Sunday, November 12, 2017. I should have paid more attention, but I was lost in thought. Seven years ago, Jorge Martín won his first Grand Prix. I had no idea that by watching the 19-year-old Spaniard win the last Moto3™ race of the 2017 season in Valencia, he would achieve supreme recognition. It was my last day as a MotoGP™ commentator and, now that I think about it, it was Jorge Martín who gave me a real indication of what was in store for the sport I love so much.
I had gotten to know Jorge well in 2017 thanks to his collection of Tissot watches. I remember joking with him that he should open a jewelry store soon. It was definitely time for this first Grand Prix victory to arrive, after all the times he had hosted the qualifying press conferences in which he appeared. No less than nine times he came on Saturday afternoon with his mother to collect his watch after winning pole position. It was a huge relief when that first win finally came. It unlocked something for 2018. He won seven more Grands Prix and captured the Moto3™ title.
It was in 2014, three years earlier, that I met Jorge. The 16-year-old won the Red Bull Rookies Cup. At the time, we didn't realize the pool of young talent that this brilliant series was introducing to the world stage. Impossible to forget. Jorge won the title ahead of Joan Mir while a certain Toprak Razgatlioglu took sixth place. Joan Mir then joined the very exclusive club of riders who have won both the 125cc/Moto3™ and 500cc/MotoGP™ world titles. For his part, Toprak Razgatlioglu brought BMW its first world crown this year after a spectacular season in WorldSBK. Although all three of these talents have become World Champions, Jorge Martín is the only Red Bull Rookies Cup winner to have taken home the ultimate crown.
Thanks to his third place on Sunday, Jorge joined the very closed circle of drivers who won both titles. Joan Mir was the last of five men to achieve this performance in the 75-year history of Grands Prix. Jorge became the sixth on Sunday and a single glance at his predecessors gives an idea of what he has accomplished. Phil Read was the first to triumph in 125cc in 1968 as well as in 500cc five years later, in 1973. The Spaniard, Alex Crivillé, then imitated him with crowns in 1989 and 1999. The last two of the list will surprise no one. First comes Valentino Rossi, 125cc World Champion in 1997 as well as 500cc in 2001. Then, of course, his great rival, Marc Márquez, who won the 125cc title in 2010 and his first MotoGP™ crown three years later, in 2013.
Jorge Martín's career in MotoGP™ is magnificent. Pole position and podium in his second race in the elite in 2021. Two races later, in Portugal, he was the victim of a terrible accident. He missed the next four Grands Prix but came back and won in Austria. Four podiums but no victory in 2022, before giving the World Champion, Pecco Bagnaia, a hard time until the last round of the 2023 season. This year, no less than 32 podiums in total evenly distributed between the Grands Prix and the Tissot Sprint. Finally, another record broken on Sunday. Jorge Martín is the only rider in the modern era of MotoGP™ to have won the supreme title despite the presence of four former MotoGP™ World Champions on the grid.
I certainly paid a lot more attention to his third place in Barcelona on Sunday than to his victory seven years ago. Sincere congratulations to Jorge for this spectacular season and this well-deserved world title. Luckily you didn't take my advice and open that jewelry store.
