Jorge Martin has called for urgent safety improvements at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya after a terrifying crash during Friday's opening practice for the Catalan Grand Prix left the reigning MotoGP champion with a concussion.
The 28-year-old Spaniard lost the front end of his Aprilia at Turn 12, a high-speed right-hander that has long been a point of concern for riders. As his bike slammed into the air fence and bounced back into the gravel trap, Martin found himself with precious little run-off area to slow his momentum. He struck the front fairing of his own machine and was visibly shaken as he climbed to his feet.
Rushed to the medical center for evaluation, MotoGP's chief doctor confirmed Martin was "slightly concussed" and had sustained bruising to his left forearm. Though he was later cleared to participate in practice starts at the end of the session, the incident has reignited a critical conversation about rider safety at this iconic but challenging circuit.
For Martin, the crash carried an especially haunting resonance. It immediately brought to mind the tragic 2016 accident that claimed the life of Moto2 rider Luis Salom at that very same corner. "I don't really like to say it, but it reminds me a lot about Luis Salom," Martin admitted. "When I was crashing, I thought about him straight away. Luckily, the bike turned so I went into the fairing and not the handlebars or other pieces. For sure, it's a place where they need to improve because it's really dangerous."
The crash unfolded during a routine warm-up lap, as Martin attempted to get heat into his tires on a chilly Barcelona morning. "I had more lean angle and more brake than the lap before, but I was relaxed—I wasn't pushing," he explained. "We struggled a lot to put temperature into the front in the morning. The evening was very good, but the morning was tough. If you don't push, you don't warm up, and then it never stops."
As the MotoGP paddock digests yet another close call at Turn 12, Martin's call for extended run-off areas serves as a stark reminder that even the world's best riders remain vulnerable when track limits leave no room for error. For fans and riders alike, safety improvements can't come soon enough.