Martin Cleared to Ride Through Broken Wrist as MotoGP Title Fight Reaches Sepang

Jorge Martin will ride with a broken wrist in Malaysia after being cleared to take part in Friday's opening practice session at Sepang. The Aprilia rider fractured his right wrist in a sprint-race collision with title rival Marc Marquez at Phillip Island last weekend, an incident that ruled him out of the main race — which was ultimately cancelled because of heavy rain and poor visibility. That abandonment spared Martin further damage in the standings, and he arrives in Malaysia trailing Marquez by just 10 points with four rounds of the season remaining. Aprilia confirmed on Thursday that Martin had passed his medical examination, though MotoGP's medical team will assess him again after the first practice session before deciding whether he can continue through the weekend. Martin himself admitted the task ahead will be painful, noting that his injured right hand is the one he uses to brake and accelerate, and that Sepang's many right-hand corners will test it severely. He insisted he had to attempt the weekend because he remains in the title fight. Martin is not the only rider returning at Sepang. Trackhouse Racing's Raul Fernandez has also been declared fit after a finger fracture kept him out of Australia, while Honda pair Joan Mir and Luca Marini are back after illness and injury absences of their own.