Jeremy Martin will be making a very fast return to racing following his recent injuries. Yes Injuries. Plural.
The Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha rider came into the Pro Motocross series under an injury cloud. Again Injuries! A dislocated shoulder from his one and only Monster Energy Supercross round in 2021. But also an undisclosed left wrist injury that he had begun wearing a mobius wrist brace for prior to the commencement of Round 1 at Pala. The undisclosed wrist injury we now know was a scaphoid fracture that was delayed in healing. Something extremely common with Scaphoid fractures as they only have blood supply to one end of the bone.
So when Martin went down at Thunder Valley and confirmed the details of his injury. It immediately appeared he would be out for a chunk of the season if not all of it, pending the treatment option used for recovery. Then news broke he was attempting to ride the next round at High Point as there was a two-week break between rounds and he had apparently been in a cast during this period in an effort to allow his scaphoid fracture time to heal.
But he wasn’t on the gate at High point. Another crash whilst testing out his left wrist for High Point left him with broken fingers as his hand had slipped off the bars leading to a crash.
So again, it appeared there’s another 4 wks to the recovery period as this is the minimum timeframe for bone healing of the new finger fractures.
But today, the Star Yamaha Team has come out and confirmed Martin is going to line up for RedBud this weekend.
How will this go for Martin? One of two ways. He will no doubt have grip issues. Probably a lot of tape on the fingers to stabilise the fractures. Along with some tape on his wrist or potentially just the wrist brace. Whichever combination provides the best support whilst allowing enough movement to steer the YZ250F around the track. Also whatever option can fit inside his glove comfortably. But there might be some unusual modifications to gear or handlebars/grips for this return effort to occur (keep an eye on the TV coverage for that). Option 1. Martin doesn’t last more than the practice/qualifying sessions. Either from too much pain and reduced grip strength. Maybe another crash aggravates the injury list. Option 2. Martin pulls off one of the better premature returns from injuries ever seen in moto. Ending the day with a top 5 overall for the day.
History is not on Martin’s side however. History has been unkind to the rider who returns to racing whilst still injured. Not just injured in this case. Martin still has broken bones. Will it be any different for Martin at Redbud? Tune in to the TV coverage or check back on Fullnoise.com.au to find out all the event results and news post race.
Jeremy Martin is currently 8th in the 2021 standings
