Jorge Martín is out of the MotoGP Australian Grand Prix. The announcement came this Saturday (24), after the Aprilia rider was diagnosed with a fracture in his left forearm following an accident in the Sprint held in the early hours of this morning at the Phillip Island circuit. The Spaniard damaged the radius and there is a suspicion of a fracture in the ulna near the wrist.
Martín, who arrived in Australia as the championship leader, was contending for the Sprint lead with Marc Márquez, his title rival. On the eighth lap of the race, the Spaniard crashed after sliding on the Aprilia, exiting the competition. The marshals had to remove the rider on a stretcher from the scene and took him to the medical center, where the injuries were confirmed.
More examinations will be necessary to determine the full extent of the injuries, but the rider has already been deemed unfit to participate in Sunday’s race. Aprilia is still exploring the possibility of Martín competing next weekend in the Malaysia Grand Prix, scheduled to take place at the Sepang circuit. This will occur, according to the team, if the radius does not have a “displaced fracture” and the ulna is not fractured.
The Phillip Island Sprint ended with Márquez taking the win, moving to the lead in the standings and opening a ten-point gap over Martín. With the Aprilia rider out of Sunday’s main race, the expectation is that the current champion and Ducati rider will widen the championship margin in the race of this early morning.
The Australian MotoGP Grand Prix will be held on Sunday, starting at midnight.
