Pol Espargaró is having a good period with newfound success. In Misano, during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, he inherited the podium after Fabio Quartararo received a three-second penalty at the finish line. In Styria, he was able to keep his third place ahead of Joan Mir, although returning from outside the limits of the track. The Spaniard is in the top 10 of the championship and ahead of his teammate Brad Binder, winner this year. His target now is Oliveira, eighth overall, and also victorious on the KTM. Then it will be the move to Honda. He explains his thoughts which led him to this choice, the foundations of which date back to the Yamaha period…
Official KTM and boasting of the fact that he is not for nothing in the performances currently displayed by the RC16, Pol Espargaro will however leave the Mattighofen factory to join a team Repsol Honda which is currently experiencing the worst season in its history. A choice made during confinement, and therefore before the Austrian motorcycle won two victories with Brad Binder the beginner, and Miguel Oliveira, who will succeed him. A decision that may have seemed brutal. But Aleix's younger brother, who officiates at Aprilia assumes, explaining that in his world, one should not deal with feelings. Otherwise, you will experience disappointment. And that’s what he would have known at Yamaha…
In the columns of Sports world, it recalls in fact, a moment in his career when the doors of Suzuki had opened before him: “ Lin Jarvis said to stay with the satellite team because Valentino was about to retire and they would need a younger driver. He later denied this in a press conference, which made me feel pretty bad ».
“You can go to Honda with fear or you can go to Honda with ambition”
Because Suzuki obviously didn't wait for it. Still, he learned his lesson: “ I promised myself that if another factory entered the championship and I had the opportunity to participate, I would not think twice ". And that's what happened with KTM. But who from Honda? “ When you make a decision, you usually do it to improve yourself. You put everything on the table and make the best decision. Now I think I can be even faster with a Honda ».
A feeling that Jorge Lorenzo fought back, fearing for his compatriot to experience the same disillusionment as his own. But Pol replies: “ you can go to Honda with fear or you can go to Honda with ambition. I really want to learn from the best, understand what Marc is doing, see if the bike is as difficult as they say. Seeing so many riders who failed to go fast with this bike shows that it's a challenge ».
It will be recalled that many drivers have lost their bet to change manufacturer, including Valentino Rossi in the two-year period Ducati. Now Pol wants to be the exception that proves the rule... Like Casey Stoner.
