Motorcycling-Emotional Martin happy to be back competing after injury setbacks
Wrist and ankle injuries suffered in a pre-season crash ruled the 27-year-old Spaniard out of the first three rounds before another crash in his first race on board the Aprilia bike in Qatar in April led to a collapsed lung and bruised ribs.
He marked his comeback with an impressive fifth place finish at the Czech MotoGP practice in Brno on Friday.
"I miss this feeling a lot and just focused," Martin told reporters. "It was a really demanding day, having all these conditions on track. We had to be always really focused.
"The dry line was really narrow in some corners so it was difficult to be consistent. I missed the consistency by being out for a lot of months.
"It was really emotional after finishing in the top five, not because of the result itself, but because I am back. I did a great job today. I am really happy."
Friday's practice session was Martin's first time on the Aprilia in the rain.
Martin won his first MotoGP title last season with Pramac Racing before moving to Aprilia.
"I cannot be really optimistic when I go into the corners because I don't know what is going to happen," he said. "So I need to start feeling the things, but as soon as I put on some more tyres, I was always in the top four, top five."
The Czech MotoGP qualifying takes place later on Saturday, with the race happening on Sunday.
Six-times MotoGP champion Marc Marquez leads the riders' championship table with 344 points, with his younger brother Alex second on 261. (Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Goa; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
3 hours ago
- India Today
Jannik Sinner rehires Umberto Ferrera post-doping row to begin US Open preparations
Jannik Sinner has reappointed his former fitness coach, Umberto Ferrara, as he begins preparations for the Cincinnati Open and the US Open. The decision, according to his team, was made in consultation with his management and signals a move towards re-establishing continuity in his training along with physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi, had been removed from Sinner's camp following an anti-doping investigation last year. Sinner had tested positive for clostebol, a banned substance, which was later traced back to an over-the-counter spray used by Naldi. The contamination, it was found, had occurred due to the use of a non-sterilised spray bottle that Ferrara had provided, which Naldi used on his hand before later handling Sinner's the situation, an independent tribunal ruled that Sinner bore no fault or negligence for the incident and accepted the explanation of inadvertent contamination. The Italian was handed a three-month ban by WADA but was cleared to return earlier this year. The ordeal, however, had taken its toll on the Italian star. During August, last year, Sinner revealed that he had lost trust in the team due to the mishandling of the situation. "Now, because of these mistakes, I'm not feeling confident to continue with them," Sinner had said. "I was struggling a lot in the last months. The only thing I need right now is some clean air."Ferrara has since worked with Matteo Berrettini and remained active within elite tennis circles. His reintroduction to Sinner's team suggests a repaired relationship and a belief that the duo can work together productively returned to action strongly this season. After a runner-up finish to Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros, he defeated the Spaniard to win his maiden Wimbledon title earlier this month. With a Grand Slam title under his belt and renewed momentum, Sinner will look to carry his form into the US hard-court season, where his previous best at the US Open was a quarterfinal finish in return of Ferrara could provide the stability and familiarity Sinner needs as he aims to build on his breakthrough year.- Ends
Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Rare earth magnet crisis: Kinetic Green CEO advocates for government support for Indian EV sector
Samples of rare earth minerals from left, Cerium oxide, Bastnasite, Neodymium oxide and Lanthanum carbonate are on display. (REUTERS) Check Offers The Indian auto industry, especially the electric vehicle segment, is yet to see a clear solution to the ongoing rare earth magnet production crisis. The stakeholders of the industry, as well as the Indian government, have been mulling a multi-pronged plan to tackle this situation, and one of them is the local production of rare earth magnets. However, this will be a time-consuming affair. Sulajja Firodia Motwani, CEO of Kinetic Green, has said that local production of rare earth magnets will take time, and meanwhile, the government needs to support the Indian EV sector. She has called for government intervention in the rare-earth materials issue, stating that while the Indian electric vehicle sector has managed to cope in the short term, it will face significant challenges ahead, as it's not easy to change the product design and supply chain. Speaking to news agency ANI, Motwani said that it could take at least two to three years for the players in the automobile sector to localise the supply chain or adopt alternative technologies. "It will impact the industry if it's not solved because it's not easy to change your product design and supply chain. The EV sector is scrambling somehow to manage for the short run. But I think there has to be a government-to-government solution very soon in the medium term. Because it will take two to three years to try to localise the supply chain or change the technology altogether. So I think it's important that this is resolved," she said, while further adding that the industry faced a similar situation in Covid crisis on semiconductors and the government did follow through and resolve it. "I'm hopeful that something will emerge from this," she said. Motwani added that until the issue is solved, Kinetic Green is working on developing alternative technologies to mitigate the adverse impact of such restrictions arising from global geopolitical moves. "But in the meantime, we are finding alternatives so that the business can continue, but it's not ideal to do that, and also, maybe not everybody can. So it (restrictions on rare-earth material by China) will impact the sector," she added. The Indian government has earmarked ₹ 1,345 crore to incentivise the production of rare earth magnets in India after China announced a decision to implement export controls on certain rare earth-related items, pushing a supply shortage across the world, including India, back in April this year. Meanwhile, India is in touch with the Chinese side, seeking predictability in the supply of rare earth metals. China's overwhelming control of global rare earth processing - commanding over 90 per cent of the world's magnet production capacity - has created significant vulnerabilities for industries worldwide. These materials are critical across multiple sectors, including automobiles, home appliances, and clean energy systems. Beyond China, there are only a few alternative suppliers of critical minerals. Get insights into Upcoming Cars In India, Electric Vehicles, Upcoming Bikes in India and cutting-edge technology transforming the automotive landscape. First Published Date: 23 Jul 2025, 07:39 am IST
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
6 hours ago
- First Post
Venus Williams reveals engagement to Andrea Preti after becoming oldest WTA match-winner since 2004: 'My fiancé is here'
Tennis legend Venus Williams, 45, has confirmed that she is engaged to her actor boyfriend Andrea Preti, 37, after she defeated Peyton Stearns on Tuesday to become the oldest player to win a WTA singles match since 2004. read more Venus Williams confirmed she is engaged to Andrea Preti after her singles win at Washington Open. Image: Reuters It was a record-making evening for Venus Williams at the Washington Open on Tuesday as the legendary 45-year-old tennis player defeated Peyton Stearns to become the oldest player to win a WTA singles match since 2004 and went on to announce her engagement with her actor boyfriend Andrea Preti. Williams defeated Stearns 6-3, 6-4 after her return to competitive action on Monday in the women's doubles following a 16-month absence from the game. The victory over Stearns was her first singles win since 2023 in Cincinnati. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion is now the oldest player to win a WTA singles match since 47-year-old Martina Navratilova triumphed at Wimbledon in 2004. 'I think I just attacked the whole time. It's just trying to find the right balance between going to hard and not enough,' Williams said after the opening-round win. 'It's the same because this is what I do, but at the same time, at the time it was imperative for me to do it. Now I don't have to do this, but I have the same fire and the same want to win. 'In some ways, I'm still getting back into that. When you do it everyday, everything is natural. Not as natural feeling now, but I hope I can get back to that.' Venus Williams announces engagement to Andrea Preti Williams also announced that she is engaged to 37-year-old actor Preti and shared how he has helped her get back to the sport. 'My fiancé is here and he really encouraged me to keep playing,' she said to huge cheers and applause,' Williams was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail. 'There were so many times where I just wanted to coast and kind of chill. Do you know how hard it is to play tennis? You guys don't know how much work goes into this, like it's 9 to 5 except you're running the whole time. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Venus Williams and Andrea Preti share a peck while taking pictures at the DSQUARED2 photo call for tonight's fall 2025 runway show in Milan. — WWD (@wwd) February 25, 2025 'Lifting weights and just like dying and then you repeat it the next day. So he encouraged me to get through this and it's wonderful to be here. He's never seen me play.' Williams will be next up against Polish fifth seed Magdalena Frech.
