The MotoGP pilots described the accident of Jorge Martín as “rare” and “strange” during the first day of testing in Sepang. The incident occurred in curve 2, where Martín experienced a ‘highside’ and was thrown off his motorcycle, landing violently on the asphalt. As a result, there was initial uncertainty about the cause of the accident.
Aprilia quickly apologized to Martín, with Massimo Rivola, the CEO of the Racing Department, stating that “neither the pilot nor the team has failed.” Rivola expressed his confusion about the incident, saying “I don’t know what happened.” This was before Martín underwent surgery on his right hand.
In the evening, Rivola made some accusations, suggesting that the single tire supplier, Michelin, might be responsible for the accident. He stated that the tires were at the right temperature, making the accident “inexplicable.” Rivola asked Michelin to provide the history of the tire in question, expressing concern that it might have been stored for eleven months.
Michelin responded to Rivola’s comments, with Piero Taramasso defending the tire. He claimed that “the rubber was fine” and that it had been manufactured the previous year, stored in a container at the right temperature.
However, after further investigation and data analysis with Aprilia, Taramasso provided an updated explanation for the incident. He revealed that the internal sensor of the tire showed a temperature about 15 degrees below the normal range of 90 to 100 degrees, which was the temperature recorded for Marco Bezzecchi’s tires.
Taramasso could not determine the exact cause of this temperature drop, suggesting that it could be due to various reasons such as less heat than usual, the motorcycle having returned to the box after a first fall, or an issue with the heater. He concluded that further investigation is necessary to determine the root cause of the incident.