On the 40th anniversary of his first-ever race, Jorge Martinez ‘Aspar’ has been inducted into the MotoGP Legends Hall Of Fame at the Valencian Grand Prix.
Jorge Martinez started racing on the world stage in 1982 in the 50cc class and won his first World Championship in 1986 in the 80cc class.
‘Aspar’ dominated the 1987 season, picking up seven wins, successfully defending his title.
A year later, Martinez became a three-time World Champion, dominating his third season in a row on board the 80cc bike.
In 1988, Martinez stepped up to the 125cc World Championship, picking up nine wins in 11 races which saw the Spaniard take his fourth title.
The four-time World Champion raced until 1998, competing in the 50cc, 80cc, 125cc and 250cc championships, claiming 37 wins in total along with his four World Championships.
Jorge Martinez was inducted into the Hall Of Fame on Thursday evening, with Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta in attendance.
“Thank you so much, Carmelo, thank you Dorna, thank you, everyone, for coming,” Martinez opened with.
“For me, it’s an incredible day, it’s a very big honour for me to be in the Hall of Fame of MotoGP. This last week I had many memories about my first race, my first victory in Assen and now looking at all this is incredible. I’m very, very happy. Thank you very much, Carmelo.
“It’s a dream seeing all my friends here, my riders, my family, my paddock family…this is like my little town. A town I’ve lived in for no less than 35 years! Thanks to everyone, we’ve been through difficult moments, and thanks to sponsors who have been with me for so many years, and thank you to the media… A million thanks,” Martinez ended.
Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta added: “It’s a very big pleasure and an honour to nominate Jorge as a MotoGP Legend today. I had the privilege of being with him since the beginning, before the Dorna era. Jorge has been something very, very important for motorcycling and is a Legend not only for his titles in two categories but also because he has been with the Championship since the beginning, he has created very successful teams, he has been several times World Champion with his riders, and he always has maintained his passion to make motorcycling part of his life. It’s a big honour to us to have Jorge as a MotoGP Legend. It’s a very important day for us.”
Martinez joins a long list of legends in the Hall Of Fame, including Giacomo Agostini, Mick Doohan, Barry Sheene, Marco Simoncelli, Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa and many more.
Jorge Lorenzo will join that Martinez on the impressive list at the 2020 Jerez Grand Prix in May, after announcing his retirement on the eve of the 2019 finale in Valencia.
