MotoGP championship leader Martin to switch from Pramac to Aprilia next year

[June 04, 2024]  (Reuters) - MotoGP world championship leader Jorge Martin will switch from Pramac Racing to Aprilia next year, the motorcycle racing organisation said on Monday.
 
Martin's move comes after Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro announced last month that he would retire at the end of MotoGP's 2024 season.   

MotoGP - Catalunya Grand Prix - Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain - May 26, 2024 Prima Pramac Racing's Jorge Martin celebrates after finishing second place in the Catalunya Grand Prix REUTERS/Bruna Casas/File Photo

Aprilia also announced the move on social media, welcoming the Spaniard to their team.

Martin, who finished second in the world championship last year, has 171 points after seven races and sits 18 points ahead of Ducati's defending champion Francesco Bagnaia.

The 26-year-old has won the Portuguese and French grand prix main races while earning a podium finish in three other main races. He finished third in the Italian Grand Prix at the weekend.

(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon)

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