When Pol Espargaró decided to leave KTM for Honda, he proclaimed to anyone who would listen that the chance to join the ranks of the world's leading manufacturer could not be refused. For a moment, he was finally entering the big leagues. Two seasons later, here he is packing his boxes to head back to Mattighofen, but in a Tech3 team that he knows well having served him when the French represented Yamaha. And what does he say? What everyone is seeing: that European manufacturers are taking their revenge on their Japanese counterparts who crushed them during the late 70s...
It took a long time, but, sportingly, the MotoGP shows that we are there: the hour of revenge has come for the European coats of arms which have lived for decades under the yoke of the Empire of the Rising Sun. This Grand Prix season confirms a trend that has been gaining momentum in recent times and wants Europe to regain its leading position in the motorcycle world. Technically speaking, in a competition paddock in particular.
Certainly, KTM we are a little behind, but we had our moments of glory while Ducati et Aprilia have reached a milestone that puts Japanese brands on the ropes. If we still find that of Yamaha at the forefront, it's because fabio quartararo is on the handlebars. But at Honda, since Marc Marquez is no longer what he was, he is a real berezina. And Suzuki has just capitulated in the open countryside.
So much so that the brilliance of the winged coat of arms slamming at the top of the world market no longer dazzles. On the other hand, it blinds and it is so unpleasant that we follow the light of the emergency exit. Pol Espargaro is one of these pilots. He will find KTM, the Austrian. Not without making this observation heard during the last Catalan Grand Prix: “ what is read and how it is interpreted is that European brands put a lot of resources into it, more than the Japanese ».
Pol Espargaro: “ the important thing today is that your reaction to problems must be rapid«
But more than the means, there is also the work philosophy: “ The important thing today is that your response to problems must be fast, it cannot be slow. They do hard work and with perseverance, despite the fact that the factory is much smaller. We are not used to seeing these motorcycles. These are no longer Japanese winning races, and in recent years this is the trend and more and more ».
He takes his hat off to European brands: “ to see how Aprilia, KTM, Ducati and how Yamaha work, with Fabio, Suzuki in difficulty, us suffering. … In the end here, it's not who has more money, but who does it better. They do better ». Pol Espargaro notes this historic turnaround: “ Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki have such power that they could eat any European factory, smaller in comparison. The technology wasn't that developed, but they had systems that we couldn't even imagine... And now it's the other way around. This is a trend that has changed in recent years ».
