From a very young age, Jorge Martín Almoguera (San Sebastián de los Reyes, Madrid; 26 years old) got used to living on the wire. It was the only formula to be able to pursue his dreams, which have propelled him to the leadership of MotoGP with four rounds remaining until the conclusion of the season. The family’s financial debts that fell on that child’s shoulders and his results, some days better than others, were not enough for him. Nor the hard falls and injuries that threatened his career when he was just taking off. Last year’s blow, when he saw the title so close, was the umpteenth example of how life has been testing the iron will of this kid from Madrid, always ready to fall and get up. In motorcycle racing and in life.
“Keep fighting, never give up, that’s how it’s been all my life,” he told this newspaper a couple of years ago, days after receiving the first pumpkins from the official Ducati team. This year, when he had already been given the word that the red jumpsuit would be his in 2025, a knock on Marc Márquez’s table caused the Bologna factory to back down and leave him stranded. It was the third time in three years, and despite the frustration he managed to maintain his preeminent position on the table. “All this will help me win the World Cup one day,” he concluded when thinking about this accumulation of experiences.
At the start of the Australian GP, before the dispute of the ‘sprint’ today Saturday during the Spanish dawn, he arrived with a 10-point margin over the current world champion, his former Moto3 teammate Pecco Bagnaia. The Italian thinks that the fight, this infinite duel of 20 rounds – 40 counting the short races, like the one that took place today – between the two current leaders of the premier category, will continue again until Valencia. Worse for their nerves, better for the fans. The story, however, has changed. Martín has also done it, renewed in this new assault where he arrives better prepared and situated than before. At this point in the film, a year ago it was 27 points behind number one. Now he is the one who calls the shots, and who has done so for much of the year.
“90% of the season, Jorge has been first in the standings. He has taken an important step and I would say that his improvement is because he has been able to sacrifice some speed and aggressiveness to become a more complete driver, much more precise and concrete when it comes to giving instructions to the engineers in the garage,” says Gino. Borsoi, team leader at Pramac Ducati. “With the format we have, with 40 races, it is important to know when you can aim for victory and when it is time to think about the podium or trying to get the bike to the garage with the maximum possible points,” he adds.
All of this has contributed to the consistency that favored Bagnaia in 2023 becoming Martín’s main strength in 2024. He has only fallen three times in the race, due to seven crashes from the defender of the crown. Although the Italian has added eight victories and 12 podiums on Sunday, and has even surpassed him in the short races on Saturday by six to five, the Spaniard has known how to maximize his three wins and twelve podiums, avoiding the factor of falls better than anyone. , which now seems decisive.
What may seem like an anecdote may now decide the title. That mistake under the sparkle of rain in Misano, when Martín entered the garage to change bikes and the rest of the favorites were right by holding on with the dry tires, has two readings. Last year, the man from Madrid would have been obsessed with the negative part of the matter. On this occasion, he gritted his teeth and climbed from last to fifteenth place to avoid fourth zero and score a goal that could, who knows, tip the balance. “Getting angry when things go wrong is absurd, and it is not easy to change this. It surprised me a lot. It has been a significant and rapid change, which demonstrates his intelligence and strength,” says the former Italian driver.
“He enjoys the moment much more, he is more relaxed. Last year he was tense, he suffered a lot,” highlights a member of his close environment. “What I have improved the most is in the mental aspect, last year I couldn’t deal with the pressure, I couldn’t sleep the night before the race. Now I have the tools to deal with all kinds of situations,” indicates the protagonist himself. The inclusion of a sports psychologist as a key element in his preparation outside the circuits has allowed him to open up more to locals and strangers, to show a more transparent version of Jorge, son of Ángel and Susana, María’s partner. The simplicity and practicality of his girlfriend, who has accompanied him more than ever on the circuits, has calmed him down and given him added confidence. “She makes anything easier,” say those who know her.
Same weapons
On Phillip Island, Martín is sharing a house with Aleix Espargaró, his great friend and supporter on the grid. They have been accompanied to Oceania by their neighbor and port companion during their hard bike training in Andorra, the former cyclist Joaquím ‘Purito’ Rodríguez. Everyone, including the father and partner, share dinners and laughter after long days of work: “Inside the circuit he is always focused, more serious, but outside of it it is another world. He’s always joking, and he’s learned to let go and have fun.”
Facing the final rounds of his second title fight, the new version of Martín exudes calmness and confidence. “Pressure is a privilege,” he smiles, quoting the famous phrase of former tennis player Billie Jean King who greets the players before jumping onto center court at the US Open. “I don’t think so much about winning, but about giving my 100% and controlling what I can control,” he says from the other side of the world. Ducati has reiterated actively and passively that they are going to give the same weapons and opportunities to the two contenders, one plays for the official team, the other for a satellite. In addition, a wing of the Spaniard would take number one to Aprilia, his new team, in 2025.
