Martin to miss Sepang MotoGP test for Aprilia

Aprilia has announced that 2024 MotoGP champion Jorge Martin will miss the first pre-season test of the year at Sepang next week.

As reported by Autosport earlier this month, Martin will sit out the three-day test in Malaysia on 3-5 February after undergoing two more surgeries in the winter to treat the injuries he had suffered during a wretched 2025 campaign.

While the Spaniard will not be riding the RS-GP in the Sepang test, the Spaniard will still travel to Malaysia on Sunday to join Aprilia at the test and take part in MotoGP’s official launch event in Kuala Lumpur on 7 February.

Although all of Martin’s accidents were immediately treated, the recovery was not progressing as expected, forcing doctors to perform two more operations on him.

The first surgery was to correct the injury he sustained to the scaphoid bone in his left hand last February. The second surgery focused on his right collarbone, which he broke during the sprint race at Motegi in September.

Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Aprilia Racing

Aprilia had not disclosed the surgeries when Martin appeared in Milan on 15 January for the team’s 2026 launch event.

This is the second time in two years that Martin’s preparations for a new season have been affected by injuries. Last year, he suffered fractures to his left foot and right hand on the opening day of testing at Sepang, before hurting himself again during training while preparing for his return at the Thai Grand Prix.

This time, the 27-year-old is targeting a comeback at the Buriram test on 21–22 February. If he is fit to ride, he will have just two days of track time before the season begins at the same Thai venue on 1 March.

Aprilia has again called in its test rider Lorenzo Savadori to substitute for Martin at the Sepang test, with the Italian having filled the same role for the bulk of last year. Savadori will also be in action for Aprilia during this week’s shakedown at Sepang from 29-31 January, which will only be open to test riders and rookies.