RiderTua.com – Jorge Martin (26 years) was involved in a fierce duel against his fellow brand Marc Marquez (31 years) in the MotoGP sprint in Portimao. In the end, the Pramac rider had to settle for finishing in 3rd place. The eight-time world champion has a narrow lead over Martin, after surprising him in the closing laps of the finish in Saturday’s first race in Portugal. Many people ‘mock’ Marc as an old rider with an injury, who will be overwhelmed by the young riders who are emerging at the moment.. but apparently..?
“I had problems with the soft tire all weekend. I thought I could fight for victory, so I tried. But I couldn’t attack Maverick. I felt a strong vibration at the rear,” said the rider from Madrid, Spain.
Jorge Martin : I Didn’t Expect An Attack to Come Around This Corner
Martin revealed that he did not experience vibration problems on Friday or during his lunch break on Saturday. But if he pushed the rear tire too hard, vibration problems occurred and the condition got worse with each lap. At the beginning he had to be very careful with the new bike. This has already happened in Doha and also in Portimao, so he can attack later. Martin has to solve this problem, otherwise he will have this problem all season.
“My race was limited by the fact that I couldn’t overtake Vinales at the start. I might not be the strongest, but I could probably pull away a little. But in Sunday’s race we will use medium tires. That’s why I’m confident for the main race,” stressed Martinator .
Regarding the duel against Ducati newcomer Marc Marquez, Martin explained, “I didn’t expect an attack in this corner, maybe later. But I had problems with tire pressure, I couldn’t brake too hard. Marc was behind me for several laps. He could see where he was going to try. I think after the ride, Pecco or Maverick probably made some mistakes, but he got through it well. I felt stronger when I braked, but I couldn’t do it.”
“Jack (Miller) overtook me on the straight at the start of the race, so I had to turn off the gas for a while and I lost a lot of positions. The difference is whether we are in 6th position or at the front. I still overtook (Enea) Bastianini and sometimes Marc Marquez,” concluded teammate Franco Morbidelli.
