Michelin hit back at suggestion Jorge Martin test crash caused by tyre fault

Michelin’s Piero Taramasso says “there are no problems” with the tyres Aprilia’s Jorge Martin was using when he crashed heavily on day one of the Sepang MotoGP test.

The reigning world champion crashed twice in quick succession early on day one of the Sepang pre-season test, with the second a vicious highside that left him with multiple fractures.

The injuries ruled Martin out of the remainder of the test and have jeopardised the rest of his pre-season as he heads home for surgery on Friday in Spain.

Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola told the media on Wednesday that the team’s data showed there were no issues with the rider or the bike, and that the tyres he used were in the correct operating window.

Stopping short of blaming Michelin directly for the crash, Taramasso has defended the tyre manufacturer by stating its own investigations found no problems with Martin’s rubber.

“When there are these accidents we always have to look for the reason and logically the tyres are part of the bike and the whole system,” he told Sky Italy on Thursday.

“We looked at Jorge's rear tyre: as far as traceability is concerned, this tyre was manufactured last year, it was never heated and therefore had all the qualities to be a high-performance tyre and that's why we brought it here.

“We looked at the tyre after the runs that Jorge did and it worked well: you can see it from the look, it worked both left and right.

“When tyres don't work they always have that shiny, smooth look and that wasn't the case for Jorge's tyre.

“Then also analysing the lap times: he did a run for the first four-five laps on the times of the other riders, in the second run he was faster than riders like [Francesco] Bagnaia and [Brad] Binder.

“And then he had the two crashes: it's a bit strange that he kept it for 13 laps; usually when a tyre doesn't work the riders come back and ask to change it after two-three laps.

“And as Massimo Rivola rightly said, the pressures and temperatures were fine.

“Everything was working well from a tyre point of view. For us, from what we have seen so far and the data we have, there are no problems.”

Despite the fractures, Aprilia confirmed on Thursday that Martin had suffered no serious injuries and the marque is hopeful he will be ready for the first round of the season in Thailand at the end of the month.

Should Martin miss the second test in Buriram next week, he will begin his first season with the factory Aprilia squad and as reigning world champion having completed only 90 laps on the RS-GP.