Pol Espargaro, Moto2 world champion in 2013, raced as a starter in MotoGP starting from 2014, wearing the Tech3 colors of Yamaha, KTM, Honda and then again KTM, however branded GasGas in the 2023 season. In total, the Granollers rider he achieved eight podiums.
Seriously injured during free practice for this year’s Portuguese Grand Prix, Espargaro was out of action until last August’s British GP, eventually finishing the season with just 15 points, having struggled to return to full fitness. For 2024 he has been sidelined in Tech 3 to make room for reigning Moto2 champion and highly anticipated MotoGP rookie Pedro Acosta. Pol will thus cover the role of tester in KTM, as well as competing in a maximum of six wild cards.
After recovering from a crash in Valencia to finish in 14th place to score points, Espargaro admitted that his emotions were difficult to control that Sunday, noting that it felt like the end of a chapter in his career.
“So much emotion, especially at the start, every time I raised my head, I saw all the riders surrounding me. This tense and nervous atmosphere that sometimes you hate, but that sometimes you miss so much when you’re away from it for a long time,” he said. said when asked by Motorsport.com if it was just goodbye for now.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Pol Espargaro, Tech3 GASGAS Factory Racing
“It was emotional, very difficult to control. It’s the beginning of the end. I feel like it’s a chapter in my life that’s closing. Okay, I’ll run, but it’ll be something different. Obviously I will try to be competitive, I will try to recover from the injury because I am still weak. But I hope that in the future I will be able to have good races like Dani (Pedrosa, ed), prepare myself in the right way and be competitive.”
Espargaro revealed that after the accident in Portugal, some muscles are still at 40% strength and it could take more than a year to recover. When Motorsport.com asked him if spending a year out of racing and taking on the role of tester was the best thing for him, he replied: “Who knows. I mean, I definitely need time. I thought I would recover the muscles faster but I haven’t recovered them yet. There are still some muscles that take three months or even a year and a half to recover, from what the doctor told me.”
“So you can’t know if the nerves will recover 100%. But obviously there are muscles where I only have 40% of the power. This doesn’t bother me much when riding the bike, but when I have to go to the track for the long race after having already done the Sprint, my body gives up. Collapse, especially in right turns. I feel it after 12 or 13 trips. It’s a big problem, so I’ll definitely need time over the winter.”
Espargaro had been contacted by Honda to return to the Japanese brand as Marc Marquez’s replacement in 2024, but he chose to remain at KTM as a tester.
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