Jorge Martin’s Aprilia replacement “not 100%” ahead of COTA MotoGP comeback
Lorenzo Savadori will be at Americas GP after missing Argentina round with injury
Jorge Martin’s Aprilia MotoGP replacement Lorenzo Savadori admits he is “not 100%” ahead of the Americas Grand Prix after injury forced him out of the Argentina GP.
With reigning world champion Jorge Martin sidelined indefinitely after fracturing his wrist in a training incident ahead of the opening round of 2025, Aprilia has relied on test rider Lorenzo Savadori to take his place in the factory garage.
However, the 31-year-old suffered a partial shoulder dislocation during qualifying for the Argentina GP, which forced him to pull out of the sprint before the chequered flag.
Aprilia elected to scratch him for the grand prix to allow him to begin his recovery ahead of the Americas GP, after Martin confirmed during the Argentina weekend that he would also miss the COTA event.
Ahead of his debut at the Texan venue, Savadori admits he hasn’t recovered fully from his Argentina injury.
“Just like Argentina, Austin is a track where I’ve never ridden, and it is known to be a tough and rather physically demanding circuit,” Savadori said.
“After my injury in Argentina, I’m still not at 100% fitness, but I’ll continue to give it my all.
“I can’t wait to try out this fantastic track and continue development on the RS-GP25 to improve it even more.”
All eyes are on Aprilia this weekend coming to Austin following its win with Maverick Vinales at the circuit last season.
It marked the only time Ducati was defeated in a grand prix throughout the entire 2024 campaign.
Marco Bezzecchi’s solid start to life as a factory Aprilia rider was interrupted by a Turn 1 collision with Fabio Quartararo in Argentina that took the former out on the spot.
He was assessed an official warning for the crash as it was a first offence.
Looking ahead to the Americas GP, Bezzecchi says: “I'm happy to go to Austin, especially because I want to make up for the last race.
“It will be a challenging track, the most physically demanding on the MotoGP calendar, but I'm very motivated.
“I'm really looking forward to this weekend with my team - we're getting to know each other better and things are moving in the right direction.”
