Pol Espargaró is part of a contingent where, like Jack Miller, he will have to convince his employers from the outset that he can keep his handlebars for 2023. The Spaniard from Honda may have the part even more difficult than that of the Australian on the Ducati because he has to compete with Marc Marquez in the box, who is impressive, even when riding with one and a half arms. It is no longer a question of making the difference, as he hoped when signing his Honda contract, but at least of getting closer to the eight-time World Champion. Aleix's younger brother studied his teammate who became a model closely and followed him in his training method...
Pol Espargaro is already at a crossroads while the year 2022 has not yet delivered a single time on a MotoGP track. However, in view of what Marc Marquez made him undergo last year, he knows that he must review everything to support any semblance of comparison on the RC213V. On Motorsport-total, he declares in complete transparency: “ I always ran with Marc, but being tied, in the same team, gave me a more realistic perspective than what I could have had before. There are circumstances in which I have been surprised at how fast it can go ».
But what especially impressed Pol Espargarò, it is this… “ I thought Marc needed to lean heavily on the rear, like me, to go fast. And I understood that it was the opposite: you need very little grip to go fast even when it's very hot, and it's very difficult. It's a great technique, and now I understand why he trains a certain way and why he does what he does. Being his teammate allows me to understand a little better the techniques he uses to go so fast ».
Pol Espargaro: “ I am lucky to have an RC213V-S. It's kind of a little MotoGP machine »
As a result, the 2013 Moto2 World Champion changed his winter program: “ Over the last few years when I was riding for KTM I had a different training method in the winter. I only trained very little on the bike and I was also doing little for my endurance. I focused on strength training. A year ago I trained more intensively with the motocross machine and this year I want to intensify the flat track training. When I see how Marc works, I think it could be very beneficial for me ", said I will espargaro.
The Spaniard can use a special motorcycle to practice on the big Grand Prix tracks. While most other riders only ride lightly modified superbikes, I will espargaro can fall back on Honda's MotoGP replica. “ I am lucky to have an RC213V-S. It's kind of a little MotoGP machine “, he said. The Spaniard set up camp at Portimao and trains with the Supermoto machine and with its Honda MotoGP replica…
