Pol Espargaro's Surprising Rise: From New York to the Top KTM in Australian MotoGP Practice
Pol Espargaro, the Tech3 stand-in, made a remarkable impression at the Australian MotoGP, becoming the fastest KTM rider in Friday practice. This comes as a surprise, considering he was just in New York shopping with his wife a few days prior. Espargaro's performance is even more impressive given his limited experience with the KTM RC16, having last ridden it in Hungary two months ago.
The eight-time MotoGP podium finisher was recalled by KTM to replace the injured Maverick Vinales, a challenging task at the unfamiliar tracks of Brno and Balaton Park. Espargaro humorously noted the Phillip Island circuit's intensity, stating, 'This is not a place to come and chill!'.
However, Espargaro's adrenaline-fueled performance spoke for itself. He finished the morning session within 0.757 seconds of the top and just 0.019 seconds behind the full-time Tech3 rider, Enea Bastianini. The afternoon session saw Espargaro excel further, breaking the previous lap record and securing eighth place, only 0.562 seconds behind Marco Bezzecchi on Aprilia.
The KTM team's next best riders were Pedro Acosta in tenth, Brad Binder in twelfth, and Enea Bastianini in 20th. Espargaro's impressive showing left him stunned, admitting, 'I am impressed for sure, I was not really expecting to be that fast!'.
Despite his success, Espargaro remained grounded, acknowledging the challenge of maintaining consistency. He praised the Tech3 team and expressed his satisfaction with the bike's performance, stating, 'We made a great lap for sure, maybe I can't repeat it twice, but everything is going well'.
Enea Bastianini, his team-mate, also had a difficult day, struggling with fast corners and wind at the track. Bastianini acknowledged the team's challenges, stating, 'We have a lot of work to do to be competitive'.
With Espargaro's performance, he is now guaranteed a starting position no lower than twelfth on the grid. Bastianini, on the other hand, faces a qualifying challenge, needing to fight through Saturday morning's Qualifying 1.
