Jorge Martin: "Even on one of my good days, it was impossible to beat Marc Marquez

Jorge Martin said it was “impossible to beat” Marc Marquez at Japan’s MotoGP round even on one of his “good days.” Martin, 28, attacked early after Aprilia delivered a notably improved bike at Motegi, and he led from the front following pole position. But Marquez passed him just before the halfway point at Turn 9, and although Martin tried to stay with him and made no major mistakes, he gradually dropped back to finish 1.363 seconds behind in second. For Marquez, Motegi marked his sixth win in nine weekends and fifth double success, closing the gap to just two points behind championship leader Martin. Martin said he had to manage fuel consumption and that Marquez had “something else” all weekend.