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Jorge Martin doesn't yet know when he'll be racing again. It certainly won't be in Austin, Texas, in two weeks, and he's still not sure if he'll be able to participate in the Qatar Grand Prix in a month's time. The only thing that's certain is that, when the world champion walks into the Aprilia garage, he'll have to practically start from scratch and without knowing what to expect.
Jorge, in fact, was only able to test the RS-GP for a day in November, in Barcelona, and for about ten laps in Sepang, in February, before he got injured. What happened to his rider made Aprilia Racing's Massimo Rivola come up with a proposal to change the regulations.
MotoGP riders, in fact, can't test their bikes outside of official practice days, unless they're racing for those manufacturers who can avail themselves of concessions. But, for those like Jorge, who've missed all the tests with a new bike and are coming from a long hiatus, it's a problem.
"As per regulation, Martin will be able to test on an RSV4. But, honestly, we should rethink what's best for rider safety," Rivola explained in an interview with Speedweek. "We understand that we have to abide by the rules but, if Japanese teams can test when they want to thanks to concessions, why not allow a rider who has missed several races get a chance to test on a MotoGP bike in order to get back to being in a safe condition?" he asked.
In other words, the Aprilia manager would like to propose a rule for the regulations involving riders who are forced to miss multiple GPs due to injury. By doing so, a rider would be able to get an accurate idea of his physical condition by riding a MotoGP bike, which is impossible if he can only test on a road bike instead.
"Anyone who cares about the safety of the riders shouldn't oppose it," Rivola stated. "It would also be good for the show. Imagine Jorge coming back to Qatar and, after the first lap in the first free practice, realizes that he can't race. We would end up with one less bike on the grid. This doesn't only affect us but the entire championship. With the current format, where you're already in qualifying mode starting on Friday, coming back from an injury is much more complicated. A rule like that would help everyone."
Rivola has every intention of putting this proposal on the table and getting the green light for a MotoGP test for Martin before the Qatar GP. To do so, however, he'll need approval from all the teams and a change in the regulations.
