Jorge Martin praised after return to scene of his horror crash

Jorge Martin’s victory at the Portuguese MotoGP was all the more impressive because it was at the scene which he admits changed his life.

Three years ago, Martin crashed at Portimao and required surgery on his ankle and wrist after suffering multiple fractures.

There were no sign of nerves when Martin clambered to the top of the MotoGP standings at the second round of this season last weekend.

“Jorge nearly ended his career here,” Sylvain Guintoli said on TNT Sports.

“In his first year in MotoGP he had a massive crash at Turn 7.

“Multiple fractures, he was sidelined for a long time. It took him a while to come back to full fitness.

“For a rider coming back to a place where you got hurt, mentally it is difficult.

“It’s difficult to feel confident. When you go through that corner, mentally you have a bit of doubt.

“For Jorge, this is a really strong statement which will do his confidence good.

“It was high, anyway! Watch out for Jorge this year.”

Martin, speaking after his comeback from the horror crash in 2021, admitted that he feared the Portimao circuit.

“When I knew we were coming back to Portimao, I was a bit scared because, at the end of the day, it changed my life a bit,” he said.

“After this crash I didn’t know if I could be back on the bike again.

“I need to face this fear and face the problem I have here.”

Memories of his terrible crash are now in the far-flung distance.

The Pramac Ducati rider sits on top of MotoGP after winning the Portuguese grand prix, and looks set to fight for the title again.