If in terms of results it can be said that Jorge Martin 's weekend in Motegi started on the right foot, the situation is quite different regarding the sensations felt by the Spaniard on his Desmosedici GP24. Despite finishing second in the morning's wet session and third in the subsequent FP2, the Pramac Racing team rider struggled to consistently maintain the right pace, due to a less than perfect feeling especially at the front.
"It was a difficult day, because in the morning the track conditions were not ideal and with a MotoGP bike it is not the best to ride with slicks when there is some rain, however, I managed to finish second. In the afternoon, the feeling was slightly worse than I would have expected, I was struggling to maintain the pace and it's true that I felt good on the single lap, but we need to take a step forward in terms of pace," said the world championship leader, summing up his Friday.
"I had some strange feelings today actually. I was quite happy after the first exit, but then I started having problems with the bike and I didn't have the best feeling, so I think I still have a lot of room to improve, at least at the front. Although the pace wasn't bad, I don't have confidence on the bike and I hope I can take a step forward for Sunday. I'm one of the fastest, but I would like to have better sensations," Martinator added, "I have a lot of locking on the front, which I then lose in corner entry and it will be really difficult to do 24 laps like that. That's why I think I need to improve my feeling a lot, so that then I can do everything easier."
A situation that seems to depend more on the conditions found in Japan than on the changes made to the Ducati #89.
"What have I changed compared to Indonesia? Two millimeters in the height of the suspension, but it is clear that each track is different and needs certain things, so we have to go in a different direction - commented the Madrid native - The conditions are very different from those found at Misano. At Misano there was no tyre drop, while here after four laps they drop half a second. There is a big difference. The front is not bad and the grip is good in the first few laps, but then the difficulties begin to emerge."
The risk of a wet Saturday does not worry Martin, who was ready for every eventual condition as early as today.
"I'm not worried, because at the end we already have enough data to know a little bit in which direction to go. We will have to adapt, but the conditions don't worry me. I just have to do better - he said - Today I had a wet-ready bike because I wanted to be ready in both sessions. It was a risk because if I crashed we would have had to change everything again, but we came really close to catching the rain."
Analyzing the form factor, Jorge added, "It is a little bit like last year, but I think there are more bikes, everything is more open and more fun. How did I see Pecco? Strong. I saw him well, he is my number one rival and I already knew he is always competitive, but he seemed a little bit stronger than in Indonesia."
In a final note, the future Aprilia rider commented on the hiring of Fabiano Sterlacchini as the Noale manufacturer's new technical director, replacing Romano Albesiano.
"I don't know him and I've never worked with him during my MotoGP career, so I'll start thinking about it after Valencia," Jorge said, commenting on the big changes made by Aprilia for next season, "For me it's the same thing. There will be changes, but I will join Aprilia the Monday after the GP in Valencia, so it will be the same for me because I don't care if there is one person or another in charge of the project. I will try to do my best and we will all try to work together. I think everyone is very happy in Aprilia, it will be a big change, and a positive change for us because Sterlacchini has a lot of experience in Ducati and KTM, so he will bring a lot of know-how to Aprilia."