MotoGP, Martin: “I came close to stopping due to a lack of funds”

It’s no secret that the world of motorsport is an expensive one, to the extent that many promising riders are forced to quit at a very young age due to a lack of budget. Though less costly than car racing, motorcycling still requires real sacrifice on the part of a rider’s family, particularly in the early years, as well as a touch of luck in terms of being able to stand out and develop into a successful rider.

 

Martin: from almost having to quit, to the world title

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And this was the case for Jorge Martin, who is now one of the big names in MotoGP where he competes for the Prima Pramac Ducati team. He is also a Moto3 title winner, having lifted the trophy with team Gresini. But in the early years, he almost found himself having to quit. The Spaniard makes this admission while participating in the Nude Project podcast: “As I child you don’t worry about the financial side, but I now know that my parents and entire family made big sacrifices to have me race early on.”

“Racing bikes was always my dream, but I didn’t think I could become a professional rider, considering that I already came close to having to stop as a youngster”, continues Jorge. “If they hadn’t selected me for the Red Bull Rookies Cup, I’d have stopped racing due to a lack of funds. Luckily it all went well and I even went on to become world champion, but it wasn’t an easy time for me”.

 

“80% of riders who reach a high level are doing well financially”

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“Once I finally became a professional rider, I never had to pay for anything, and this makes me feel privileged. Consider how 80% of those who reach a high level are doing well financially”, admits Martin. “As an example, a kid of 14 or 15 who comes to Moto3 needs his parents to pay roughly 200,000 euro per season. Sure, we’re not at the level of car racing and F1, but we’re not far off either”.