Jorge Martin had a disastrous 2025, injured before the start of the MotoGP season and then badly hurt early on the tour during his initial return to action for the works Aprilia team in Quatar. Barely back in shape for the end of the last season, he then missed much of the off-season’s schedule testing due to the need for further reconstructive surgery.
But at the Red Bull American Grand Prix at Texas, Martin continued his recent strong form, charging through ten laps of Saturday’s Tissot Sprint and picking off former Ducati team-mate Pecco Bagnaia with a tough but fair pass for first on the brakes with a lap to go. It marked Martin’s first win for Aprilia, although the effort was spoiled when he crashed doing a wheelie on the cool off lap!
(Martin is heavily rumored to be leaving Aprilia at the end of this season to start off next season’s new rules era with a different manufacturer.)
On the first lap, the big crowd were dismayed when long time Texas Top Gun and hero Marc Marquez made a mess of a pass for a top four spot against pole sitter Fabio Di Giannantonio, taking them both out of the race. New rules meant Marquez had to go behind the guar rail to an access road to attempt to restart his Desmo, and re then rejoined and lapped at the back, a book end to Bagnaia who lead almost all of the race.
Bagnaia took the move that lost him the lead well, since his choice for the softer rear Michelin slick option was probably not ideal – many wondered how the available rubber would live through the event, including in tomorrow’s longer 20 lap main event. Still, Pecco was less than a second behind the winner at the line.
Sprint races are often processional, but the Texas event was a thriller, with Pedro Acosta making it up to third on the top works Red Bull KTM, 2.5 seconds behind the winning Aprilia, making it three different manufacturers on the Podium.
Fourth went to the satellite Tech 3 squad’s KTM with Enea Bastianini aboard, also close to Acosta in front after a spirted dice. Fifth went to the BK8 Gresini works Ducati of Alex Marquez who held off the Castrol Honda of Luca Marini by less than two seconds. Marinis’ result confirmed Honda’s ongoing return to form in their post-World Champ Marc Marquez era.
Seventh was an in-house dispute between the impressive Trackhouse Aprilias of Ai Ogura and Raul Fernandez, with the duo placing in that order, just over a second apart. Continuing Honda’s return to form was Johann Zarco in ninth ahead of Fermin Aldeguer’s Gresini Ducati.
The top Yamaha was Monster’s former World Champ Fabio Quartararo in 11th; while reigning World Superbike Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu crashed his Prima Pramac Yamaha on lap six.
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