Jorge Martin hospitalized in Barcelona test session crash

The 2024 world champion started the weekend just one point off the championship lead, currently held by his Aprilia teammate Marco Bezzechi, and was looking strong on Friday until a brutal crash at Turn 12. Martin slid through the short run-off area and directly into his bike which had already slammed into the air fence, seemingly hitting it head-first.

Martin was visibly shaken by the crash and struggled to remain upright as he stumbled back to his garage to get a brief medical check-up. He was then cleared to resume the session and even did a practice start despite suffering from a mild concussion.

Further evidence that he was being affected by the Friday crash showed up on Saturday when Martin again crashed in both qualifying and the sprint race. He was then taken out of a very solid P2 during Sunday's race by satellite teammate Raul Fernandez after the second red flag incident of the day.

Now, during Monday's Barcelona test, Martin once again crashed, this time at the high speed Turn 7, and has been taken to hospital as a result. While preliminary examinations appeared to show no fractures to the injured left elbow and right leg, he will remain in hospital for further evaluation.

Aprilia have decided to withdraw from the remainder of the test.

Jorge Martin wasn't the only rider to experience a terrible Barcelona weekend. Both Alex Marquez and Johann Zarco were hospitalized for their separate horrific incidents. Thankfully, both riders have since shared positive updates via social media and appear to be on the road to recovery.

Alex Marquez had looked strong throughout the weekend, picking up a sprint victory after an impressive and close-run battle with KTM's Pedro Acosta. However, on Sunday, a mechanical issue on Acosta's bike caused him to slow right in front of Marquez on the back-straight, resulting in a massive and horrific crash for the Gresini rider which ultimately broke a vertebrae in his neck along with his collar bone.

Honda's fan-favourite Frenchman Johann Zarco was also involved in a grizzly incident on the race restart after the initial red flag. After locking up his front break and crashing into both Luca Marini and Francesco Bagnaia, Zarco's leg then got stuck between the seat and rear wheel of Bagnaia's bike as it alligator-rolled through the gravel at Turn 1. Amazingly, Zarco's seemingly mangled leg only resulted in a broken fibula.