Beyond being compatriots, Jorge Martín and Jorge Lorenzo have become friends over the years. The younger of the Spanish riders was closely followed by the three-time MotoGP champion during the younger phase of his career, also learning from his father, Chicho Lorenzo.
In a documentary released this week by DAZN, the 2023 MotoGP World Championship runner-up recalled that period of his career: ‘Jorge [Lorenzo] is a special person, but when I started working with Albert [Valera, manager], he was Albert’s rider and was in his prime. I remember it was in 2015 when we started working together; I was very stubborn. I remember the first time I trained with him when I went to his house in Switzerland for five or six days, also with Chicho. We started doing exercises, and I saw that he was incredible because it was something he had done his whole life. When something doesn’t come quickly for me, I get very frustrated’.
Regarding Chicho Lorenzo, Martín described him as demanding: ‘Chicho is a very strict person; it’s very difficult for him to say something good, he will say everything is bad. Even though he thinks, if he says “this is good,” you’re the «host». But at that time, Chicho and I clashed a lot. […]. Then I started working with Chicho for two years, improved my style a lot, and my results improved significantly’.
For “Martinator,” Lorenzo was a mentor and a role model: ‘Jorge has always been a role model, like an older brother in racing. I used to go to his motorhome; we used to stretch together; it was a beautiful time. Everything inside of me started to support Jorge to the death’.