29/03/2026

Jorge Martin’s “full send” celebration ends in wheelie crash after US GP sprint win

Jorge Martin says he suspected a crash was inevitable as he attempted a wheelie on the in-lap following his victory in the United States Grand Prix sprint.

The Spaniard was celebrating his first win since his title-winning 2024 campaign when he bizarrely fell off his Aprilia on the back straight.

Martin lifted the front of the bike in the air in front of the packed Austin crowd, but as the wheel touched the ground, he lost control and hit the deck.

The 28-year-old was left with his head in his hands after the incident, but was able to walk away uninjured and return to the paddock.

“It was full send,” he told the media, including Motorsport.com. “With the wheelie, I knew I was going to crash at some point.

“I wheelied in second gear, third gear, I saw it [the bike] wasn’t coming up, so I couldn’t control the front.

“[I reached] fourth gear, and then as soon as I touched the ground, I just crashed.

“I’m sorry for the team. But today, they will be happy to work. So, no issues.”

Comeback charge

Although Martin had been in fine form since the start of the season, a victory in the sprint race at Austin seemed unlikely after he could only qualify seventh on Saturday morning, more than half a second off polesitter Fabio di Giannantonio.

After rising to second in the early stages of the race, he was overtaken by team-mate Marco Bezzecchi on lap 7, all but ending his chances of chasing long-time leader Francesco Bagnaia for the win.

However, an inspired decision to race with the more durable medium rear tyre paid dividends towards the end and, after Bezzecchi crashed out with three laps to go, he rapidly reeled in his 2024 rival Bagnaia.

Martin eventually sent his bike up the inside of the Ducati at Turn 12 and completed the move to score his victory in over 500 days.

When Bagnaia was asked about Martin’s victory celebrations, the two-time MotoGP champion quipped: “It’s been a long time since I’ve done a wheelie. My team made a bike [with which] I cannot [do a] wheelie. I don’t know this kind of feeling.”

Martin isn’t the first rider to suffer a similar crash. At the start of the 2025 pre-season testing in Sepang, VR46 di Giannantonio sustained a fracture to his left collarbone while performing a wheelie.

Martin’s long road to recovery

Martin endured a brutal, injury-ridden 2025 season after leaving a familiar surrounding at Pramac Ducati in favour of a factory ride at Aprilia.

The long recovery left him struggling physically and mentally, as he went from winning the championship to visiting the hospital on a regular basis.

Reflecting on that period, Martin said: “You cannot understand how deep I was last season, how disconnected from this world, from MotoGP, and I really didn’t want to come back. And now I’m here.

“I’m so happy and so thankful to Aprilia. They are helping me a lot to reach my level again. So thank you very much.”

Having undergone two surgeries over the winter to fully recover from his 2025 injuries, Martin admitted he is still not fully fit.

“Physically, we worked quite well yesterday. I was in pain in the evening, but the inflammation was coming down.

“This morning I was feeling super good. Now I feel quite a lot of pain on my left hand.

“I think the effort was huge. I was pushing all the laps until the end. When I saw I was able to win, I gave my 110%.

“So now we have a lot of work again to get rid of this inflammation and be ready tomorrow.”