Pol Espargaró experienced the same conditions at Le Mans that he braved in 2018 in Valencia. And he obtained the same result: a podium. The latter is interesting because it allows him to become the first KTM rider in the championship and position his current employer in third place in his manufacturers' ranking, ahead of Suzuki. However, he finished behind the man he will replace at Repsol Honda, Alex Marquez…
Pol Espargaro had something to rejoice at the parc ferme Grand Prix of France. He had just collected a new podium and he had the golden opportunity to take a close look at the RC213V which will be his 2021 machine. Which he did not deprive himself of…
After Spielberg et Misano, Pol Espargaro took a third place on his Red Bull-KTM at Le Mans. To the great dismay ofAndrea Dovizioso. The Spaniard moved up to eighth place in the championship standings. And KTM returned to third place in the constructors' championship, ahead of Suzuki.
The pilot of 29 explains his race thus: “ the Ducatis were great, especially at the start of the race, they got the tires up to temperature incredibly quickly » says the Spaniard. “ But in the end I saw that Dovizioso was having difficulty opening the accelerator. He then made short shifts in most corners when accelerating in order to still find grip. I felt like I finally had an advantage over him when accelerating ».
« Then I was able to stand up to him, at first it was an impossibility. I was careful because it was very slippery, back and front. But over time it got better and better. My bike's performance improved more and more from the middle of the race. When I was in control, I found a good rhythm. At some point, I realized that the distance to Rins in front of me was no longer increasing. I then braked later than him and caught up with him again. That's when I started to believe in my chance of getting on the podium. But before the middle of the race I was having serious problems... ».
“There was a lack of courage and confidence to put the medium forward”
Pol continues: “ Finally, I could have used the medium tire at the front... We were about to switch to the medium instead of the soft. But there was a lack of courage and confidence to take this step. Who knows if we could have fought for more otherwise. But maybe I wouldn't have crossed the finish line because, as I said, in the middle of the race we even had problems with the soft tires at the front. So I'm not complaining, I'm getting on this podium. I'm happy because I've achieved three podiums in the last five races. We now have five races left in six weeks. It will be entertaining. The last phase of the championship will be interestinge ».
The factory driver Red Bull KTM is now looking forward to the two World Championship races in Aragon, especially since he knows that the KTM RC16 is competitive on almost all tracks and in all conditions. “ Our motorcycle has improved, we could have obtained a very good result today even in the dry ", said Pol. “ Perhaps it would have been difficult to get on the podium on a dry track, as Yamaha put in a strong performance on Friday and Saturday. But we certainly would have finished near the podium ».
« I also like Aragon. I won at the 125cc and Moto2 World Championships there. But in 2018 I broke my collarbone there. And last year I broke my wrist training there. I haven't raced there since 2017. That's why I'm hoping for a good result this time. Because it's half of a home Grand Prix for me. I grew up only two and a half hours away. Maybe this will allow us to have another podium if we take the momentum from the last races with us " finished Pol Espargaro.
MotoGP Le Mans France J3: classification
Championship:
