MotoGP championship leader Jorge Martin uses a Ganesha-inspired helmet for the Thai GP

MotoGP championship leader Jorge Martin used a Lord Ganesha-inspired helmet for the Thai GP, where he finished second behind eventual winner Francesco Bagnaia. Martin had unveiled his new helmet a few days before the race.

Martin said he wanted to pay tribute to the Hindu god and also revealed that he also has a tattoo of Lord Ganesha on his shoulder. The Spanish racer had said he hoped the new helmet would help him this weekend.

“I wanted to pay tribute to Lord Ganesh, a Hindu god. I have a tattoo of him on my shoulder, I think it can help me during the weekend,” said Martin.

On his Instagram profile, Martin shared a reel of the helmet with the caption:

“Ganesha is the god of wisdom, prosperity, luck and removing obstacles. Here is my tribute,” Martin said.

What happened during the Thai GP

In a masterful performance on a rain-soaked Buriram International Circuit, Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia triumphed at the Thai Grand Prix, closing his championship gap to Jorge Martin to just 17 points. The reigning champion took advantage of mistakes by Gresini Racing’s Martin and Marc Marquez of Pramac Racing to secure his ninth victory of the season.

Bagnaia started from pole position, but Martin took the lead at the start and showed his usual explosive acceleration into the first corner. However, as the race progressed, Martin struggled with the slippery track conditions, veering off course on lap five and handing the lead to Bagnaia, who maintained a steady pace in the challenging conditions.

Martin recovered to finish second, while rookie Pedro Acosta of GasGas Tech3 took an impressive third place. Bagnaia’s controlled ride in the rain kept him firmly in contention for the title as he looks to close the gap in the final races of the season.

Martin remains top of the MotoGP standings, 17 points ahead of Bagnaia, with the next race taking place in Malaysia from November 1 to 3.