Jorge Martin to Miss the MotoGP Season Opener

Aprilia Racing has confirmed that Jorge Martin will miss the opening Thai GP round for his MotoGP title defense. Martin injured his hand in a preseason testing incident and will undergo surgery this week to correct the issue. This surgery is separate from his previous injury sustain on day one of the Sepang test earlier this year. He will be temporarily replaced by Lorenzo Savadori for the first round while he recovers. There are no current estimates on rehabilitation time as of yet.

Aprilia Racing has announced that Jorge Martin’s rehabilitation is going according to plan ahead of the Thai Grand Prix season opener. Martin suffered hand and foot injuries during the Sepang Test that omitted his participation in this weekend’s sessions at Chang International Circuit in Thailand. Unfortunately for Martin, his title defense may come with an certain start as we will no know his true status until practice kicks off next weekend.

Martin’s suffered a closed fracture of the fifth metacarpal head of the right hand and a closed fracture of the third, fourth and fifth metatarsals of the left foot after his crash. with just under a month of recovery it is yet to be determine whether enough time has passed for him to heal enough to compete at 100% health. We will report more as this story develops in the coming week.

As Marc Marquez heads into the 2025 MotoGP season he has ignited a media frenzy. Marquez set the fastest lap in the Thailand Test this week. Marquez who is now racing for the factory Ducati Lenovo MotoGP team made a statement by setting a 1m28.855 lap. He topped FP2 and FP3 but a shift in testing priorities for the final session saw him fall down the time tables which Marco Bezzecchi topped after FP4, but with a slower time.

Marquez said, “The most important thing is to have completed the very long to do list we had at the beginning of these five days of testing. I’m happy, I have the confidence I wanted on the bike and we worked hard and well with the whole Team. We still need to sort out a couple of things, but I’m satisfied and can’t wait to get back here for the race. The goal was to have a balanced bike, we succeeded and this is the reason that pushed us to make some conservative technical decisions. I did a long run simulation and we are competitive even after 23 laps done at 3pm in the afternoon heat.”

Ducati Lenovo Team Technical Director Davide Barana Offered His Thoughts

Barana said, “We are satisfied with the performance both on the time attack and the race simulations seen at Sepang and here at Buriram. A very challenging 5 days of testing. We had a lot of material to test, but starting from an extremely competitive base, we preferred to adopt a prudent approach. I have to say that both riders gave very precise feedbacks, this helped us a lot in setting the bikes for the first race and decide which upgrades to postpone instead.” 

Ducati has emerged as the dominant manufacturers so far in 2025. The teams will aim to be ready for the season opener, the Thailand Grand Prix which will take place in 2 weeks time.

The Sepang Shakedown kicked off the pre season testing events before the teams head into official testing for the 2025 MotoGP season. The top performing rookie was Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) who finished 4th fastest and 4 tenths behind former MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo. Quartararo participated in the shakedown to test out a new chassis from Yamaha. Despite rumors of a new V4 from Yamaha there was no evidence of this type of engine build.

Shakedown Results

After the long Winter break the wait is now over and MotoGP has returned. This weekend MotoGP will host the Sepang Shakedown testing event as the first opportunity for certain riders to see track time on their 2025 machinery. The Shakedown was design to provide MotoGP rookies with more time on track before the Official Test begins in a few weeks time. The idea is to provide the rookies with an extra heads up on the pace and technical demands required to perform at this level.

In addition, in an effort to balance performance MotoGP also has instituted the concession rules. The concession system arose in 2023 as means to balance the playing field in MotoGP and not allow bigger teams to have a sustained advantage. Based on these allowances the Shakedown currently allows Honda and Yamaha to utilize their unlimited test days allowance to try and bridge the performance gap to their competitors. Household names such as Fabio Quartararo, Alex Rins, Miguel Oliveira and Jack Miller taking part in some of the Shakedown will be participating in the test.

MotoGP Rookies

 Ai Ogura; Trackhouse MotoGP

Fermin Aldeguer; Gresini Racing’s 

Somkiat Chantra; Idemitsu Honda LCR

In a shell shock announcement earlier this year KTM announced that the company was 4 billion dollar in debt with no way to offset the deficit. The company announced it would go through a period of self administration where they will hash out which assets are to be retained and which are to be sold off to give the manufacturer the best chance to survive. It appear that CFMoto the Chinese manufacturer that builds certain models of motorcycles for KTM may be interested in investment for a stake in the company. There are also rumors that the company has secured new funding that will help them carry on through the company reorganization.

Despite early reports that the KTM MotoGP team would forgo the 2025 season. That does not appear to be the case as the team released the 2025 liveries for riders Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder will assume duties on the factory team while former Ducati rider Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales will race under the Tech 3 banner.

Words from the Factory Team Riders

Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing: “It is crazy to think that this is my sixth season in MotoGP already. To be honest 2024 was the year where I probably learnt the most. Coming into 2025 I feel that it has made me a much better rider. My goal for the season is to take what I learnt and make that step forward to fight with the guys at the front. We are not far. We finished 2nd in the Constructors championship so we have one left in front of us. When I see how hard people are working at the factory and how much energy there is behind the scenes it is clear we are going to get there.”

Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing: “For sure, 2024 was a good year, and we still have some goals that we keep in the pocket. I learned how to control a race, and how to adapt to MotoGP. It was a dream come true coming to the factory team after being in Moto3 and Moto2. Also having Brad as a teammate and helping develop the bike will be a very good point. It will help that he has a lot of experience in the class and I think we will make a good match together.

The two main important points for 2025 will be the qualifying and then the first few laps of the race. Last year we saw that we had pace to fight for podiums or wins but we were struggling during qualifying. So, these two points will be the most important things to improve during this season.”

Words from the Tech3 Team Riders

Enea Bastianini, Red Bull KTM Tech3: “I’m very curious for this season. We have to stay calm at the start because it’s important to understand the bike and the team. But I’m motivated and I think that about the third or fourth race we can be competitive. When I tried the bike I understood all the potential and it’s impressive how you can go on the edge of the corner and how the gearbox is faster, it’s so fast. So, yeah, I’m very impressed.”

Maverick Viñales, Red Bull KTM Tech3: “To wear the Red Bull KTM colors feels very good. Since I’ve been a kid I’ve seen them on motocross, on racing…so, it’s a dream team for me. My first thought of the KTM RC16 was: “wow, this is a beast, it’s fast!”. I remember in Montmelo it was very fast, and this is important in the new MotoGP era, as most of the race are the first five-six laps.

The first year when you go to a new bike, you need to be always concentrated, always open to new experiences. Every time you go to a new track it’s a completely different experience from the previous years so you have to have an open mentality and be very focused, so my objective is to be focused and to be able to perform at my maximum. The good thing is that as soon as I jump on the KTM it feels like home. It’s a bike that I like, that suits my riding style, entering the corner. So, this is a very important thing.”

Ducati Corse has announced a new partnership with Eternoo for the 2025 and 2026 MotoGP seasons.

The following was not written by Speed Trap Magazine Staff

From the Ducati Lenovo Press Release

Bologna, January 28th 2025 – Ducati Corse and Eternoo are happy to announce a new and prestigious partnership. Eternoo will be an Official Partner of the Ducati Lenovo Team for the 2025 and 2026 seasons in the MotoGP World Championship. The Eternoo logo will be on the fairing of the bikes of Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Márquez, as well as on the arm of the Spanish rider suit.

The synergy between Ducati Corse and Eternoo arises from sharing values ​​that have made Ducati famous all over the world: speed, performance and innovation. In the same way, Eternoo supports every day thousands of companies that build Italy fast, with competitive products, innovative services and advanced digital solutions. Both companies were born in the Emilian area: Eternoo is based in Modena, in the heart of the Motor Valley, and confirms itself as the Italian leader in its field thanks to 650 collaborators and 70 stores.

This partnership marks an important milestone for Eternoo for communicating the values ​​shared with Ducati and attract new talents. Thanks to a huge growth plan, the company is investing in a large employer branding project, supported by a dedicated Academy. We are creating professional growth spaces for collaborators, customers, commercial partners and students, bringing together people and ideas to recruit the best sales people and managers to contribute to the transformation of the Italian building industry. Eternoo has always supported sport and the territory: like Ducati, it was born in Bologna and has its own store in Borgo Panigale, the historic headquarters of the Bolognese motorcycle manufacturer.

The start of the 2025 season is upon us and it promises to be unprecedented an full of emotions.

Words from the Team

Mauro Grassilli (Ducati Corse Sporting Director)
“I want to really thank Federico for believing in our project. We are truly happy to welcome Eternoo into the Ducati world and we are proud to have this excellence deeply linked to our territory at our side. This partnership is based on shared values that link our companies, as dedication to work and innovative vision”.

Federico Nessi (Eternoo Spa CEO)
“Eternoo is thrilled to support the Ducati Lenovo Team in the great challenges that await Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Márquez in both 2025 and 2026 seasons. Seeing our logo alongside such a prestigious brand is a pride for all the people who work with us, and we are sure for our stakeholders too and then from customers to suppliers. We are happy to show to the public our extended logo, and the monogram that combines the ‘E’ of Eternoo (and Edilizia) with the infinity symbol, underlining how constructions could be eternal. I like to believe that our collaborators will feel like ‘Ducati riders’ every day, ready to race for facing our customers problems and win the challenges that our beautiful field presents us daily”.

Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP welcomed a new partnership today with the first Winter test right around the corner in 10 days time. The move will see Alpine, the seasoned automotive brand join as a main partner in the organization. Prima Pramac Racing won its first rider’s championship with Jorge Martin in 2024.

Words from the Team

Paolo Campinoti, Team Principal, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP
“I am very proud of the start of this long-term collaboration with Alpine, a historic brand that is now also a major player in F1. This is the first time that a manufacturer present in the world’s premier racing series has made such an important entry into MotoGP, and the fact that it has chosen Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP to do so is proof of what we have built over these years. Pramac Racing and Alpine are two realities that live competition in a dynamic, fresh and enthusiastic way, united by a passion for challenges: the one that, after winning the Team (2023) and Rider (2024) World Championships in the last two seasons, has now led Prima Pramac Racing to join Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. in a very ambitious multi-year project; and the one of Alpine, which has inaugurated its 100% electric ‘Dream Garage’ in 2024”.

Antonino Labate, Director of Sales, Marketing and Customer Experience, Alpine
“In addition to F1 and the World Endurance Championship, Alpine is strengthening its presence in Motorsport by becoming involved in the MotoGP World Championship, alongside the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP team. This alliance will create new experiences for customers and fans passionate about motorsport. Alpine and Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP share common values, of course, but more importantly, the same spirit. We are constantly striving for better performance”.

The unveiling of Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP will take place in just a few days, on January
31st at 19:45 local time (11.45 CET) at the prestigious W Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
with a live streaming on www.pramacracing.com and the team’s official Instagram account
(@pramacracing). This event will mark the beginning of a new era for the team as they take their
place at the forefront of MotoGP, equipped with new ambition, a strengthened partnership with
Yamaha, and the exciting backing of Alpine.

Former MotoAmerica racer Rossi Moor inked a new deal for 2025 that will see him compete in the FIM Moto2 Junior Cup in 2025. He will join Révész Racing, whose owner is Bálint Révész, , who considers the young rider one of the biggest up-and-coming talents of the moto racing world.

Moor said “I am very happy to have shown in the last two races of the FIM JuniorGP Moto2 in 2024 that I deserve a place in the team and I would like to thank the whole MMR team for the trust they have shown me for the future. My preparation program for the next season starts already next week and I am very lucky that it will all happen in Spain, where I currently live with my family and manager. I would also like to thank John and Chris Ulrich for giving me the opportunity to continue my career on the road to MotoGP. I would also like to thank Mr. Révész, Mr. Bálint and Stefano Favaro, who worked very hard to make this all happen and supported me in my racing career. Last but not least, I thank my father, my younger brother, and all members of the management.”

The 2024 MotoGP champion has been crowned. Jorge Martin did what most thought was impossible in modern MotoGP and won the championship with a satellite team. Pramac Racing claimed the championship after Jorge Martin entered the final race of the season with a 19 point lead after Francesco Bagnaia won yesterday’s sprint race. Despite finishing third in the final race of the season Martin cover the spread in points that he needed to make Bagnaia’s Double win in the Grand Prix obsolete.

Despite the failed effort Bagnaia said, “We knew from the start that it would have been difficult to turn things around, but we still did what we had to do. Jorge did a good job and the center stage is all for him today, he really is a great rider. We proved our worth this year and our numbers confirm it; in the future we will surely have to minimize the mistakes and DNFs, which are in any case a part of this sport. Each season is important and there’s nothing wrong with losing; it was still a 2024 full of satisfaction, despite the final result. We’ll give it another go next year.”

Race Results