And just think that he started all the way from eighth on the grid. At Le Mans, Jorge Martin made a lightning-fast start, taking the lead within just a few turns.
It took the Spaniard very little time to seize the lead in the Sprint and race unchallenged to victory. A win that carries significant weight for the Aprilia rider, to the point of closing the gap in the Championship to just six points behind his teammate, Marco Bezzecchi, the current leader.
“The start helped me a lot to be fast at the beginning, but from that moment on, the real race began, so I had to push hard,” he said. “Even though I was in control and managed to maintain the gap to Pecco, it wasn’t easy to be that fast, so I’m really happy. We’re improving every day. I’m improving with the Aprilia, so it’s really fantastic.”
Do you think it’s the best start ever?
“No, I don’t think so. I had a great start and found a good line right away, but I think Qatar 2021, when I moved up from 15th to 3rd place, was the best start ever.”
Do you think the Aprilia has a big advantage over the Ducati at the start?
“I don’t think so. I’ve always been very fast off the line. I think it’s a matter of clutch feeling, and, in general, the bike is practically the same. The setups are the same as last season, so it mainly depends on how I’m improving that feeling.”
Weren’t you worried that something might happen in the pack?
“Maybe I was lucky, because at the start of the race it’s impossible to predict what the other riders will do. I got off to a great start, had good acceleration, and then immediately found space to pass, so maybe there was a bit of luck involved too. But the start was perfect. I never thought I’d be in first after two turns, since I figured I’d be fourth. From that moment on, I pushed all the way to the finish.”
It seems you’re in love with this track: why is that?
“Normally, when you’ve had good results in the past, you like the track because you’re fast. Le Mans is a track that offers a lot of rear grip, where the tyres are very consistent, and I usually like it when that’s the case. Today I had a really good feel for the tyres, so I was able to brake hard and push really hard.”
Going back to the start: you passed four riders in one go…
“I won’t tell you all my secrets, but as I said before , it’s a matter of determination, decisiveness and concentration. You have to put a lot of things together because it’s not just about starting and seeing what happens. You actually have to maintain control of the bike. This makes me realize that, step by step, we’re figuring out where the danger lies, where I can push the Aprilia and where I can’t, finding the limit. Today, for example, we raced with a different setup. We changed it without testing it first, so I was a bit shocked, since I’m still learning to manage that limit.”
How would you rate the start?
“It was really exciting. When you’re at the back and find yourself in the middle of all that chaos, you almost have to say, ‘Go ahead…’ But yeah, I was a bit shocked, especially when I found myself in fifth or sixth. I told myself: “Wow, now you have to bring it home somehow. Even if Pecco catches you, stay calm and don’t change a thing.” The truth is, I was completely focused. I wasn’t thinking about anything; I was just riding. The moment I started thinking a bit more, I also began making a few mistakes in the last three or four laps.”
As for qualifying, is there room for improvement?
“I need to work hard on the one-lap pace, because today, yes, I managed to do something special, but tomorrow there’s the full race, and at other circuits it’ll be much harder to pull it off.”
What are your expectations for tomorrow?
“We’ll have to see tomorrow. I hope to be 100% ready to compete, ready for whatever weather conditions may arise.I know it will be the same for everyone, but it will still be a difficult day.”
Can you try a start like that?
“No. More than anything, at the start everyone tries to line up, and everyone has their own line. But I was hoping to make up ground, and in the end I recovered even more than I thought I would”.
No one imagined a pace like that.
“I knew my potential was much higher. For example, this morning I was lapping in 1’30”8 on tyres that already had twenty laps on them. It’s true that conditions improved a lot today. I didn’t expect to get down to 1’30”5, but right from the first lap I saw I had a fantastic tyre. In other races I hadn’t been able to make the most of it, but here I did.”
Is there a passage from the Bible that inspired you for this comeback?
“Today I read: ‘What is impossible for men is not impossible for God.’ An apostle said that… I don’t remember which one. Every day I read a verse, and today the message was that everything is possible.”