This third season of Pol Espargaró at KTM was that of confirmation of a good trajectory taken. The progress has been undeniable and this increase in power is hoped to be a springboard for the future. The boss of the brand has already implied that he was hoping for top 5 finishes for 2020, with, in particular, a Pol Espargaró whose abilities no one in Mattighofen doubts to hold the project with a firm grip on the track. The latter knows it well, but he does not forget the impulse of a recently recruited man who lit the way: Dani Pedrosa.
When, at the end of last season, the hiring of Dani Pedrosa by KTM became official, opinions were divided. The Spaniard was retiring as an official driver after years spent at Honda. A brand which, moreover, did not really appreciate this reconversion. We will indeed remember the unkind comments on the subject made by the Repsol Honda team manager Alberto puig, who was also the mentor of the now criticized pilot for a long time.
Some also said that, because of its size, Dani Pedrosa could only help himself in developing a motorcycle. Besides, he often got injured. Body wear that was reminiscent of “titanium” from the first laps with the RC16 which caused a collarbone to give way. Since then, KTM Did he get a good deal? What followed would show that yes…
Because since he really got down to work, there hasn't been a path that calls casting into question. Pol Espargaro, spearhead of the Austrians in MotoGP, insists: “ Before Dani was a KTM test rider, I had virtually no relationship with him. He had a purely polite approach with us, saying “hello” and “goodbye”, but here he opened up a lot » assures Pol.
« He also opened up with the engineers and the team. That's what I wanted when he came. He opened up and talked to the engineers about the feelings he had with the bike compared to those with the Honda, which helped us understand a lot of things. And then it opened up with me too. We had a lot of discussions not only about bikes, but also about riders, about riding styles... Things I had never talked to anyone openly about, just with my brother sometimes »
A beautiful tribute that says a lot about the value of the investment. An experience which will be very useful in a group of four pilots, two of whom are beginners in the person of Brad Binder and Iker Lecuona, in addition to Miguel Oliveira who will begin his second season with Red Bull Tech2020 KTM in 3.
