Jeremy Martin back injury update – extends deal with GEICO Honda

GEICO Honda has revealed that Jeremy Martin’s contract has been renewed to keep him with the team until 2021. Sadly, in the same press release, the team delivered some bad news on the 25-year-old American, revealing that Martin will miss all of the 2019 season as he continues to be plagued with a back injury.

Martin sustained the back injury this year at Muddy Creek Motocross and has already undergone surgery to repair the burst fracture to his L1 vertebra.

A new surgery has been scheduled for January at the same clinic that Ken Roczen used to recover from his substantial arm injuries. Following on from the procedure at the Steadman Clinic in Colorado, Martin will begin the entire rehabilitation process all over again – putting him out of the ’19 season.

Martin had five vertebrae fused to help heal a burst fracture in his lower back and six months into his recovery he had began light training only to find out just 10 per cent of the burst fracture had healed.

The team are hopeful to see him back on a motorcycle in the third quarter of 2019.

Martin’s GEICO Honda contract was due to end at the conclusion of next year’s racing season but the squad are keeping faith in him and he has now signed an extension to keep him at GEICO Honda through the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

“To get this news was a complete kick in the gut,” said Martin in a press release. “Racing is all I know and to sit out the entire 2019 season is going to be one of the biggest challenges I have ever faced. To have [team owners] Jeff [Majkrzak] and Ziggy [Rick Zielfelder] commit to me long-term proves they believe in me, and that motivates me to come back and overcome adversity. That’s been the story of my career, though. Nothing has been given to me, I have worked and earned everything I’ve won. This will be no different.”

Martin will return to racing for the 2020 season and the GEICO Honda team wishes him the best during his surgery, rehabilitation and recovery.

Team-mate Christian Craig recently suffered a fractured thumb and will move to the 250SX East Region of Monster Energy Supercross. Motocross World Championship rider Hunter Lawrence will join Craig in the East division. RJ Hampshire and Chase Sexton will kick things off in 2019 for the team in the 250SX West Region opening round at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California on January 5.

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