Pol Espargaró and the Tech3 GASGAS team will truly be playing at home this weekend at the Catalan Grand Prix, as both names, from the driver to the company, were born in the region of the Montmelò track. The desire to do well will therefore be more exacerbated elsewhere, but in terms of goal results, Hervé Poncharal's men led by Nicolas Goyon will look towards the box of Augusto Fernandez who has never missed a point since the start of his rookie season at the end of a Sunday race. Because the youngest Espargaró is still convalescing.
Convalescent, but a native child. And it is as such Pol Espargaro approaches this eleventh round of the championship, which will be the penultimate in Europe before a grueling campaign overseas, all promising us ten Grands Prix, i.e. 20 races in 13 weeks! « The Catalan Grand Prix is my home GP, because I grew up listening to the sounds of the engines coming from the circuit. It is also the home of GASGAS, so it will be a very important weekend for me » announces Aleix’s brother.
However, he recalls his current limitations: “ obviously, I would have preferred to arrive at a better time, but I have to be happy to be the way I am at the moment. Austria was super demanding and I was able to finish a decent weekend. I'm still far from where I want to be, still far from normal in my physical condition, although I was able to use these days to improve. And I'm still trying to fully understand how the bike works after the changes the factory has made over the past few months. Regardless, I'm happy to continue my development and hope to take another step forward this weekend! ».
His teammate Augusto Fernandez added : " I'm really excited to go racing in Barcelona, Spain. It's a track that I really like, and I have very good memories of it, including a podium last season in Moto2. It will be a very important weekend for our GASGAS brand, so I am fully motivated to try and bring a good result for both the team and GASGAS on their home soil. I'm looking forward to this tour, and I hope to see many fans come and support us! ».
Pol Espargaro: “ I must be happy to be the way I am right now »
The final word goes to the team manager Nicolas Goyon which reminds us that the Catalonia is the territory of GASGAS: “ it is with great pleasure that GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 takes the road to Barcelona for the Catalan Grand Prix, this time at the beginning of September instead of June, but I believe we will have similar, warm conditions, so tire management will once again be the key to success. Barcelona is a special place for our team, as it is home to GASGAS. This is the place where our story together began, last February, when we revealed to the world our red GASGAS RC16, in Terrassa ».
« Augusto Fernandez will enter this round full of confidence, as his run of Top 15s on Sunday is still ongoing, and he finished on the podium last season in Moto2. Pol Espargaró is a boy of the house because he was born near the circuit, so I'm sure he will have a lot of support from the locals. His physical condition is improving more and more, and even if he still won't be 100%, he will be full of motivation to bring the best possible result to his team and his fans. Both drivers are very motivated for this round, so let’s shine at home in Barcelona! ».
It will be noted that Tech3 is the only stable on the plateau MotoGP who can announce during the season playing at home on three occasions. At Le Mans, because it is French, in Austria, because it is a partner of the Pierer Mobility Group with two RC16s in the box and, therefore in Catalonia, because of the GASGAS war paint.
