Austin, MotoGP, J2, KTM: Pol Espargaró took all the risks by following Maverick Viñales

At the end of qualifying in Austin, there was a box where everyone was exulting. It was the one from KTM who couldn't believe seeing his rider Pol Espargaro clock in fifth on the timesheet. Looking back, the pilot himself found it difficult to achieve. And for good reason, his turn was that of all the risks had as wheel a Casa Particular in Viñales turkey of the joke since finally behind the RC16…

Pol Espargaro did the job by tearing the fifth cone from the starting grid. But because of the way he had to work to achieve such a result, he warns that we must keep our feet on the ground and not imagine the same result in the race…. “ It was a very difficult day. In FP3, we couldn't fly because of the storm. And already in FP4 it became clear that the track is in a delicate condition when we put on the soft tire. There was a gusty wind, you had to be careful when turning. The wind was stronger than on Friday. He was blowing so hard! But thanks to Maverick, I had a good lap in Q2. It's just incredible ". So astonishing that his chief engineer Paul Trevathan said : " It was a lucky trick ».

A feeling confirmed by the 2013 Moto2 World Champion: “ yeah, at first I thought I wouldn't be able to stay with Maverick. But in the end, I was driving even 0,017 seconds faster. But I had to go over the limit... We risk more than the others, I think. If we push correctly, we can achieve the best times. We know it will be more difficult in terms of pace. But on a single lap, I can go to the limit. Compared to Marc and Maverick, I had some problems with direction changes. I was at the limit with the front. Fortunately, we chose the medium tire at the front, which has proven itself. The wind was tiring, but it dried out the track very quickly. And I don't know if we would have reached position 5 of the grid in the wet ».

He continues with a touch of humor about the tubular steel frame and WP suspensions, seasoned for motocross terrain. Were they useful on the bumpy Austin track, asks the Speedweek site? “ Yes, we use KTM's motocross philosophy. WP is used to rough slopes », laughs Pol. “ If the surface is bumpy, opponents cannot exploit their motorcycle 100%. You then have to bring more of your driving style into the game. My style is quite aggressive. I can say I love riding these bumps ».

Then the teammate Johann zarco 19^e comes back to earth: “ When it comes to our chances in the race, we have to be realistic. Place 5 is not where we will appear at the finish, our fights will take place a little further away. But it is important that we move away from the pursuers in the first laps. I already know that I will enjoy the start. Then I have to find a good rhythm and my group… »

Austin MotoGP J2: Qualifying

POLE	93	Marc MÁRQUEZ	Honda	2'03.787
2	46	Valentino ROSSI	Yamaha	2'04.060	0.273	0.273
3	35	Cal Crutchlow	Honda	2'04.147	0.360	0.087
4	43	Jack Miller	Ducati	2'04.416	0.629	0.269
5	44	Pol ESPARGARÓ	KTM	2'04.472	0.685	0.056
6	12	Maverick VIÑALES	Yamaha	2'04.489	0.702	0.017
7	42	Alex RINS	Suzuki	2'04.534	0.747	0.045
8	9	Danilo PETRUCCI	Ducati	2'04.696	0.909	0.162
9	20	Fabio QUARTARARO	Yamaha	2'04.941	1.154	0.245
10	21	Frank MORBIDELLI	Yamaha	2'05.278	1.491	0.337
11	99	Jorge Lorenzo	Honda	2'05.383	1.596	0.105
12	63	Francesco Bagnaia	Ducati	2'05.887	2.100	0.504

Q1:

Pos	number	Rider	Bike	Time	Gap 1st	Prev.
Q2	99	Jorge Lorenzo	Honda	2'05.855
Q2	9	Danilo PETRUCCI	Ducati	2'05.891	0.036	0.036
13	4	Andrea Dovizioso	Ducati	2'05.907	0.052	0.016
14	36	Joan Mir	Suzuki	2'06.147	0.292	0.240
15	30	Takaaki NAKAGAMI	Honda	2'06.324	0.469	0.177
16	41	Aleix ESPARGARÓ	Aprilia	2'06.464	0.609	0.140
17	29	Andrea Iannone	Aprilia	2'06.527	0.672	0.063
18	88	Miguel OLIVEIRA	KTM	2'06.543	0.688	0.016
19	5	johann zarco	KTM	2'06.824	0.969	0.281
20	17	Karel ABRAHAM	Ducati	2'07.129	1.274	0.305
21	55	Hafiz Syahrin	KTM	2'07.308	1.453	0.179
22	53	Tito RABAT	Ducati	2'07.417	1.562	0.109