Метка: Aleix Espargaro

Espargaro «burned his hands» as Aprilia heat issues strike again

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro says he «burned his hands» during a hot MotoGP race in Malaysia where he struggled to 13th place.

The Aprilia RS-GP is infamous for its overheating problems, with both Espargaro and team-mate Maverick Vinales having repeatedly expressed concerns about its adverse effects during some of the flyaway races in Asia.

According to Espargaro, the Noale brand has made no progress in this direction this year, which meant that he found it hard to even make it to the finish in last weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix.

Withstanding the heat exuded from the bike for 19 laps in a crash-shortened race, the Spaniard came away with just three championship points as he benefited from incidents further up the pack.

Speaking afterwards, the 35-year-old revealed that the issues not only compromised his own performance at Sepang, but also meant that the bike was running down on power.

“It was very tough,” he described. “I knew that in these types of races [where] it is very very hot, it is extremely difficult for us. And even more if you start that far on the grid, it has been a real nightmare. 

“The engine was really slow, I couldn’t overtake anybody. The engine was very, very slow due to the heat. 

“I was [only] able to overtake Raul. Then I suffered a lot the last three laps where I almost couldn’t make it to the end, I couldn’t handle the handlebar. The heat was amazing.

“I burned my hands and had to open my visor. The heat is the Achilles heel of this bike.»

Espargaro wasn’t the only Aprilia rider to complain about heat issues on a hot and sunny day in Malaysia.

Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing

Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing

Photo by: Asif Zubairi

Riding a 2024 RS-GP with last year’s engine, Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez also felt the effects of the bike in Malaysia as he desperately tried to get some air blown onto him on Sepang’s long straights.

“Super difficult to manage with the temperature on the bike. The last four laps I was done. I tried to end the race [out of] respect to the team, respect for all my mechanics.

“The last four laps I couldn’t live on the bike. All the straight I had my head out of the bike to take some air. It is very difficult especially when you have slipstream you don’t take air.

“I don’t feel the hand, I don’t feel the foot. I couldn’t take the air. It is safe but it is really difficult.”

Vinales wasn’t impacted as severely by an overheating bike as Espargaro and Fernandez, finishing a relatively strong seventh between the Yamahas of Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins.

But the 29-year-old spent most of the race in clean air, with Quartararo circulating several seconds ahead of him in sixth.

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“Not fair” that Miller and Morbidelli will stay in MotoGP next year

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro says it’s «not fair» that Jack Miller and Franco Morbidelli will remain on next year’s MotoGP grid despite their current form, when teams could hire young riders in their place.

Espargaro, a veteran of 243 starts, believes MotoGP teams should be giving opportunities to those coming through the ranks instead of signing underperforming riders in the premier class.

His comments follow speculation that Miller has secured a reprieve at Yamaha’s new satellite team Pramac next year after being dropped by KTM in the wake of his poor results with the Austrian marque this year.

Miller will effectively take the place of Morbidelli, who is expected to find a berth at his mentor Valentino Rossi’s VR46 team next year despite his own lacklustre results in 2024.

The Italian is going through a torrid campaign on what is the best bike on the grid after missing all of pre-season testing due to a training injury, but will continue in MotoGP next year thanks to his long association with seven-time MotoGP world champion Rossi.

Espargaro made a rare comment about fellow riders on the eve of this weekend’s Austrian GP, saying it’s sad that a lot of talented youngsters in Moto2 will miss out on a MotoGP seat next year because teams are opting for the likes of Miller and Morbidelli and not giving a newcomers a shot.

Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing

Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“I’m not going to comment on that [Miller] because I would get into trouble,” he said initially, before adding: “If I tell you what I think about that and someone else who will end up in VR46, it will be wrong.

“I get on well with Jack, we are neighbours and he has just become a father. I know he likes motorbikes much more than me. I’m very happy that he can still be here. But there’s a much worse case.

“The case of Morbidelli is worse than that of Miller. There is nothing wrong with Morbidelli staying in MotoGP, but when you have a winning bike for so many years in a row, and your team-mates [Fabio Quartararo] beat you every time, in every race and every time trial, it doesn’t seem fair to me that you don’t give the opportunity to the young riders.

“When you have had many winning bikes and you don’t show anything, and they keep giving you options, then you see an Alonso Lopez [in Moto2] who is biting his lips to go up.”

Espargaro will call time on his glittering career as a racer at the end of this season, having already propelled Aprilia from a distant backmarker to a multiple race-winning force in MotoGP.

He will take up the role of test rider at Honda next year, freeing up a seat within the Aprilia fold as a result and leading to a domino effect elsewhere.

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Espargaro said one of the reasons he decided to quit MotoGP was to open up space for young riders who are still in Moto2 and have a lot of potential to succeed at the top level in the coming years.

“That’s why I’ve decided to take a step aside next year, because I have the feeling that I’m not at 1000% like these guys can be,” he said. “I don’t have that desire to race anymore, and it doesn’t seem fair to me to stay here.”

One team that has opted for youth over experience is Aprilia’s own satellite squad Trackhouse, which has signed Moto2 frontrunner Ai Ogura to partner incumbent Raul Fernandez.

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Espargaro hailed team boss Davide Brivio for showing faith in Ogura, who currently sits second in the standings behind team-mate Sergio Garcia, instead of looking elsewhere on the current grid.

“For a team manager like Brivio to take a gamble with someone like Ogura is ‘chapeau’ [well done],” he said.

“I think Ogura is very good; he is aggressive, he works on his own. I think it’s a great signing, it’s the best thing Trackhouse could do.”



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Espargaro, Marquez join Bagnaia in slamming «dangerous» towing in MotoGP qualifying

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


MotoGP stars Aleix Espargaro and Marc Marquez have criticised riders slowing down in qualifying to position themselves behind faster bikes, saying it could lead to “dangerous” situations.

The debate over towing in MotoGP was reignited on Saturday at Silverstone as a number of riders ran in a group on their second runs in order to gain an aerodynamic advantage on the circuit’s three long straights.

While slipstreaming in itself does not necessarily pose a safety issue, qualifying for the British Grand Prix saw many riders get down to crawling speeds to allow their rivals to get through, before picking up the speed and latching behind them.

This led to some bizarre scenes as the clock ticked down to zero, with Aprilia’s Espargaro taking advantage of the situation to claim his first pole of the year, having managed to get a clean lap without anyone running close to him.

Reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia was the first to express his frustration with the way the grid-deciding session was held at Silverstone, saying nothing will change until the rulemakers intervene.

Despite benefitting from Bagnaia’s troubles, Espargaro joined the Italian in slamming riders for creating a “ridiculous” problem in qualifying, while warning about the dangers associated with slowing down unnecessarily on track.

The poleman said: “In qualifying you can take two risks. The first one is to go out [as the] first one [on track] because everybody is going to follow you, you are in the mix with everybody.

“Or the second one is to wait [and] go last, but then if there is a yellow flag you ruin your lap.

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“I took the second one. I don’t like to go behind others. I like to go by myself.

“I agree with Pecco. For me it is ridiculous that riders are waiting in the garage all the time for a tow.

“It’s ridiculous to see five, six riders — and it’s always the same riders — in the middle of the track that are waiting for the others [while being] completely stopped.

“You put also [your rivals] in danger because the others don’t want to push or the tyres get cold and it’s dangerous.

“But they can do it, the rules allow them to do it. So this is racing, but like Pecco for me it’s ridiculous.”

Six-time champion Marquez followed Bagnaia on his first run in qualifying and set a lap that provisionally put him fifth on the grid after a tough Friday at Silverstone.

However, on his final flying attempt, the Gresini rider got stuck behind the slower VR46 bikes of Fabio di Giannantonio and Marco Bezzecchi and failed to improve on his previous effort, dropping to seventh on the grid.

Despite trying to gain an advantage himself, Marquez also wasn’t too pleased with the way qualifying panned out. But he also believes that switching to the superpole format — where all riders take turns in setting their fastest laps — will adversely affect the show.

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“Racing was and will be like this if they don’t change the qualifying practice and they put [something] like a superpole,” he said.

“But as we have seen in the past, the superpole is boring. I don’t have anything against it but [World] Superbikes was like one-by-one [in qualifying] and the show was not there.

“But in the end, when you follow some bike, you gain some things and [lose] other things.

“As we saw today in the second run, everybody in Q2 was waiting for the fastest guys.”

One idea that has been pitched involves setting a maximum time limit for each sector, which would prevent riders from slowing down too much on track in qualifying.

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However, Marquez doesn’t think it would entirely solve the problem, as riders will simply sit in the pits and wait for faster bikes to go out on track.

“You can change but then the strategy will be in the pitlane, like in Moto3 right now,” he said.

“You can change the sectors, but then the strategy will be in the pitlane. In the end you have different strategies to do it.

“This GP is the first one that I’m looking for a slipstream. I would like to not do it, like I did in the past races, but the rules are the rules and I’m not the guy to decide.”



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My job at Aprilia is done, now I want to help Honda win again in MotoGP

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Aleix Espargaro feels his ‘job at Aprilia is done’ and he now wants to help Honda return to winning ways in MotoGP in his role as a test rider.

Espargaro has been a key pillar of Aprilia’s MotoGP programme since 2017 and widely hailed for transforming the RS-GP from a perennial backmarker to a multiple race-winning bike.

But instead of continuing his relationship with the Noale-based marque, which Motorsport.com could have been difficult anyway due to financial reasons, the Spaniard has elected to join Honda’s expanded test team after retirement alongside incumbent Stefan Bradl in 2025.

Unlike Aprilia, which remains the only manufacturer to beat Ducati to a grand prix victory this season, Honda is going through its worst-ever phase in premier class history with just 24 points on the board after the opening nine rounds.

But the 34-year-old believes he has achieved everything he wanted to achieve at his current job and is looking forward to taking his talent to HRC, where he can work on fixing the problematic RC213V.

“I don’t know why I have the feeling that my job is done in Aprilia,” he said at the Sachsenring. “I did everything. I worked very, very hard during the eight seasons to help them to put them on top. My job is done.

“They have a good test rider with [Lorenzo] Savadori who is doing a great job. So it’s also a good motivation for me and a good opportunity to join HRC.

“They are not in their best moment for sure. If I can help them to be back on top it will be fantastic.

Joan Mir, Repsol Honda Team, Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team.

Joan Mir, Repsol Honda Team, Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team.

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

He added: “I have been in talks with the top Japanese management and they really believe and trust in me. This is what made me decide to go because it’s a really, really good opportunity.”

Espargaro reckons he will bring more than just his technical expertise to HRC, explaining that he can also play a crucial part in bringing a more positive atmosphere in the garage for race riders Joan Mir and Luca Marini.

“It’s not just about technically where I will obviously try to raise up the level of the bike which I did for example with Aprilia but I will also try to be a team player, trying to work with the riders, to be in the garage, to bring there the mood that I feel during these eight seasons in Aprilia,” he said.

“It’s very, very important and they really need this also.

He added: “They are missing everything. Imagine how difficult it is for a team as HRC that they were winning every single weekend and now they finish outside of the points [almost] every single weekend. So this is a shock, emotionally.

“For example Joan Mir is a world champion and now he is not able to finish races.”

Espargaro’s young brother Pol endured a tough two-year stint at the factory Honda team alongside six-time champion Marc Marquez in 2021-22 that effectively brought an early end to his MotoGP racing career.

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

But having spoken to the top management at Honda, the elder Espargaro is confident that the new philosophy employed by the Japanese marque in MotoGP means he won’t face the same issues in helping bring changes to the team.

“When Pol arrived there, they were winning the year before,” he said. “The last three-four seasons for Honda have not been easy mentally to understand what’s going on.

“So I think now they really understood that they have to change. They really trust me, the opportunity they gave to me is fantastic. I don’t have to say, but it’s the biggest brand of this paddock so they have to be back on top and fighting for the victories.”

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My job at Aprilia is done, now I want to help Honda win again in MotoGP

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Aleix Espargaro feels his ‘job at Aprilia is done’ and he now wants to help Honda return to winning ways in MotoGP in his role as a test rider.

Espargaro has been a key pillar of Aprilia’s MotoGP programme since 2017 and widely hailed for transforming the RS-GP from a perennial backmarker to a multiple race-winning bike.

But instead of continuing his relationship with the Noale-based marque, which Motorsport.com could have been difficult anyway due to financial reasons, the Spaniard has elected to join Honda’s expanded test team after retirement alongside incumbent Stefan Bradl in 2025.

Unlike Aprilia, which remains the only manufacturer to beat Ducati to a grand prix victory this season, Honda is going through its worst-ever phase in premier class history with just 24 points on the board after the opening nine rounds.

But the 34-year-old believes he has achieved everything he wanted to achieve at his current job and is looking forward to taking his talent to HRC, where he can work on fixing the problematic RC213V.

“I don’t know why I have the feeling that my job is done in Aprilia,” he said at the Sachsenring. “I did everything. I worked very, very hard during the eight seasons to help them to put them on top. My job is done.

“They have a good test rider with [Lorenzo] Savadori who is doing a great job. So it’s also a good motivation for me and a good opportunity to join HRC.

“They are not in their best moment for sure. If I can help them to be back on top it will be fantastic.

Joan Mir, Repsol Honda Team, Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team.

Joan Mir, Repsol Honda Team, Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team.

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

He added: “I have been in talks with the top Japanese management and they really believe and trust in me. This is what made me decide to go because it’s a really, really good opportunity.”

Espargaro reckons he will bring more than just his technical expertise to HRC, explaining that he can also play a crucial part in bringing a more positive atmosphere in the garage for race riders Joan Mir and Luca Marini.

“It’s not just about technically where I will obviously try to raise up the level of the bike which I did for example with Aprilia but I will also try to be a team player, trying to work with the riders, to be in the garage, to bring there the mood that I feel during these eight seasons in Aprilia,” he said.

“It’s very, very important and they really need this also.

He added: “They are missing everything. Imagine how difficult it is for a team as HRC that they were winning every single weekend and now they finish outside of the points [almost] every single weekend. So this is a shock, emotionally.

“For example Joan Mir is a world champion and now he is not able to finish races.”

Espargaro’s young brother Pol endured a tough two-year stint at the factory Honda team alongside six-time champion Marc Marquez in 2021-22 that effectively brought an early end to his MotoGP racing career.

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

But having spoken to the top management at Honda, the elder Espargaro is confident that the new philosophy employed by the Japanese marque in MotoGP means he won’t face the same issues in helping bring changes to the team.

“When Pol arrived there, they were winning the year before,” he said. “The last three-four seasons for Honda have not been easy mentally to understand what’s going on.

“So I think now they really understood that they have to change. They really trust me, the opportunity they gave to me is fantastic. I don’t have to say, but it’s the biggest brand of this paddock so they have to be back on top and fighting for the victories.”

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Espargaro becoming Honda MotoGP test rider is its first genuine improvement of 2024

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


On Tuesday, Honda finally confirmed Motorsport.com’s initial reports that three-time grand prix winner Aleix Espargaro will become its MotoGP test rider in 2025.

Honda’s 2024 campaign continues to limp along without much reward following a Dutch Grand Prix in which is leading rider (Johann Zarco) was 13th and 42.767s away from race winner Francesco Bagnaia.

To boot, Zarco was 18s away from the rider ahead of him – Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, proving that the unofficial Japanese Cup to not be last of the manufacturers is easily going the way of the Iwata-based marque.

That’s not particularly surprising though. Yamaha brought a new engine to the Dutch GP aiming at returning the agility it has lost with its 2024 bike. While it did just that in the slow corners at Assen, Quartararo felt there wasn’t much of a gain through the fast turns.

But Yamaha tested several new engines in Valencia prior to the Dutch GP and one of those proved to be clearly better, with a race debut likely to happen soon.

With its concession benefits, Yamaha had both Quartararo and Alex Rins on track taking advantage of its ability to test in-season. In the three-week gap between the Italian GP and the Dutch GP, Honda did not. In fact, several of its riders spoke at Assen about not having a major update to the bike coming until possibly September time.

Yamaha’s efforts behind the scenes have yielded tangible gains, certainly relative to Honda.

Yamaha has gradually pulled clear of Honda this year

Yamaha has gradually pulled clear of Honda this year

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Analysing both manufacturers’ qualifying form in 2024 over the first eight rounds, Honda has not gotten a rider into Q2 yet while Yamaha has done so four times. Honda’s average pole deficit stands at 1.199s compared to Yamaha’s 0.739s.

In races (looking solely at grands prix), Yamaha’s average gap to the winner is 23.533s. For Honda, the deficit is 29.828s. Considering Honda has two more bikes on the grid than Yamaha, the difference in form is striking and perfectly demonstrates just how far behind HRC is from where it needs to be.

“We are going fast but the others have improved a lot – it’s unbelievable,” said Joan Mir, after crashing out for a sixth time in 2024 at Assen.

Neither Zarco nor Marini has successfully built a project from the ground up. Neither has Mir nor LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami

“How they [our rivals] accelerate out of the corners makes me feel angry. What I could do also is slow a bit down a few seconds and finish 40 seconds [away from the winner]. But this is not what I want.

“As a rider I always want more, I want to try, and if this means going to the ground… one day maybe I don’t go to the ground and I’m in front.”

He added: “Honestly, the last crashes I had were mostly with throttle. So, there is something happening on our bike.

“Normally when you start to open the throttle, you transfer the weight onto the rear and you shouldn’t really crash there. The typical crash is when you release the front brake.

“But in my case most of them are with throttle. So, we have to analyse this because the bike in that moment is quite critical.”

Mir has been plagued by crashes as he pushes to try and negate the Honda's weak points

Mir has been plagued by crashes as he pushes to try and negate the Honda’s weak points

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Honda has brought in some Ducati experience to its line-up in 2024, with Johann Zarco joining LCR from Pramac and Luca Marini coming to the factory HRC squad from VR46. But that appears to have counted for little so far, and that isn’t surprising.

Zarco rode satellite Yamaha machinery in 2017 and 2018. He moved to the factory KTM team in 2019, but struggled so badly that he tore up his contract halfway through the season before being dropped with immediate effect after the San Marino GP. Since then he has ridden satellite Ducati bikes. Marini has only ever ridden year-old Ducati satellite bikes in his short MotoGP tenure and has scored no points at Honda so far.

Neither of those riders have successfully built a project from the ground up. Neither has Mir nor LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami.

Yamaha is, of course, limited in what it can do with just two riders – albeit fielding arguably one of the grid’s top pairings in Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins. But behind the scenes it has three-time grand prix winner Cal Crutchlow entrenched in its test team pushing development along.

Crutchlow was the only other rider in 2019 next to world champion Marc Marquez to get the troubled RC213V to the podium. Since joining Honda in 2015 with LCR, he was a key pillar in developing that bike. When he retired from racing, Yamaha got itself a rider who was still competing at a high level and one who shoots straight when it comes to feedback.

Honda, then, has gotten just that with Aleix Espargaro. The role of test rider has always been important, but much of Ducati’s current success can be traced to its concerted efforts with Michele Pirro to have a top-notch test team developing bikes.

Other manufacturers have followed suit in recent years, with KTM taking MotoGP legend Dani Pedrosa into its test roster, while – as mentioned – Yamaha snapped up Crutchlow.

Stefan Bradl has done a solid job for HRC in his time as test rider, but Espargaro comes with knowledge of one of the grid’s current competitive bikes in the Aprilia. The RS-GP is a bike Espargaro inherited in 2017, after two years building Suzuki’s project into a race winner, and at the time the Noale marque’s machine was nowhere near even sniffing a podium.

Zarco and Marini have Ducati experience, but lack the track record of developing bikes that Espargaro can boast

Zarco and Marini have Ducati experience, but lack the track record of developing bikes that Espargaro can boast

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Since then, Espargaro developed it into getting Aprilia’s first podium of the modern era in 2021, its first grand prix victory in 2022 and sustaining a legitimate title charge for much of that year. He gave it its first brace of wins in 2023 and put it in a position to snap up the current championship leader and one of the grid’s absolute best talents in Jorge Martin for 2024.

That’s a CV Honda can really benefit from. Not to mention the fact that the strength of the RS-GP is its cornering and strong acceleration – two key weaknesses of the current Honda.

Espargaro’s immediate contribution to Honda will surely help its short-term goals of moving up the grid, but his experience will prove vital when development for the 2027 prototype ahead of that year’s major technical rules overhaul begins.

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Espargaro's signing is a statement of intent from Honda that it will surely benefit from

Espargaro’s signing is a statement of intent from Honda that it will surely benefit from

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images



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Honda signs retiring Espargaro to expand MotoGP test team

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Honda has signed Aleix Espargaro as a test rider for the 2025 MotoGP season to assist with the development of the beleaguered RC213V.

As revealed by Motorsport.com last month, Espargaro will switch to the Japanese manufacturer in a test role at the end of his glittering racing career that has seen him score three wins and 11 podiums in the premier class so far.

Espargaro’s signing marks the expansion of Honda’s test team, with 2011 Moto2 champion Stefan Bradl continuing in his existing role next year.

“Honda Racing Corporation will bolster their testing program with the addition of Aleix Espargaro as a Test Rider in 2025,” HRC announced in a short statement.

“With close to 250 premier class starts, the 34-year-old brings with him a wealth of experience on Grand Prix machinery as well as the pedigree of three victories and over 1,300 MotoGP points. He will join HRC stalwart Stefan Bradl in continuing the development of the Honda RC213V.”

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Espargaro’s arrival is seen as a massive boost for Honda, which is going through a prolonged decline and is struggling to recover from its worst-ever phase in motorcycling racing.

The Tokyo-based marque, having lost eight-time world champion Marc Marquez in the fall, was expected to bounce back in MotoGP this year thanks to the introduction of a new concession system and a change of philosophy within the brand.

But despite making serious efforts in overhauling the RC213V, it is yet to achieve a single top 10 finish in a grand prix this season and sits at the bottom of the manufacturers’ table.

Honda will be hoping to tap into the experience of Espargaro, who is widely hailed for transforming Aprilia from a perennial backmarker into a multiple race-winner. 

The Spaniard’s insights and knowledge played a crucial role in Aprilia’s ascent near the front of the pack, as the Noale-based brand slowly worked on addressing the weaknesses of the RS-GP.

He announced his decision to leave Aprilia and retire from MotoGP at the Spanish Grand Prix earlier this year, while leaving the door open to take up a different role with a manufacturer.

It remains unclear if the 34-year-old will get to make any wildcard appearances in 2025 as part of his testing duties.

Espargaro and Bradl will play a supporting role for race riders Joan Mir and Luca Marini, with Honda expected to continue in MotoGP with the same line-up next year. Marini already has a contract for 2025, while Motorsport.com revealed last week that Mir has agreed a two-year contract through to the 2026 season.

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Espargaro ruled out of Dutch MotoGP race after high-speed crash

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Aleix Espargaro will sit out Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix following a high-speed crash on the final lap of the sprint race, his Aprilia MotoGP team has announced.

Espargaro’s participation in the Assen contest had been in doubt since he fell off his bike at Turn 15 and had to be taken to the hospital for check-ups.

The Spaniard’s condition for the race was initially expected to be evaluated in the warm-up, but before the session officially began Aprilia revealed that he will in fact not take part in any action on Sunday.

“Dear Media, just to inform you that Aleix Espargaro will not race today, even in the warm up session, in order to speed up the recovery. Thank you,” read a short statement from the Noale marque.

 

In his absence, the factory Aprilia team will be represented by team-mate Maverick Vinales and wildcard test rider Lorenzo Savadori, plus Trackhouse satellite duo Miguel Oliviera and Raul Fernandez.

A CT scan during Saturday’s visit to the hospital had revealed that Espargaro suffered a simple fracture at the metacarpal 5 on his right hand.

The 34-year-old was visibly shaken when he lost the control of his Aprilia RS-GP on the final lap of the sprint while fighting for fifth place.

It was his second major crash of the weekend, having already suffered a nasty highside going into the final chicane in second practice on Friday.

He was still able to progress directly into Q2 and qualify fifth for both the sprint and the main grand prix, two-places behind team-mate Maverick Vinales.

With Martin having been handed a grid penalty for impeding Raul Fernandez in qualifying, he would have lined up fourth for the grand prix had he been able to take the start.

But with Espargaro now focusing on his recovery, Martin will move back up to fifth, while Team VR46’s Fabio di Giannatonio will complete the second row on the grid.

Aprilia has looked solid in the Assen weekend so far, with Vinales occupying the final spot on the podium in the sprint behind runaway race winner Francesco Bagnaia and second-placed Pramac rider Jorge Martin.

Oliveira missed out on a points finish in 12th, while Fernandez ended up 17th and Savadori crashed out with eight laps to run

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team crash

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team crash

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

 

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Aleix Espargaro set to become Honda MotoGP test rider

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Espargaro announced ahead of last week’s Catalan Grand Prix that he will retire at the end of the 2024 season, bringing to an end a 20-year career in the MotoGP paddock that has so far yielded three premier class victories with Aprilia.

The Catalan already said at the time that he was seriously contemplating the possibility of becoming a test rider, given the experience he possesses.

Despite the success he has enjoyed with Aprilia, the brand with which he has raced for the last eight years and to which he brought their respective first victories in MotoGP, Espargaro has already made it clear that he will not continue with the Italian brand.

Autosport understands Honda is close to securing Espargaro’s services as a test rider for 2025, marking a major challenge for the Spaniard given HRC’s struggles in recent years. It is unclear what this would mean for current Honda tester Stefan Bradl.

Espargaro arrived at Aprilia in 2017 after two years at Suzuki, two years into the Noale brand’s return to MotoGP.

During these eight years, he took on the role of developing the RS-GP, which went from being the worst bike on the grid to become, right now, a motorcycle capable of winning races and standing up to the powerful Ducati — a job he now hopes to repeat at Honda.

Espargaro was also instrumental in developing Suzuki’s GSX-RR into a race-winning package.

HRC is experiencing drought that does not seem to be close ending.

Apart from Alex Rins’ solitary victory last year in Austin, the Japanese giant is going through the worst moment in its history.

In the last two years, Honda has finished last in the manufacturers’ standings and lost Marc Marquez to the Gresini Ducati squad owing to its lack of performance.

Ahead of this Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, Joan Mir is the leading Honda in the standings on 13 points, while factory team-mate Luca Marini has yet to score.

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