far. Updates on the Spanish rider’s recovery have been few and far between up until this point, but Martin has now given a glimpse into his intense recovery during a vlog on his YouTube channel. He explained: “The first two weeks were pretty hard. You have doubts. You say ‘maybe I won’t be the same as before.’ But I’m starting to see the light now I can train again. “Those weeks without being able to leave the house were killing me. I don’t know when I’ll return, but I’m already in the process. I’m eating well, I can laugh, I can cough – because before the […]

Mar 13

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: AMC, MotoGP, Stoner

Stoner elevated to Legend as new Hall of Fame inductees revealed

A touched Casey Stoner admits he “does not feel worthy” of being elevated to Legend status as David Sera, Chris Matheson, Chad Reed and John Sidney have all been recognised as the latest inductees of the Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame. One of Australia’s best ever on two wheels, Casey Stoner has joined illustrious company having been upgraded to Legend status. As a result Stoner joins an exclusive club alongside the very best such as fellow world champions Sir Jack Brabham, Alan Jones, and Mick Doohan. In the space of just six years, Stoner rode into the history books as one of the best ever to take on MotoGP. He famously rode Ducati to its first title in 2007 before moving to Honda and also tasting the ultimate at the first time of asking in 2011. All up took 38 Grand Prix victories from 2006-2012, highlighted by six straight wins in front of his adoring fans at Phillip Island. Doohan was on hand to welcome Stoner to the Legend’s club and the 21st century star was shocked by the honour. “You grow up watching these great people who paved the way and Mick was someone I looked up to immensely […]

Mar 03

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: Buriram, Marquez, MotoGP

Marquez was “playing with us” in Thailand GP

Marc Marquez’s sudden pace drop in the Thailand MotoGP was about more than just managing tyre pressure, claims Francesco Bagnaia. Francesco Bagnaia says Marc Marquez was “playing with us” in the Thailand Grand Prix and could have dominated the MotoGP race if he wanted to. New factory Ducati signing Marquez claimed victory in the opening round of the 2025 MotoGP season, beating brother Alex Marquez and team-mate Bagnaia to the top spot at Buriram. While the elder Marquez secured pole position and comfortably led the race early on, he suddenly slowed down on lap 7 and dropped to second position, where he stayed for the majority of the race. It was only four laps from the finish that he repassed his Gresini Ducati-mounted brother at Turn 12, before crossing the finish line with a winning margin of 1.7s. Marquez later revealed that he had to drop a place to keep the tyre temperature above the regulatory window, having noticed a significant drop while running in clear air at the front. Marquez’s tyre pressure drama brought Bagnaia into play, with the two-time MotoGP champion closing within half a second of the leading duo in the closing stages of the race. But Bagnaia believes Marquez was simply […]

Feb 28

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: Aprillia, Martin, MotoGP

Injured Jorge Martin out of Thailand MotoGP

The 77th edition of the premier class of motorcycle racing is kicking off for the first time in Thailand however reigning champion Jorge Martin will not be racing, forced to wait his MotoGP debut in Aprilia colours. A crash during pre-season testing left the Spaniard with three fractures across his hand and foot while another incident left him with four new fractures in his wrist. As a result Martin has been ruled out of both the Thailand and Argentine Grands Prix with no clear date as to when his title defence will start. “The blows are always hard, but when they come one after another, the impact is multiplied,” Martin wrote on social media. “This time they have been especially strong, both physically and mentally, and have meant that, for the first time in my life, I have missed the opening race of the season. “If there is one thing I am clear about, it is that blows can be overcome. I don’t know if this will make me stronger, but I do know that I will get through it, as I have always done.” Whilst Martin won’t be here this weekend, there will still be two Aprilias with replacement […]

Feb 14

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: MotoGP, Testing

Key takeaways from 2025 MotoGP pre-season testing

The most atypical pre-season in recent years concluded on Thursday in Thailand, with Marc Marquez revealing his intention to become the top dog in MotoGP again – no matter what the cost. MotoGP held five days of testing in Malaysia and Thailand in February, giving all five manufacturers a chance to hone their new bikes before the start of the season later this month. The winter turned out to be a lesson in humility for Ducati, which is set to begin the season in practically the same way as it ended last year: mostly likely winning and with a bike that is nearly identical. Far from hiding from the situation, those at the helm of the Borgo Panigale marque have recognised the lack of progress, aware that the GP24 it built for last year was the perfect bike. However, this ‘stagnation’ at Ducati has created the perfect situation for the competition to regain ground on it for the first time in years. Over at Yamaha, a discrete performance in Buriram has raised questions about the extent of improvement seen at Sepang, while also highlighting the upward trend at fellow Japanese manufacturer Honda. Aprilia ended pre-season in a solid manner, with Marco […]

Feb 13

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: Bastianini, KTM, MotoGP

Enea Bastianini Struggling on the KTM MotoGP bike

“It’s not natural for me and, at the moment, I can’t be very fast like Pedro…” The end of the 2025 MotoGP winter testing period seems to have come too soon for Enea Bastianini, who feels he still has to adapt his style to the KTM RC16 he has moved to from Ducati for this year. The Italian ended the 2025 MotoGP preseason in Buriram feeling like he’d made progress, but also like there was much more margin for him to improve. “Overall, I’m a bit happier than [Wednesday], because this afternoon I improved a bit my lap time,” Bastianini said after the final day of MotoGP preseason testing in Buriram. “About my pace, I’m not very happy at the moment because I committed many mistakes during my laps – sometimes I can’t brake hard, sometimes yes, and at the moment I don’t know very well the situation. “For the race we have to do something more, to understand better. “Now, it’s important this period [between the test and the race] to study better the data and to learn, because the bike is different and my approach at the moment is not correct.” Bastianini said he and his crew chief – Alberto Giribuola, […]

Feb 09

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: MotoGP, Sepang, Yamaha

Yamaha encouraged by Sepang testing performance

While Honda made some strides forward at Sepang this week, Yamaha appears to have taken significant strides toward reclaiming a competitive position in the MotoGP field. While it’s still too early to draw definitive conclusions, further assessments in Thailand next week will provide more clarity. That said, the early signs are highly encouraging for Yamaha, particularly for Fabio Quartararo. The Frenchman expressed plenty of optimism after completing over 150 laps during the three-day test at Sepang. Fabio Quartararo “I am really happy! This is the first time that I reached a 1’56s here, so I am happy, and I think that today was a good day for us. The conditions were really good, so in general it was a positive day. Hopefully, during the Buriram Test we will have the same feeling. I’ve been working during the winter break, and not just on a road bike. In general, I was trying to be faster on one lap. I think this was a good point of improvement, but I also think the bike improved in some areas, which helps me to be fast on one lap. I think the goals I set for this test were neither too positive nor too negative. […]

Feb 08

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: Aprillia, MotoGP, Sepang

Martin Faces Surgery After Crash

Jorge Martin, the reigning MotoGP champion, had a rough start to the 2025 season during the first day of official testing at the Sepang International Circuit. The Spanish rider was involved in a serious incident as he lost control of his Aprilia bike, resulting in being thrown off and crashing violently onto the asphalt. This accident has left him facing multiple fractures, including one at the 5th metacarpal of his right hand and three fractures (3rd, 4th, and 5th metatarsals) to his left foot. During the testing session, which began on February 1, Martin’s crash led to a temporary suspension of the tests to facilitate medical assistance. Initially, he was taken to the circuit’s medical center, but due to the severity of his condition, he was later transferred to Nilai Hospital, located six kilometers away from Sepang, for dedicated treatment and evaluation. According to official communications from Aprilia, Martin underwent several medical assessments including CT and MRI scans, all of which thankfully returned negative results, ruling out more severe head injuries related to the diagnosed concussion. Nonetheless, the fractures he sustained will necessitate surgical intervention. After securing hospital care overnight, he is scheduled to fly back to Europe the following […]

Feb 05

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: Crash, MotoGP

2024 GP Crash Statistics

Any grand prix season that ends without any serious crash injuries merits a sigh of relief. Thankfully, that means most of them – nowdays thanks to the active safety of ever-improving rider gear and the passive safety of Dorna’s insistence that circuits are sufficiently safe, in terms of run-off, protected barriers, and so on. Thankfully again, 2024 was one such season. Motorcycle racing is intrinsically dangerous and surviving intact is a matter of getting away with it, time and time again. Because there is one kind of crash – fallen riders hit by other bikes – when only luck determines the outcome. MotoGP came close twice over the past two seasons. In 2024, it was at Sepang, and the hair’s-breadth escapee was Jack Miller, knocked off under the wheels of the pack. His helmet was grabbed by the back wheel of Fabio Quartararo’s fallen Yamaha, which made a good attempt at pulling his head off, “then (Joan)Mir used his legs as a double jump”. By a small miracle, Jack was able to walk away. In 2023 it was Pecco Bagnaia, leading a tight pack when he flipped over the high-side in Catalunya. He was also run over, by Brad Binder. […]

Feb 04

by darren in The Feed 0 comments tags: MotoGP, Sepang, Shakedown

2025 MotoGP Sepang Shakedown

The 2025 MotoGP season is fast approaching as the three-day Shakedown test kicked off last weekend in Malaysia, where all five factories put the early versions of their new machines through their paces. The test was topped by Fabio Quartararo, who was the only rider lapping in one minute, 57 seconds by the close of day three. Yamaha’s (and Honda’s) full-time riders were allowed to test thanks to the concessions currently afforded to the two Japanese factories. Quartararo was three-tenths of a second quicker than Pramac Yamaha new boy Jack Miller. The Australian was a lowly 22nd at the Barcelona test last November, 2.2 seconds off the fastest time as he got to grips with the Yamaha M1. But there was huge progress on the final afternoon session as he took a full second out of his time from day two. Despite rumors to the contrary, there was no sign of Yamaha’s new V4 engine on track, with its riders instead focusing on the inline-four configuration. Technical Director Max Bartolini did reveal the V4 could well make its race debut this year in the hands of new test rider Augusto Fernandez, who will make six wildcard appearances in 2025. Surprisingly […]