Although the majority of the GP circus accepted Valentino Rossi’s invitation to the ritual event “100 km dei Campioni”, the MotoGP world champion took advantage of the test day on the tarmac.
MotoGP world champion Jorge Martin traveled to eastern Spain to complete the first fastest laps of the year in Valencia. The test did not take place on the Valencia GP track, but on the private track of Jorge “Aspar” Martinez. “Circiuit Aspar” is located south of Valencia and, with a maximum length of 2.2 km, is an excellent training route.
Pilots like David Alonso use the piste as their home track – but Jorge Martinez is also opening up the facility to non-Aspar pilots. After Marc Marquez, who had already trained here several times, world champion Jorge Martin was now a guest.
The unique track day was also the Madrilenian’s premiere for an affordable Aprilia superbike. Due to the test ban until February 7, “Martinator” was sent to Aprilia RSV4. With a peak output of more than 200 hp, the local racer from Noale may have introduced a true MotoGP sensation on a very hilly race track. Jorge Martin commented on knowing the V4 only from the production series with a love emoji.
Curious: While Martin was racing and starting #1 in the off-road race in Barcelona shortly before Christmas, the black RSV4 now had the #89 stuck again.
In good shape, Jorge Martin was now sweating with the engine after his recent hard training on the racing bike. Aleix Espargaro’s training partner is the fittest driver on the pad. In addition to the incredible physical stress, mental strength will again be important in 2025.
As a world champion, Jorge Martin has to face great expectations that he finds difficult to fulfill immediately. With two new drivers and a radically changed technical team, race director Massimo Rivola faces a huge challenge.
After the official presentation of the team on January 16 in Milan, it’s time to “pack your bags”, at least for the technology department. With pilot Lorenzo Savadori, Aprilia can participate in the Skakedown test in Malaysia from 31 January. In tropical weather, a few days later (February 5 to 7) factory drivers Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi will enter the hot testing phase for an exciting 2025 season – especially for Aprilia.
