MotoGP championship leader Jorge Martin says he would've crashed out of the Thai Grand Prix if Marc Marquez hadn't fallen off right in front of him.
Martin had a mistake-filled Buriram race in the wet, but managed to stay on the bike and preserve a 17-point lead heading into the final two rounds at Sepang and Valencia.
But - by his own admission - he could've very easily gone into Sepang with that lead partially eroded, or gone completely.
Martin would have been rooting for Marquez to make the move on his title rival Pecco Bagnaia up ahead for the race win, but after two failed overtaking attempts Marquez crashed while trying to keep the pressure up on Bagnaia.
😱 @MARCMARQUEZ93 COULDN'T SAVE IT!
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 27, 2024
Just as he was pressuring for the win, it oomes crashing down! 💥#ThaiGP 🇹🇭 pic.twitter.com/4anUYrvFFC
The crash came at Turn 8, which caught out several other riders during the race - with Martin himself being among those riders, moments after Marquez's mistake.
But while Marquez's attempt to save his Turn 8 crash failed when he hopped the kerb and fell off, Martin managed managed to get the bike upright and go through the run-off area with minimal damage to his race.
UNREAL! 🤯@88jorgemartin has the same front end moment!
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 27, 2024
That could prove to be a championship-saving save! #ThaiGP 🇹🇭 pic.twitter.com/E5eqmYOIrw
Reflecting on what had clearly been a deeply nerve-racking grand prix, he told MotoGP.com: "I had a lot of moments during the race. I was always really close to crashing. So I was always ready to save it.
"I saw Marc lose the front, so then I was prepared to lose the front also.
"So that's why I saved it. I think without Marc in front of me I would've crashed.
"So thanks to that- I'm sorry for him for sure, but thanks to that crash I was able to understand and anticipate a bit."
Martin's second-place finish behind Bagnaia means he could theoretically make sure of the championship by finishing second in the two remaining grands prix and the two remaining sprints.
While this isn't a particularly likely scenario, it is clear that Martin had recognised the wet Buriram race as a massive risk to drop points - and was greatly relieved to see the chequered flag.
"Trust me, it was a really long race. The last few laps I was thinking 'f**k, I just want it to be dry'. I thought that in the dry I had something else, something more than Pecco at the moment.
"He was super strong today, he's a great champion, he's not a three-time world champion [once in Moto2, twice in MotoGP] for nothing. He's strong in all the conditions.
"And just losing three points is a really good weekend, trust me. "
