Jorge Martín: "I ran with iron in my body, I broke nine bones, I doubted whether to continue running…"

On November 26, with 22 laps left in the MotoGP World Championship, Jorge Martín (Madrid, 1998) said goodbye to his fight for the title with Pecco Bagnaia after going off the asphalt. The pressure, nerves and desire played tricks on him and the championship disappeared in a millisecond. However, the year of the Spanish rider, the first from Madrid to win a World Championship (Moto3) in one of the major motorcycling categories, has been historic.. With a satellite motorcycle he has put the Italian's official Ducati in check and has finally made a place for himself in the elite. He reflects everything in a talk with EL MUNDO.

How difficult has it been to mentally manage the last World Cup races and that game with Bagnaia? Surely now you are much more prepared for the future. It has been more complicated than I expected. At first I thought I could fight for the World Cup, but when I was there everything changed. I noticed the pressure, I noticed that things were becoming much more complicated, my character changed a lot…. But in the end it is an experience for the future. Surely the next time I find myself in this situation I will know how to handle it better, but it has been a fun championship. I have always gotten along well with Pecco and I think it has been nice to go from being teammates in Moto3 to fighting in MotoGP. There have been moments of tension, like in Valencia, when we were stung, but in the end everything is a hug, he deserved it more than me because he achieved it. What is it like growing up next to Jarama? It has been important to feel from below Since I was little, the sound of motorcycles. It has given me something in my blood that has helped me fight to be a motorcycle racer. Did your enthusiasm come from there? No, no. It was my father. My father was the one who brought that hobby home. Since I was little I went to see him race, always at an amateur level, and thanks to my father and the effort he put in every day I was able to achieve my dream. Your first motorcycle. I remember it, and I still have it, which is even more beautiful. We could have brought her here. It was a Chinese minibike, one of those that you buy at the fair for four dollars, it was given to me when I was six years old, by Reyes.. But I remember her with great affection.. I have it at home and I remember some falls with it. The first day I remember I was wearing jeans, knee pads and a helmet and I fell two or three times.. But I didn't get hurt and I continued with the hope of continuing riding a motorcycle.. You are the first world champion from Madrid (in Moto3), something that may be more important than it seems. What does that mean for the Madrid engine, where it seems that the drivers all come from the Mediterranean? I think it was an important first step.. It is clear that there are other Federations that perhaps help or promote youth more, such as Valencia or Catalonia, and I think it has been a good step to set an example, to say that “yes it is possible” despite being from Madrid, that it may not be possible. It has the same facilities but it can be achieved. It seems that you can do a Formula 1 GP in Madrid, would you like a MotoGP one? The truth is that for me it would be incredible to be able to race in Madrid. Obviously the Jarama right now for a MotoGP would be unviable, but it would be super special. I have never thought about it, but it would be incredible to be able to run at home, with my family and friends, and I hope one day it can happen.. How hard have your parents tried? Everything and more, they exceeded their own limits. Maybe I was a child and I didn't understand it at the time because it was a hobby for me, but the effort they have put into this dream that we have achieved now…. I have no words of gratitude. An example could be that they were both unemployed and that we had to ask my family for money to continue fighting, I'm talking about 500 euros a month. Then I will never be able to repay them for everything they have done for me. What advice would you give to a kid who is just starting out on motorcycles? It is difficult to give advice, but maybe it is taking advantage of opportunities. You never know in what career they may be watching you, that there may be a person who has to hold your hand and encourage you to continue growing. In my case it was my manager Albert Valera, without whom I surely would not be here today. Where does the nickname 'Martinator' come from? From that spirit that I have to get injured, run again, get injured, run again… And to run with iron in my body, which has happened to me more than once. In Moto3 I broke my spoke, after 5 days I was on the bike and finished on the podium. So when I ran with that iron, well Terminator… Martinator… My father gave it to me with a friend of his.. At first I didn't like it but in the end it gained strength (laughs). What is the moment in your life when you say “I can dedicate myself to this”? The truth is that I have always been quite pessimistic in this sense. When I was winning the Red Bull Rookies Cup I didn't know if I would one day become a MotoGP rider. And then I would say that the moment is the first year in Gresini, I'm talking about the third year in Moto3, which is when I started winning races and that's when I saw that maybe I could dedicate myself to this. Before it was all an uncertainty, I was there, I made some podiums, but I didn't finish exploding. And that year was when I started dreaming of reaching MotoGP. What has been your worst moment? In the 2021 Portimao GP. After a great moment, making the podium in my second race in MotoGP, I fell, breaking nine bones, I hesitated whether to continue running… That was the most complicated moment of my career. When you considered leaving, did you have a Plan B? No, it was a fall into the void. And maybe that prompted me to continue. This is not just passion and having a good time, there is a lot of work, sacrifice and discipline, but it has never worried me. I could have had time to study, I could have dedicated myself to anything else… But in the end I decided well. His documentary has just been released on DAZN. What will people find when they see it? A more personal side of me. They will see my roots, where I come from, they will be able to give their opinion more clearly about me, which I think until now has been difficult for certain people to give their opinion about me… It is a good way to get to know me better. Next up, the official bike? Next year we will continue in Pramac but in 2025… 99% official motorcycle. I have transformed that decision they made into motivation and I think I have more than demonstrated the potential I have, so 2025 I don't know where, but surely with an official motorcycle.