Pol Espargaro will start on Sunday from the second row of the starting grid for his last Grand Prix on a Yamaha from the Tech 3 team. He will rub shoulders with the Suzuki of Maverick Vinales and the Ducati of Andrea Dovizioso.
The Spaniard started Saturday's day well by placing sixth in the third free practice session, just 0.487 behind the best time. During the Q2 qualifying session, he completed a total of eight laps, the best of which allowed him to finish in sixth position and first of the independents. He was only 0.264 behind the front row.
The 2 Moto2013 World Champion's goal in this last Grand Prix of the year is to rank as the best independent rider. It would be a very positive way to say goodbye to the team Tech 3, before joining his new team next Tuesday KTM for two days of testing which promise to be exciting.
According to Pol Espargaro, “ I'm pleased with my qualifying performance today, and we knew we could do a good job, which we did, but it was really close in Q2. Every driver was fast here in Valencia today. However we started the weekend with a decent pace and I was able to continue and then build on that, which allowed me to qualify well.
“As far as the circuit is concerned, it is very difficult, and very technical, especially when the electronics are concerned, for example for anti-slip and anti-skid. However, I feel comfortable and the Yamaha works well. It's always a bit special as a satellite driver to start the GP from the second row, but we're going to enjoy the rest of today knowing that we were competitive and I'm going to try to have fun on my last appearance on this track with Yamaha. I've always been fast in Valencia, so I'm happy with today's result and although my expectations aren't huge for the race, I'll be excited to see what we can do tomorrow. »
