Jorge Martin has called for improvements to safety at Turn 12 of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya after suffering a heavy crash during Friday practice for the Catalan Grand Prix.
The Aprilia rider lost the front of his bike at high speed before sliding violently into the air fence at the exit of the corner. Martin was left shaken following the impact and required immediate medical attention trackside.
Doctors later confirmed the reigning world champion suffered a concussion along with bruising to his left forearm. Fortunately, Martin avoided more serious injuries despite the severity of the accident.
The incident carried deeper emotional weight for the Spanish rider, who admitted the crash instantly reminded him of the fatal accident involving Moto2 rider Luis Salom at the same corner in 2016.
Martin described Turn 12 as one of the most dangerous sections of the circuit and urged organisers to consider further safety improvements.
“I think it’s really dangerous to crash there,” Martin said. “When I crashed, I thought about Luis Salom straight away. It’s definitely a place where they need to improve because it’s really dangerous.”
According to Martin, the accident was partly caused by difficulties getting enough temperature into the front tyre during the cool morning conditions. He explained that the lack of grip on the left side caused the front end of the bike to fold unexpectedly while following Fabio Di Giannantonio through the corner.
Despite being cleared to continue riding later in the day, Martin’s difficult Friday continued when he suffered another fall at Turn 2 during the afternoon session.
The double crash left him down in 17th position overall, forcing him into Q1 for the first time this season. Meanwhile, fellow Aprilia riders Marco Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez secured automatic progression into Q2.
Even after two crashes, Martin insisted he felt physically capable of continuing and was relieved the first accident did not result in something more serious.
“I feel lucky that nothing happened in the morning because it was a dangerous and really scary crash,” he explained. “Physically, I feel good, but after the second crash I’m definitely feeling some pain.”
The incident once again sparked debate over rider safety at Barcelona, particularly at Turn 12, which has remained one of the most closely scrutinised corners on the MotoGP calendar since Salom’s fatal accident a decade ago.
