Jorge Martin dropped from first to fifth place in the San Marino Grand Prix due to arm pump, the factory Aprilia rider has revealed, with the problem serious enough for him to consider surgery.
The Spaniard emerged as a surprise victory contender in Sunday’s MotoGP race at Misano after team-mate and polesitter Marco Bezzecchi crashed out on the opening lap.
Following Ducati’s Marc Marquez through the opening stages, Martin passed him for the lead on lap eight of 27, before stretching his advantage to eight tenths.
However, the 2024 champion’s pace suddenly dropped just before the halfway point of the race, leaving him tumbling down the order. He eventually took the chequered flag in fifth place, 14 seconds on race winner Marquez, after losing almost a second per lap to the leader.
Speaking afterwards, Martin reported that his race was heavily compromised by arm pump, a medical condition that causes increased pressure in forearms, thereby restricting blood flow and impairing muscle function.
“I had a big issue with my arm pump,” he revealed. “It’s a pity, I think we lost a big opportunity today. I was feeling really good. I started in a great way. I thought Marc was going to pull away but then I was catching him again and I went into the lead. After that, I was even pulling away. I was feeling in a good pace, not pushing like crazy and still pulling away.
“But then, I started to have issues with the braking, then opening the throttle, and every lap was worse and worse. At the end, I couldn’t do anything. I was completely out of control of the bike. It’s a pity.”
Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
Martin revealed that he had already faced some issues during Friday practice, but that wasn’t unusual on a track like Misano. However, the problem worsened during the race, forcing him to limp in the final laps.
“On Friday, I was trying a bit with the air pump, but normally this happens in Misano on Friday,” he said. “Normally, I recover very well, then I adapt and then the next day I feel better. Yesterday I was a bit on the limit but it was OK for a sprint.
“Today, I had this in mind and I was trying to ride really smoothly. This is a track where we all struggle with the air pump but for my side it was completely blocked. I couldn’t do anything. Everybody was overtaking me from fifth to sixth because I couldn’t even open the throttle.”
Surgery dilemma
Martin said the severity of the condition may prompt him to get surgery after next weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix. However, with eight rounds scheduled over the span of nine weeks between now and the end of the season, the Spaniard remains unsure about whether he could risk undergoing operation during the title run-in.
“Now we don’t have time to do anything. I have to recover well and try to be focused in Austria but we need to understand what to do after Austria if I have to undergo surgery or not,” he explained.
“It’s a lot of races together so I don’t know if the best option is to go under surgery or not. These are things that I cannot control. Now I have this question mark about my arm. I think in Austria it won’t be an issue but I don’t know.
Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team
Photo by: Andreas Solaro / AFP via Getty Images
“For sure, it will be a nice test. In Austria, if I don’t have any problem, then maybe we can move forward, forget about this but maybe this happens again in another race. It can be the big issue of losing this championship or not or maybe not. I don’t know.”
Following the San Marino GP, Marquez is now tied with Martin at the top of the standings, with Bezzecchi a further 33 points behind in third. Asked whether he had developed arm pump before, Martin said: “I had in 2019 and I underwent surgery. After that, I never had this problem again. I was able to win here in the past.
“I saw different riders who had the issue again and maybe they had to do the surgery again, so maybe it’s my case, or maybe not. I will try to understand with doctors and try to also listen to the recovery time, and let’s see what I can do.
“I don’t want to lose the opportunity. I feel ready to fight for the championship. Today, I was ready to fight for the win. This is something that cannot help me but we need to check.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
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