Since he found a KTM in the colors of GAGAS which also marked his return to the Tech3 team, Pol Espargaró has been smiling. A posture that will please his boss on the ground, Hervé Poncharal, who insisted on the fact that, this year, he no longer wanted to see the elongated and gray faces seen over the last two years. However, Aleix's younger brother does not force himself. He is really satisfied with his performance and this third time of a second day of testing at Sepang is good for morale. What also delights him is that while Honda had given him nothing to test during his ordeal on the RC213V, this time he is crumbling under the workload. Because he is in as much demand as Jack Miller and Brad Binder, the KTM factory riders.
A situation on which he likes to emphasize with this well-felt formula: “ we have to get used to the fact that there are now two Austrian factory teams » is satisfied with the pilot 31 years who explains this strategy as follows: “ Ducati has a lot of bikes on the track and is testing new parts with a lot of riders. Even in client teams. Because the level is so high, you can no longer afford to test with just two drivers ».
He adds : " even though they are very fast, it's better if you can distribute the coins and gather more information. Because it can happen very quickly that you lose yourself by trying too much. If you give the new parts to other drivers and you hear different opinions. We must now explore the best compromises with four pilots in three days. There are different fairings and chassis, different engines ».
Pol Espargaro: “ I tested many aero versions, sometimes there were also other accessories underneath«
Within the family of Matthighofen, the subject seems to be aerodynamic: “ I tested many aero versions, sometimes there were also other accessories underneath… There are different sizes, different formats. Some help you accelerate so you have more downforce. But we also expect aerodynamic support when cornering.. Because if you have an advantage in the turn, you will be in a better position in the turn. You can then lift the motorcycle earlier and have more contact patch with the tires when you open the throttle. And then you have more rubber on the asphalt and that also helps with grip ».
« But you have to look for a compromise, because not all changes bring only benefits. There is always another side to the coin. You must then eliminate these disadvantages again, possibly with different settings » specifies the 2 Moto2013 World Champion. “ It can also happen that a fairing makes a very good impression, but the wind in certain corners has a bad effect on the rider. It is not that simple. As the turns come one after the other, this new aerodynamics can create disadvantages in other areas. There are always changed features on the bike when you add new parts, which is often annoying. You always have to find the right balance ».
And as a result, track time becomes more and more precious, to the point that a downpour can now be a real curse: “ it may happen that during a winter test, you come across a day where the tests are interrupted several times by rain », underlines Pol Espargaro. " The weather was complicated today, but we can't change that. It's just a shame the rain didn't come on the third day, because it would have been easier. Because if you had fallen in the rain today and gotten injured, the test might have been over. You might also have scrapped the motorcycle or ruined important test parts. This would have been useless because we only have two days of testing left in Portimão in March ". Only, and already...
Ranking of MotoGP Test results at Sepang J2:
Ranking of MotoGP Test results at Sepang J1/J2:
Credit rankings: MotoGP.com
