The season MotoGP 2024 finally declared its world champion during the last race in Barcelona, thus rewarding a Jorge Martin as talented as he is deserving and endearing, facing a Francesco Bagnaia impresses with his mastery and has set the bar extremely high.
So high that it seems difficult to have such a competitive season next year, but we already said that last year and
Jorge Martin made us lie…
As usualwe report here his words during the final press conference, without the slightest formatting, even if it is translated from English.
Find the first part here
Have you finally found Sarah Connor?
“Yes, yes, yes (laughs). I think the Terminator finally came to town today. »
Now are you the first version, the bad one, or the good one?
“I think I’m the good guy, I think I’m a respectful driver, I never tried to fight or do bad things to the drivers. You know, I only care about myself, I try to be respectful, and if someone isn’t respectful, that’s their problem. But if they want to fight, I can do it. So I’m ready for anything. »
Jorge, tell us about your season in a few points, where are the key points, in your opinion?
“For me it is clear that the most important thing this year has been to learn from the past and not repeat the same mistakes. I mean it’s like life, you can make mistakes, it’s completely normal, we’re humans and we make mistakes. The important thing is to take the positive from the mistake and say to yourself “OK, I’m going to learn from this and not repeat it.” For me, the key is to live in the present. We never know the future, the future who knows? So live in the present, improve the past, and give your 100%, that’s all. It’s very easy. »
Jorge, throughout your career you have had a number of injuries, in Moto3, in Moto2, but especially the most important one at Portimao 21. Did you ever think that this day would not come?
“For sure, I think this year has been… In January, I was really struggling with my mental health. Last season was great, even after being second I was very happy, but in January I started to have a lot of fears, I was really scared. As if I was never going to be champion in MotoGP. So thanks to my coach, I have progressed a lot. I focused on the hope of winning rather than the fear of losing. I mean, if I lose, okay, I’m not dying, my life doesn’t end there. But I had the hope of winning, not just for me, but for my team, for my people, for my family, for everyone close to me. This helped me a lot. »
What is the most important thing someone has said to you in the last week?
“For me, the important thing was to remain as normal as possible. I trained with my trainer, we cycled with three degrees in Andorra, with white frosts, dieting, trying to be really light to have good power on the straights. So a normal weekend, normal preparation. Here there are also a lot of people, but I had put a note on my room, “please do not enter”, as if I didn’t want anyone, like in the Asian tour where I am alone. And that’s why I feel confident, it’s a normal weekend. »
I had an interview with Peter Clifford from the Rookies Cup and he told me, he’s not sure, that you were admitted after three times in the Rookies Cup. Is this correct?
“The second time. »
And do you think that was the first big breakthrough in your career, where you realized you could go global?
“Without the rookies cup, I wouldn’t be here. That I can assure you, because we didn’t, I mean, we were a normal family. We were poor but normal, we had no money, so when I did the Rookies Cup for the first time, I was very young and I had never tried a 125. I was fast but they told me “OK, you’re too young. Come back in a year.” And when they took me, I was very emotional because if they hadn’t taken me at that time, I think I would have left the bike, so I’m very, very happy. I remember at the time Raul Cara was the coach, so I’m very proud of them. They gave me a chance. Then I competed in the Rookies Cup for three years and finally won it. So it was a very important moment in my career. »
Are you going to wear number 1?
“Oh. What do you think? I think it’s time to celebrate this moment. I don’t want to think about next year. I want to think about today. Today we are number one, we are going, we are going to take it to… you know, we are going to try to win the championship with a party too (laughs). Today, you know, all my friends are here, so I want to enjoy this moment. We have time to think about it and we will see. »
Can you just tell us what being MotoGP world champion means to you?
“I always say the same thing, for me it’s like coming full circle to a perfect career. I mean I could go home tomorrow and get off the bike, and I’d be the happiest guy on the planet. I’m really motivated for my future, and like Pecco said, we’re very young, we have 8 or 10 years, I don’t know, ahead of us. And now that I’ve won a title, I’m better prepared for the future, and if I get another opportunity, I’ll be better prepared. But for me, it’s not just for me, because it won’t change much in my life, but for those around me. For Paulo, I think it was a great opportunity. Maybe, you know, in 25 years of being a team, he’s never had this opportunity and we’ve done it two years in a row, so it’s more for the people, for my family, for the team , only for me. »
Jorge, I remember you at Misano 22, when you said that History was being written, because Ducati had made its choice. And then of course, I remember Mugello this year. So, have all these things, because of the manufacturer and everything else, made you a better man, a better driver and a stronger man, of course to win this championship and make history for the first time, number 1 in MotoGP with an independent team and everything else?
“I mean 2022 was tough, 21 was great. Martin was the future, the rising star, so there was a lot of pressure at that time. Then 2022 was quite difficult in terms of professionalism, the bike wasn’t working perfectly, the engine was giving me a hard time. So ultimately Ducati had a lot of pressure and they had to make a choice and they changed at the last moment. But I think like you said, because of that, it’s not that I didn’t want to prove them wrong, ever, but what I mean is that I only think about myself and to my team. I think it’s because of this decision that I won with Pramac, I mean they deserve it. Maybe if I had been in the factory this would have happened with Enea, maybe, I don’t know, maybe it wasn’t my place. Life is like that and I am happy to have won with Pramac. This is the best place I could have won and they deserve it more than me. »
First of all, I spent the last two years saying that I didn’t think satellite teams could win MotoGP championships, and you proved me wrong spectacularly. What’s so different about your Pramac team? What allowed you to do this and make history today?
“I am very grateful to my team, which is a big family. I have been with them for four years and I have always spent three years in each team, like Aspar, Gresini, then KTM, and finally four years at Pramac . So it’s a beautiful family, which I will always remember. And the key was Ducati. Even though they didn’t want me for next year, they let me fight with all means. I think Gigi Dall’Igna believes in me a lot from the start, since I signed in Moto 2, he has always believed in me. Then life circumstances can change, and maybe I wasn’t in my best moment when I should have been, and that’s why I never made it to that team, but that’s it. is life. The main thing is that they let me do it. I’m very grateful to Claudio Domenicali because no one in this room, I think, thought they would let me do it, and in the end, they let me fight, so I’m very grateful to them. »
MotoGP Jorge Martin Barcelona
MotoGP Jorge Martin Barcelona
MotoGP Jorge Martin Barcelona
