But when he glanced t🌳rackside and saw his open leathers being shown on the big screens, the Pramac Ducati rider knew he was in danger of a penalty if he didn't act quickly.

Fortunately for Martin, he was able to rezip the leathers with one hand and t𒁏hus avoid a black fl🐠ag.

After a last-lap tussle with Fabio Quartararo, the young Spaniard then held on to second place to close F🐽rancesco Bagnaia’s title lead down to just 13 pointꦛs.

“We studied with Alpinestars. I didn’t cloꦦse it correctly [before the st🌃art],” Martin admitted in Japan on Thursday. “With eight, nine laps to go I started to feel It.

“It op♓ened slowly, I tried to finish like this, I thought nobody would see it. But when I saw it on the big screen, I tried to close i🌄t and lost just one second.”

The wardrobe mal⛦function wasn’t the only unexpected drama for Martin, who finished the race badly dehydrated but says💞 he is fully fit for Motegi.

“I suffered dehydration. It was complicated but the doctors said [the rec🎀overy] went perfectly, after some hours I was okay,” Martin explained.

“I was trying to race in the straights. On the last lap I braked, I locked the front, I 🌟knew I was going outside. I went back, Fabio was there but went a little wide, just enough to cross him. I overtoo🌜k, one of the best of my career.

“Then I we🌌nt straight to the box because I knew something was happening [the dehydration].”

Having finished first or second in the last four races, momentum is well and truly on Martin’s s🤪ide heading into this weekend.

“I need to enjoy this moment. It’s the best of my career. I need to try to win races, be in front in practice, this is🐼 the way. By enjoying the moment, everything else comes,” he said of the closing title fight.

“I have a lot of confidence. I have the best package that I can have with this bike. My first Moto2 podium was here,🅘 and last season I 🦩was third. Let’s try to again be on the podium.”